LOS ANGELES — He's not just the prototypical passer. To Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, dual-threat quarterback isn't even the right classification for what Justin Herbert can do.

"Justin could play tight end in the National Football League," Harbaugh said. "He could be an edge rusher. He could do all those things because of his speed, strength,...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With a depleted and disjointed wide receiving corps last month at San Francisco, Patrick Mahomes endured an exasperating day as a passer: a career-low quarterback rating of 44.4 with two interceptions that left him tied for the NFL lead, with eight.

While neither of those pickoffs was Mahomes’ fault — one came on a ...Read more

CHICAGO — During his first team meeting as the new offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears on Wednesday morning, Thomas Brown articulated his vision for the week, offered some ready-made adjustments for the team’s struggling offense and spoke with purpose about what will be needed to keep this roller-coaster season from careening off the...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Preston Smith, the newest Steelers outside linebacker, has played in 156 games since he entered the NFL in 2015. In that time, mostly because he played for two NFC teams, he has never faced Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

He will get his indoctrination on Sunday and is looking forward to the challenge, no matter how daunting.

...Read more

ATLANTA — Most likely, one of two things will happen Sunday in the Falcons game at Denver.

Either slumping kicker Younghoe Koo will show how mentally strong he is or coach Raheem Morris will reveal how deep his confidence in him runs.

Over the course of his Falcons career, Koo has provided reason to back him through the rut he has found ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With replacement kickers, you take your chances.

Harrison Butker will miss 3-4 games after having surgery to trim the meniscus in his left knee Friday morning. That would put him back on the field before the end of the regular season.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said the injury occurred in practice this week.

The stand-in for ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As much as the San Francisco 49ers are energized by having Christian McCaffrey back in the lineup, let’s not pretend his presence is the be-all and end-all when it comes to running the ball in the manner that coach Kyle Shanahan expects.

Especially against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks opened the season 3-0 and ...Read more

ATLANTA — We perceived the Falcons’ schedule as front-loaded, and we weren’t wrong. Their first three opponents now lead their divisions. To their credit, the Falcons won in Philadelphia after losing their opener to Pittsburgh. In hindsight, starting 1-2 was an achievement.

We assumed the schedule would ease after that. We weren’t wrong...Read more

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Lions survived the gauntlet — and by “survived,” I mean “crushed.” Now it gets easier, even though it never really does in the NFL.

In their seven-game winning streak, the Lions have won five on the road — Arizona, Dallas, Minnesota, Green Bay, Houston. That’s Super Bowl-caliber mettle, the type of mettle...Read more

The chants were unmistakable — and very loud.

Flocks of Eagles fans stuck around after Philadelphia’s 26-18 home victory over the Washington Commanders on Thursday night and expressed their gratitude to the team that let Saquon Barkley walk away.

“Thank you, Giants!” the fans roared in unison, interrupting Barkley’s postgame ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — By the time you read this, the chances are good that Jake Elliott will have driven home from Lincoln Financial Field, fired up the film from the Eagles' 26-18 win over Washington on Thursday night, and pored over what was, by just about any standard, the worst game of his NFL career.

For the first time in his eight seasons, he ...Read more

MIAMI — Few people ever really want to hear the truth about themselves.

And they certainly don’t want to hear it coming from an ex, whether that be a spouse or an employee.

That’s why DeShon Elliott’s viewpoint of his former team, which he shared during an episode of the “Punch Line Podcast with Marlon Humphrey” discussing the ...Read more

RENTON, Wash. — As the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon was hardly unknown to opponents as a rookie.

Still, it’s one thing to understand what a player might be able to do on a field. It’s another to see it happen and be able to react to it.

Now that Witherspoon is in his second season in the...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — In the fourth quarter, the Eagles finally decided to start playing complementary football.

A slow start from the Eagles offense eventually matched the strong, sustained performance by its defense late on Thursday night against the Washington Commanders, scoring 20 points in the final frame on the way to a 26-18 victory. Saquon ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles couldn’t have played more hungover if they’d spent Wednesday night on South Street. The Commanders smelled even worse.

The two best teams in the NFC East provided three hours of mostly somnambulant play in a short-week display of why "Thursday Night Football" is a crime against nature. The Eagles played a road ...Read more

NEW YORK — Brian Daboll, with GM Joe Schoen presiding, is the first Giants head coach ever to have two or fewer wins through 10 games in back-to-back seasons, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The last time the Giants franchise had two or fewer wins through 10 games in consecutive seasons was 51 years ago, when Alex Webster started 2-7-1 in ...Read more

BALTIMORE — More than 1,100 miles separate Pittsburgh from Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., and the two disparate locales share little in common. As for their football teams, however, there is a surprising tie that binds.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been equally vexed by both.

“I hated ’em; I still hate ’em,” Jackson cracked ...Read more

ALLEN PARK, Mich.— After quarterback Jared Goff tossed his fifth interception against the Houston Texans on Sunday, wide receiver Jameson Williams, who was the intended target on the play, went to the sideline with a question for Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

"Hey, was my angle right?" Williams posed, according to Johnson's...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Last weekend, the Carolina Panthers took a triumphant trip to Munich, Germany — and the team did so with many of the greatest players in franchise history along for the ride.

Thomas Davis was there. Steve Smith was there. Luke Kuechly was, too, among others.

There was one glaring absence, though. And according to that ...Read more