ATLANTA — After steering his team out of a four-game plummet, Falcons coach Raheem Morris could not ask for much more than what his team has now.

The Falcons’ win over the New York Giants on Sunday coupled with Tampa Bay’s narrow loss to Dallas has improbably returned control of the NFC South to the Falcons, as both teams lead the ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Brian Oliver sat at the foot of his hotel bed on a Sunday morning. He pulled out his phone and searched, “Ravens game Mexico City.” There had to be some sports bar nearby that could show the game, he thought.

A Facebook group popped up. That led him to a watch party at Gallo Cervecero.

“I just assumed I’d be showing up to...Read more

MIAMI — Expect the Miami Dolphins to have a new look in 2025 no matter what happens in these final two regular season games.

Most teams embrace changes each year, but the metamorphosis Miami’s roster will likely undergo isn’t optional considering more Dolphins players (48) are heading into free agency than the team has under contract (35)...Read more

SEATTLE — The debut that came earlier than expected now feels like it was three and a half months late. One of the biggest question marks of the 2024 NFL draft just revealed himself as an exclamation point.

Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. made his first start Sunday because Kirk Cousins had been struggling mightily over the ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is not focused on a potential third NFL Most Valuable Player Award, even though it would put him in the rarefied company of the six current and future Pro Football Hall of Famers, including Jim Brown and Tom Brady, who have won it at least three times. He also has little interest in the talk ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Under no circumstances should Jalen Hurts play Sunday against the Cowboys. The risk exceeds the reward.

Hurts suffered the first concussion of his five-year NFL career Sunday at Washington. He is in concussion protocol, from which he will not emerge until the end of the week. His status for Sunday’s game will not be known ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have both had the merriest of times and found coal in their stockings playing on Christmas, history suggests.

The Christmas clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers at noon Wednesday marks the fifth time the Chiefs will play on the holiday. It’ll also be their third game in 11 days this season. If the ...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead sustained a right knee ailment against the New York Jets that was so bad it limited him to just five plays. Despite that, the next day Armstead hosted dozens of kids at Target for his “Team Armstead Holiday Blessing” Christmas shopping spree.

“It’s impactful to the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It's a short week of preparation for the Rams.

But coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford and the rest of the offense can take comfort knowing at least one thing can be eliminated as they get ready for Saturday's game against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium:

Practicing with a silent count.

Unlike fans of the San ...Read more

SEATTLE — After Byron Murphy II became the first Seahawk selected in the Mike Macdonald era, general manager John Schneider declared that "we had him graded as the best defensive player in the draft."

Exactly eight months later, Murphy — a 6-foot, 306-pound defensive tackle — has made a statistically modest impact in Seattle. The DeSoto, ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The bus was revving, and the clock was calling. An afternoon at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital had come to an end, and a dozen or more Bucs players were heading out the lobby doors.

A quick head count by Duke Preston, the team’s vice president of player engagement, told him he was missing a handful of his jumbo-sized ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Jesse Minter quickly impressed Chargers players with his calm demeanor during his first season as an NFL defensive coordinator, but as the Denver Broncos rolled up three consecutive touchdown drives last Thursday, even the unflappable Minter started to panic.

He had just spent four days speaking to his players about the proper ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For those who believe there’s an overabundance of sports statistics, this is for you.

Opta Stats shared this Saturday: “Xavier Worthy of the Chiefs scored his eighth touchdown of the season today. That’s the most scrimmage touchdowns by a rookie on a defending NFL champion since Hugh Gallarneau of the 1941 Chicago ...Read more

ASHBURN, Va.— Former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn has the Washington Commanders rolling.

The Falcons (8-7) are set to face the Commanders (10-5), one of the hotter teams in the NFL, at 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., with NFC playoff implications on the line.

The Commanders, who are led by rookie quarterback ...Read more

GREG COTE’S NFL WEEK 17 CHRISTMAS & THURSDAY PICKS

CHIEFS (14-1) at STEELERS (10-5)

Line: KC by 2 1/12.

Cote’s pick: KC, 24-18.

TV: 1 p.m. Wednesday, Netflix.

[Playoff impact: KC has clinched division but not yet No. 1 seed. PIT has clinched playoffs but not yet division.] Chiefs sew up top AFC seed with a win in Wednesday’s early ...Read more

Not so long ago, you needed only the major over-the-air networks and a few cable channels to watch virtually any significant sporting event.

No longer.

Decisions by the NFL, NBA and other leagues have left fans reaching into their pockets to pay for subscriptions to a handful of streaming services, incurring costs they never needed to worry ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Besieged by injuries for the past few weeks, the Steelers are getting a bit healthier for their biggest game of the year.

Receiver George Pickens, safety DeShon Elliott, defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi and cornerback Donte Jackson do not have injury designations for Wednesday's game against the Chiefs and are expected to be in ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Mina Kimes has a lot going on this week.

Like so many other people this time of the year, the analyst for ESPN's "NFL Live" has been busy wrapping presents and preparing for the arrival of out-of-town guests for the holidays.

In addition to those typical holiday activities, however, Kimes also has to break down film and attend ...Read more