FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

Deshaun Watson made a huge splash in the league last season, turning the boring Houston Texans into one of the most prolific offensive teams during his brief time before an injury prematurely ended his campaign. Playing his first regular season game since Week 8 of last season, Watson was rusty and so were the Texans. Fumbling a handoff on the first offensive play and throwing an ill-advised interception later was too much for the Texans to overcome as they lost to the defending AFC champion Pat... 

It’s hard to say who had a worse start to the season, Jimmy Garoppolo or the Detroit Lions. Making their debut under Matt Patricia, the Lions were smacked by the Jets on Monday Night Football, leaving many fans to believe that the Jim Caldwell era wasn’t so bad. After all, the former coach had three winning seasons and two playoff appearances in his four years. The Lions must regroup for their Week 2 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers and Jimmy G, who chucked three picks in losing his first ga... 

It looks like Ryan Fitzpatrick is making a bid to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers permanent starter, and he has a good chance to supplant Jameis Winston if he continues to play like he did in the opener. It’s a lot to expect from the career journeyman and unlikely, but oh what a performance he had on Sunday. FitzMagic shredded the Saints secondary and all of a sudden the Bucs’ season doesn’t appear to be doomed before it even starts. The Bucs continue a brutal three-game opening stretch by hosting t... 

Thrust into the starting role as the savior of the New York Jets, the career of Sam Darnold started with a thud, but his first game ended with a bang. On his very first NFL pass, the No. 3 overall pick was pick-sixed and visions of former first-round failures Richard Todd and Ken O’Brien came to mind. By the end of the night fans were planning the parade route through Manhattan after the Jets upended the Lions. Things are a bit calmer in South Beach where the Miami Dolphins welcomed back Ryan Ta... 

Alex Smith did something Kirk Cousins never did as the Washington Redskins starting quarterback – he won a season opener. And the Skins did it convincingly with their veteran backfield of Smith and Adrian Peterson leading the way to a 24-6 manhandling of the Cardinals. The Skins could be a sleeper in the NFC as long as they remain healthy and the resurgent AP supplied them with a ground game they haven’t seen in a few years. Looking to start a season 2-0 for the first time since 2011, the Skins ... 

It’s not often a team commits six turnovers and doesn’t lose. The Pittsburgh Steelers had their chances to put the game away, but costly miscues prevented them from defeating the Browns, instead settling for a boring, 21-21, tie. The Kansas City Chiefs were far from boring in their season-opening win over division rival Los Angeles, using the strong arm of Patrick Mahomes and the shiftiness of Tyreek Hill to frustrate the Bolts. Hill said the Chiefs will have the best offense in the NFL and they... 

After not playing a snap during the preseason, it took the Los Angeles Rams offense some time to get going. But once it did, the Raiders didn’t stand a chance. Fresh off their first division title in 14 years and stocked with a roster of Pro Bowl players, the Rams are trying to take advantage of a championship window that’s wide open. They looked every bit the contender on Monday, scoring 23 unanswered points in the second half to pull away for the win. While the Rams are near the top of the hea... 

They didn’t lose last week, so that’s a plus for the Cleveland Browns. But they did extend their winless streak to 18 straight games by playing to a tie against the Steelers. And they way they forged the tie was something to be excited about. The Browns scored two touchdowns in the last half of the final quarter, and they were given a chance in overtime after Chris Boswell missed a field goal. But in typical Browns fashion, they botched that attempt, watching the potential game-winning kick get ... 

It looks like the Buffalo Bills may have gotten rid of the wrong quarterback. The trade of A.J. McCarron set up a battle between Nathan Peterman and Josh Allen, and they both looked horrible, as did the entire team for that matter, in last week’s thumping by the Ravens. Most experts predicted the Bills would take a tumble after ending a 17-year playoff drought last season, but I doubt many of them expected them to fall this far. They have a chance in Week 2 to redeem themselves, but they have to... 

The legend of Aaron Rodgers just added another chapter after Sunday’s dramatic comeback win over the Bears. Faced with another “what if” season when he was carted off the field in the second quarter, Rodgers made a stunning return for the second half and led the Packers back from what had become a 20-point deficit. Facing the team that did knock him out last season, ending Green Bay’s streak of eight straight playoff appearances, Rodgers takes aim at Anthony Barr and the Minnesota Vikings in an ... 

Cam Newton is up to his old tricks again, and the Carolina Panthers are excited about their prospects. After dealing with an assortment of injuries last season, the thought was that Ron Rivera and new offensive coordinator Norv Turner would limit Cam’s rushing attempts. Well, it looks like that strategy is out the window. Newton had nearly as many carries and yards as Ezekiel Elliott in the opener and Carolina got off with a victory behind a strong defensive effort. Newton was the ninth leading ... 

Looking like the best team in the NFL after their pasting of Buffalo in the opener, the Baltimore Ravens have a much tougher opponent when they meet the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. It’s a battle for first place in the AFC North that doesn’t include the favorite Pittsburgh, but you can expect the Steelers to be right in the thick of the race as the season progresses. I know, it’s only one game, but the Ravens and Bengals have to be excited about getting off to a good start after both missed the... 

