DENVER — Don’t take the wag out of the puppy’s tail.

Nobody wants Sean Payton to become too conservative with Bo Nix. He needs enough leash to make plays.

However, there remains a middle ground where the coach trusts Nix, while the quarterback regains his rhythm. By any measure, Nix has exceeded expectations this season with 20 passing ...Read more

NEW YORK — When the Green Bay Packers drafted Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Aaron Rodgers was exasperated, as detailed in his docuseries “Enigma,” which premiered Tuesday on Netflix.

“I looked down at my phone and my agent just texted me, ‘Quarterback.’ And I was like, ‘No f–king way,'” Rodgers said. �...Read more

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — For the first 15 weeks of the season, the Falcons’ first-string defensive backs went against quarterback Michael Penix Jr. every day in practice.

As the backup quarterback, Penix ran the scout team (second-team offense) against the first-team defense. He job was to run the opponent’s offense.

That will change this ...Read more

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions are not yet ready to say David Montgomery's season is over.

Despite head coach Dan Campbell previously labeling Montgomery's knee issue (an MCL injury) one that would "require surgery that'll put him out through the rest of the year," the Lions did not place him on injured reserve Tuesday along with ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The NFL's best rivalries since 2000 are either dead or dormant.

Tom Brady-Peyton Manning — otherwise known as Patriots-Colts — was great theater but has long since faded.

Seahawks-49ers was a throwback throw-down for a few years there. Just vicious stuff. Two coaches you'd like to punch in Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll. Two ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Bo Nix isn't the same quarterback the Chargers prepared for in Week 6. Jesse Minter knows he's partially to blame.

"We kind of sparked his run on what we let him do to us in the fourth quarter of that game," the Chargers defensive coordinator said sheepishly this week.

After Nix threw two touchdowns to help score 16 points in ...Read more

CHICAGO — The “Monday Night Football” broadcast played the clip twice, just to drive home the point.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had just taken a huge hit from Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Jihad Ward while throwing an incomplete pass to end a drive early in the fourth quarter.

Back on the Bears sideline, Williams ...Read more

ATLANTA — The Falcons needed a quarterback so badly they flouted NFL regulations to get one. They paid him $180 million. (Though only – only! – $100M is guaranteed.) He started 14 games. He might not start another, at least not for this club.

I was here when Dan Henning benched Steve Bartkowski, franchise QB, for David Archer, drafted by ...Read more

GREG COTE’S NFL WEEK 16 THURSDAY PICK

BRONCOS (9-5) at CHARGERS (8-6)

Line: LAC by 3.

Cote’s pick: DEN, 23-18.

TV: 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Prime Video.

[Playoff status: DEN reaches first postseason since 2015 with a win; LAC can also clinch with a win if IND and MIA both lose Sunday.] This isn’t quite the high-stakes game suggested ...Read more

NEW YORK — On Tuesday, “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma” debuted on Netflix.

The three-episode docuseries begins with the four-time NFL MVP receiving a tattoo of a dragon chasing its own tail.

It reflects on Rodgers’ last year, which included a trade to the Jets and the quarterback tearing his Achilles four plays into his debut in 2023. Viewers ...Read more

CHICAGO — It ain’t easy being the G.O.A.T.

Over the course of a career, people start referring to you as the Greatest Of All Time, a sign that you’re living large and all your dreams have come true.

But soon you realize it’s an impossible standard to live up to, and not everything you touch will turn to gold. Even G.O.A.T.s have bad ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Rams are in first place in the NFC West and readying for a playoff push.

Will coach Sean McVay seek reinforcements?

The window closed after Week 12 for future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald to come out of retirement this season for a shot at another Super Bowl.

But star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who also was...Read more

ATLANTA — With their playoff hopes and season on the line, the Falcons are benching veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and handing the football to rookie Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons announced in a statement Tuesday night.

The move came just a few hours after coach Raheem Morris was non-commital to several questions about the team’s ...Read more

ATLANTA — Falcons coach Raheem Morris has fielded questions about benching Kirk Cousins for weeks. Each time, Morris confirmed that Cousins was the starter. Morris declined to do that soon after the Falcons got back from Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Two hours later, Morris announced that rookie Michael Penix Jr. would replace Cousins as the starter ...Read more

ATLANTA — Falcons coach Raheem Morris has fielded questions about benching Kirk Cousins for weeks. Each time, Morris confirmed that Cousins was the starter before acknowledging that he must play better. This time, Morris didn’t say Cousins will start ahead of Michael Penix Jr. on Sunday against the New York Giants.

“I think we’ve got to...Read more

Each week I’ll list the best widely available free agents for fantasy football — I define “widely available” as being owned in around half of all ESPN or Yahoo leagues — and some guys who are probably better off in the free agent pool than collecting dust on your roster.

Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @UTEddieBrown if you ...Read more

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will recap the best and worst from around the league. Here are our winners and losers from Week 15:

Winner: Lamar Jackson

Here’s your annual reminder: The NFL Most Valuable Player Award race isn’t over until the final votes are cast.

The NFL is a week-to-week league, so it’s tempting to ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If Patrick Mahomes’ injured ankle has recovered enough for him to play in Saturday’s game against the Houston Texans, he’ll play, Andy Reid said on Tuesday.

Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. On a fourth-and-3 from the Browns 39...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The trouble for Chicago Bears rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie started early Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, and it came in the form of Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard.

On third-and-9 midway through the first quarter, Greenard flew by the left side of Amegadjie, who barely got a finger on the fifth-...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Atlanta Falcons went old-school to pull out a 15-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night at Allegiant Stadium.

In the pass-happy NFL, the Falcons went smashmouth 1970s era on the Raiders. They ran the ball on 23 of 24 first downs.

The Falcons kept the clock running. More important, they found a way to limit ...Read more