The expanded NFL playoff field is here to stay, and the 14 teams in it this year are set as we enter the depths of winter and the wild-card round. MORE: Watch NFL playoff games live with fuboTV (free trial) The AFC is headlined by three juggernauts, a couple of upstarts and a stalwart. The Chiefs, Bills and Bengals are the cream of the crop, while the Jaguars, Dolphins and Chargers have returned to the postseason....
The good news for the Packers and Cowboys as they prepare for the returns of Aaron Rodgers and Ezekiel Elliott, respectively: They are among the teams still alive for a playoff berth. The bad news for the Packers and Cowboys: Only the Raiders, Cardinals, Bengals and Jets have worse chances to reach the postseason. WEEK 15: Playoff picture | Clinching scenarios Four teams — the Vikings, Rams, Patriots and Jaguars — have chances to clinch playoff spots in Week 15, meaning scoreboard watching might be a factor for at least some of the 17 other contenders who have not clinched....
After going through a tricky slate of games last week, there are only four games to prognosticate for wild-card weekend. That means 12 fewer chances to get games wrong, but also 12 fewer chances to get games right. Without further ado, here’s our latest fearless forecast for upcoming NFL results. All odds are courtesy of SportsInsider.com. MORE: Get the latest NFL odds & betting trends from Sports Insider NFL playoff picks, predictions against spread for wild-card games Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans (-3)...
The three Week 12 games played on Thanksgiving had a big impact on the NFL playoff picture before Sunday’s games arrived. And as the week continued Sunday, even more changes were made to the postseason outlook. Of course, at this point in the season, almost all game results have playoff implications, and the Cowboys’ upset of the Saints on Thursday had huge ones, too. Going into the Sunday and Monday games of Week 13, below is the current NFL playoff picture....
There’s nothing assured about seeding entering the week, except for knowing that the NFC East champion will be the No. 4 seed in the NFC. Beyond that, plenty is still up for grabs. Sporting News makes game picks every week, and we’re using them this week to determine how things might shake out in the final AFC and NFC standings. Our safe projection for Week 16 came through, as the Chiefs locked up the No....
Here are where the division leaders, wild-card teams and contenders stand, with now fewer than three weeks left. A few more teams have been eliminated, but 22 of 32 still are alive going into Monday night. It can fall to only 20 after Monday night. MORE: Week 15 playoff scenarios AFC No. 1 seed — Patriots (12-2): Champions, East. New England clinched another division title plus a first-round bye with its win at Denver....
Pittsburgh improved to 7-5 in Week 13, a record that puts the team No. 6 in the conference standings, the second wild card behind Buffalo (9-3). The Steelers hold the conference record tiebreaker by a game over the 7-5 Titans. The Raiders and Colts, both staring at .500, are fading fast behind them. The Browns at 5-7 are now a full two games behind. The Steelers have now gone 6-3 against AFC opponents, only losing to the Browns, Ravens and Patriots....
The marquee names in the NFC may be largely absent this year (no Cowboys, Packers, Seahawks or Giants from last January, for example), but a showdown like this will do just fine. The LA Coliseum has not hosted an NFL playoff game since 1994, and the Rams have not played a postseason game there since 1979 … seven years before coach Sean McVay was born. Enough subplots for you on that side?...
When: Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET, Fox Weather: 15 degrees, 20 percent chance of snow How they got here: Cowboys — Beat Lions 24-20 in wild-card round. Packers — NFC North champions. Coaches: Cowboys — Jason Garrett (42-31; 1-0 in playoffs). Packers — Mike McCarthy (94-49; 6-5 in playoffs). Players to watch: Cowboys — Tony Romo on the road this season has thrown 20 touchdowns with just two interceptions and recorded a 121....
In April, the Cardinals selected the 21-year-old with the first overall pick of the draft less than a year after he was selected as the ninth overall pick by the Oakland Athletics in the MLB draft, making him the only player to ever be drafted in the first rounds of both sports. Last year, in his final season for Oklahoma, Murray threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns, adding an incredible 1,001 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns....
