Here are our NFL power rankings going into Week 17. MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture NFL power rankings New Orleans Saints 13-2 (last week: 1) The Saints have marched to exactly what we thought they would be: the best all-around team in the NFL, the top seed in the NFC and the Super Bowl 53 favorite. Someone will need to beat them at home or in Atlanta to stop that train....
While that doesn’t have as good a ring as “TB12,” Cam Newton is now a New England Patriot, Tom Brady is not, and everything is upside down in the 2020 NFL world. The Patriots, already facing a rash of opt outs in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, still have Bill Belichick, who is very likely ready to prove to the world that he was the answer for New England’s success, not as much Tom Brady....
Last season the Colts began 1-5 before Andrew Luck returned to form and inspired a 9-1 run that took them all the way to the playoffs, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round. This year, the Colts are a 14/1 shot to win the Super Bowl and many have identified them as a potential dark horse. Their preseason, however, did not get off to a promising start, as they lost 24-16 against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday....
Truth be told though, the 2019 NFL Draft’s No. 1 pick couldn’t have been much better. He completed his first six passes for 44 yards and a 92.9 quarterback rating. “I thought it was smooth,” Murray said at halftime. “I was anxious to get out there, move around and throw it a little bit. I really just tried to execute whatever Coach called, and I think we did that for the most part....
Why the NFL chose the weekend of Dec. 4 is unclear, but players can promote a charitable cause of their choice, so long as that charity or cause is approved by the league prior to Week 13. The criteria to be used by the NFL in approving charities are also unknown. MORE: Patriotism, politics and sports A league spokesman declined to comment to SI, but the report says the NFL could announce the plan later this week....
That nod to the past is made through the announcement of a new class of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees. The 2021 group will be the traditional size (eight inductees total); last year, the HOF greatly expanded the list of enshrinees in conjunction with the NFL’s centennial celebration. One member of the ‘21 class — the most obvious inductee — was unofficially announced about a week early. Hall of Fame voters agreed on Peyton Manning, who will enter Canton in his first year on the ballot....
But what does that number really mean? Certainly beyond the value of the players, the coaches, the facilities and the team brand’s marketing, there must be some consideration for the value of the team’s media footprint. More media coverage means more exposure, and in turn, more ticket sales, more attention, more potential brand partners and even more money. With that in mind, a new General Sentiment report set out to measure the value of each team’s media impact since August 2013....
The website Field of Schemes discovered that if you search LA on NFL.com you can find the team page for the Los Angeles Rams. At the end of every team page for the league is the city’s shortened nickname. Here’s the page for LA: http://www.nfl.com/teams/profile?team=LA. MORE: Kroenke reveals design for two-tem LA stadium | St. Louis committee presents stadium plan At first you might think the page is a dedication to the time the Rams spent in Los Angeles, but the content on the page is related to the current team....
The game of the week, easily, is Chiefs at Patriots on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” but another strong Thursday-night matchup pits the Eagles against the Giants in an always-entertaining NFC East tilt. On Sunday afternoon, the Jaguars and Cowboys both look to bounce back from losses as they go at it in Dallas. Plus, the Steelers visit the Bengals in a key AFC North game. MORE: Watch the NFL live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial)...
All NFL teams have played 12 games, meaning only 25 percent of the regular season remains. The remaining schedule includes a slew of games that will go a long way to determine not only which teams make the playoffs, but playoff seedings and home teams as well. Though this report is focused on the final four weeks, the schedule makers actually pegged the previous three weeks while making the schedule....
The early-afternoon window features a pivotal NFC South game between the Panthers and Buccaneers. Carolina would win the NFC South with a win against the Buccaneers and both a Saints loss to the Eagles in Week 17 and a Buccaneers loss to the Falcons in Week 18, or by winning out. Tampa Bay would clinch the division with a win over Carolina. The Dolphins and Patriots, who are both seeing their wild-card spots start to slip away, will face off in Foxborough....
That makes the numbers difficult to navigate once again after a challenging Week 12. Here’s hoping we can break from the tryptophan stupor and get the ideal picks and predictions against the spread for Turkey Day: (Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction) POWER RANKINGS: Cowboys, Bengals, Patriots climb; Vikings, Giants, Jets stumble for Week 12 NFL picks, predictions for Thanksgiving Bills (-9. 5, 54 o/u) at Lions 12:30 p.m. ET, CBS...
The two teams arrive into the game on Thursday night in contrasting frames of mind. Green Bay is one of four teams—along with the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions—to have gone unbeaten through the first three weeks of the season after not making the playoffs last year. The Packers were handed a relatively easy start with four straight home games to open the season and have made the most of it, winning each of their first three games and looking completely rejuvenated compared with last year....
With Las Vegas already set to host the 2020 event ahead of the Raiders’ first season in their new city, other finalists for the next one include Cleveland, Kansas City and Denver. In Ohio, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission already is anticipating good news. “We’re proud to have partnered with the Cleveland Browns and several other local organizations to create a strong, competitive NFL Draft bid that highlights our region and celebrates our unrivaled football history as well as our rock ‘n’ roll roots,’’ Greater Cleveland Sports Commission president David Gilbert in a statement, via cleveland....
The league will live-stream the Bills-Jaguars game from London’s Wembley Stadium on Oct. 25 via webcast only. The decision was made Monday at the league’s owners meetings in Arizona. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news. MORE: Lawyer on blackout suspension: ‘What took so long?’ | Cards’ Keim receives SN executive award “This is a good opportunity to experiment,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, via Sports Illustrated. “We will evaluate fan reaction and gather feedback and then determine if we would offer additional games like this in the future....
Four days later, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the sides had reached an agreement on the protocols and that camps would begin as scheduled. The league and the players are “committed to playing a safe and complete 2020 season, culminating with the Super Bowl,” Goodell said. On one hand, the NFL and the NFLPA potentially finalizing these protocols quite literally at the last minute seems absurd considering that the coronavirus outbreak reached the United States more than four months ago....
Those latter players were available to sign with any team after they went undrafted over seven rounds. Some of the biggest names in NFL history were undrafted free agents. The list includes Kurt Warner, Wes Welker, Warren Moon, James Harrison, Antonio Gates and Tony Romo. MORE 2022 NFL DRAFT:Full results | Rounds 1-3 grades The Sporting News will be tracking notable signings of undrafted free agents: NFL undrafted free agents 2022 This article will be updated as signings are reported....
Before we get into the Week 14 forecasts, here’s a reminder that if you have any questions about sports weather or how weather could impact play (and, potentially, your fantasy, DFS, and gambling decisions), don’t hesitate to reach out to Rotogrinders’ meteorologist Kevin Roth on Twitter (@KevinRothWx) or check out the hourly NFL weather forecasts on RotoGrinders. To take your game to the next level, subscribe to RotoGrinders’ exclusive WeatherEdge tool and see how different weather conditions have impacted historical scoring....
Sporting News’ weekly fantasy rankings are here to guide you, and I’m here to add counterpoints on who I feel is overvalued this week (“Danger!”) and undervalued (“Sleepers”). MORE WEEK 15 RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K Danger! QB Tom Brady, Patriots (Ranked No. 4 at position) vs. Dolphins: Bill Belichick should take into account that the Dolphins harrassed Tom Brady to a 51....