Opening lines for Week 1 of the NFL regular season came out months ago so it’s only natural to expect some movement with five months and four preseason games to handicap teams. And now that we are in game week, there will be more action on the games and, as a result more changes to the numbers. ... 

The first week of the NFL season is finally here and it is time to set our fantasy football lineups for the first week. In theory you would think that there wouldn’t be a lot of decisions to make in Week 1 in terms of lineups, but the reality is that we have a lot of choices and a lot of things to consider. For example, just because you took Jimmy Garoppolo as your starting quarterback, doesn’t mean you will want to start him against the Minnesota defense. Let’s look at Week 1 Fantasy Football rankings. ... 

A new era in Seattle Seahawks football begins in 2018. No longer are they called the Legion of Boom with nearly all the particulars that accounted for that moniker no longer around. But don’t count the Seahawks. Knowing this time would come, forward-thinking management stocked the cupboard on the defensive side leaving Pete Carroll in good position to continue the excellence that resulted in five straight double-digit win seasons, three NFC West titles and two Super Bowl appearances in a five-ye... 

The Washington Redskins opening day roster will look much different from the one that finished the 2017 campaign. And it’s not because they overhauled the group, but because a number of players are returning to good health. The Skins placed 20 players on injured reserve last season and never could find a rhythm with such a fluid lineup. There is something to be said about consistency and the Skins are looking for it. Both teams will break in a new quarterback in Week 1 with Alex Smith taking ove... 

We’ll see if the Los Angeles Rams starters actually exist when the team takes the field for its Week 1 Monday Night Football opener against the Oakland Raiders. It’s hard to argue with Sean McVay’s logic after he led the team to a seven-game improvement from 2016 and earned Coach of the Year honors. But you have to wonder if the guys will be ready to go after most of the regulars watched. You also have to wonder about the psyche of the Raiders after management traded away one of the best defende... 

A pair of rookies will take the spotlight on the first game of Monday Night Football’s doubleheader when the New York Jets visit the Detroit Lions in Week 1. The Jets’ quarterback of the future is now the quarterback of the present when it was announced No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold would start the opener. Darnold did enough during the preseason to unseat incumbent Josh McCown and get Teddy Bridgewater traded. The other rookie is Detroit coach Matt Patricia, who will attempt to put a game plan ... 

If you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, don’t read anything into the preseason results. The Boys went winless in their four tune-up games and scored just 43 points total. The offense struggled because Dak Prescott played four series and Ezekiel Elliott never touched the field. And the last time the Cowboys failed to win a preseason game, they went 12-4 and won the NFC East title in 2014. For the first time since 2002 the Cowboys open a season without Jason Witten on the roster with a Week 1 visit... 

There’s nothing like coming out of the gate to a good old fashioned AFC West showdown between the division’s top teams in Week 1. A slow start to last season cost the Los Angeles Chargers a shot at winning the division and reaching the postseason, and the Bolts look to continue their torrid play that saw them win nine of their last 12 games. They will need to beat the defending division champs to get over the hump and wins over the Kansas City Chiefs have been hard to come by. The Bolts lost bot... 

Clearing up their training camp-long quarterback battle, the Buffalo Bills dealt A.J. McCarron to Oakland and named second-year player Nathan Peterman the starter over Josh Allen. The Bills used the seventh overall pick in the last draft on Allen, making him the highest quarterback ever selected by the team, so it’s just a matter of time before he gets a shot. Many feel the Bills have taken a step back after ending a 17-year playoff drought last season, but they surprised the masses last year. T... 

Add a former Defensive Player of the Year award winner in his prime to your roster and watch your odds of winning the Super Bowl increase dramatically. That’s what happened to the Chicago Bears after swinging a blockbuster deal for Khalil Mack. The former Raider joins a defense that has the talent to be one of the best. But we still don’t know about Mitchell Trubisky and the offense since he didn’t play much during the preseason. The longest and nastiest rivalry in the NFL just got much more int... 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers begin the season with the most difficult three-game stretch of the season, and they’ll have to navigate the gauntlet without suspended starting quarterback Jameis Winston. Instead, the Bucs will turn to veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who will tangle with another old-timer when the Bucs hook up with the New Orleans Saints in one of three divisional matchups on the Week 1 schedule. Fitzpatrick and Brees have combined to play 379 games, and throw for over 97,000 yards with 661 t... 

As one of seven new head coaches in the NFL this season, Mike Vrabel is in a no-win situation. The Tennessee Titans won nine games and qualified for the playoffs last year, meaning that’s the absolute floor for the 2018 team. Anything less is a failure. The expectations are high in Nashville and in an effort to make sure those are met, Vrabel brought in a new coaching staff and vowed to be more diverse with his offense, taking advantage of Marcus Mariota’s unique skill set. We’ll see how that wo... 

There is nowhere to go but up for the Cleveland Browns after becoming only the second team in NFL history to go winless in a 16-game season. Less than half the players from the 2017 opening-day roster remain on the club, a move that shouldn’t surprise people given what the Browns were able to accomplish last year. And it resulted in another good haul at the draft table. No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield will be the starter at some point, but Hue Jackson has delivered on his plan of starting Tyro...