The NFL is bringing action from Thursday to Monday with a number of stars returning, stars still missing and everything in between. Here’s something to watch for each night. 5 storylines to watch in Week 1 of NFL preseason Nick Foles won’t get his first revenge game Nick Foles did not play in the Jaguars preseason opener last week, and he’ll sit again this time around. This news, however excepted, does rob fans of the potential Foles-Carson Wentz matchup....
The annual—and much-maligned—NFL all-star game may lack the pizzazz and importance of its NBA counterpart, but it remains an event filled with talent. As has become almost tradition, the original 44-man rosters selected last month will look different on Sunday, with a host of players pulling out due to injuries. Additionally, neither the Kansas City Chiefs nor the San Francisco 49ers will have any representatives in Orlando, Florida, as they have wrapped up their players in cotton wool ahead of Super Bowl LIV next week....
Because our preseason rankings weren’t enough, we will keep doing weekly updates based on the natural fluctuation of football’s most important position. This week near the top, we welcome back a healthy Drew Brees and Matt Ryan to the mix while we wait on Patrick Mahomes to return. Near the bottom, we account for the sudden pocket changes the Bengals and Broncos just made. From the best to the worst current starters for every team,, let the debate continue:...
Seeing a bunch of jokes about God urinating probably wasn’t what Broncos wide receiver Diontae Spencer expected when he tweeted Tuesday. But if he had actually proofread the tweet he sent, he probably would have anticipated all of the jokes. Spencer tweeted out “GOD [lightning bolt emoji] PEED” which is clearly supposed to read as “Godspeed.” The dictionary defines godspeed as “an expression of good wishes to a person starting a journey....
Walt Coleman, the referee who interpreted the NFL’s tuck rule and made the call on the field, doesn’t blame Raiders fans who remain salty about the outcome. He doesn’t blame former Oakland coaches or players who carry grudges, either. And he doesn’t blame Amy Trask, the former Raiders CEO who fired an amusing Twitter shot at Coleman a couple of weeks ago. Her tweet was an obvious reference to Coleman’s call on Jan....
Of all places for Perriman to land, he arrives in Baltimore with a system that fits his skill set and an opportunity to start right away. Though he’ll need time to grow as more than just a speed-based separation receiver, Perriman is in an offense that can take advantage of his talents as he continues to develop. READ MORE: 2015 fantasy WR rankings | NFL rookie rankings | Fantasy Alarm Draft Guide...
The Panthers decided to take Michigan wide receiver Devin Funchess in the second round to have their own version of the Twin Towers in Carolina. Is Devin Funchess the new Kelvin Benjamin? Funchess (6-4) will complement Benjamin (6-5) to make a great red-zone pairing, along with tight end Greg Olsen, for quarterback Cam Newton. (Update: Benjamin suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason.) Funchess played two seasons as a full-time tight end for the Wolverines, but never really flourished in that role as he was viewed more as just a receiver filling a hole at tight end....
The new CBA will reduce the testing period from four months to the two weeks at the start of training camp. A new threshold for a positive test will also be put in place, raising the allowed amount of THC from 35 nanograms to 150. The league is moving away from a punishment approach and toward providing help for those that need it. If a player tests positive during the two week stretch of training camp, his test is reviewed by a board of medical professionals that has been appointed by both the players and league....
Fascinating, isn’t it? The rationale for the NFL’s move, and that of the NCAA and every other sport that has moved marquee events off network TV, is that the public will follow them anywhere and everywhere. For the NFL, this has evolved from that long-ago Sunday night cable package, to Monday Night Football’s shift to ESPN, to the in-house network carrying Thursday night games, and then last year to the live stream of a London game....
The league made the 2015 schedule public Tuesday evening, but we were reading about some of the bigger matchups well before the 8 p.m. ET release. MORE: 15 must-watch games | Full week-by-week schedule | Tickets — The Thursday night regular-season opener will pit the defending champion Patriots against the six-time Super Bowl champion Steelers. — The NFC East will be on display in NBC’s Sunday Night Football opener when the Giants head to Arlington to face the Cowboys in Week 1....
