As important, you can now bet on the games. Week 1 is open for wagering in Las Vegas. It all starts with the Packers visiting the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, a primetime redux of Seattle’s infamous Monday night win early in the 2012 season. Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer had a hunch this is how the season would open. Here are the opening point spreads and totals posted at the LVH SuperBook....

It’s still important, however, to check in on where every team stands now to know where they might finish later, from top playoff seeds to those certainly heading toward missing the postseason. Here’s an updated look at what each conference field would look like if the playoffs started in Week 9. NFL POWER RANKINGS:49ers, Packers inch up; Seahawks, Eagles fly higher; Bears, Bills slide NFL standings for Week 9 AFC playoff picture Who would be in?...

Miami reportedly had been looking to move the 31-year-old safety. But, he told the Miami Herald the team promised him he wouldn’t be playing for a new team anytime soon. “They said I won’t be traded this year,” Jones told the Herald. Miami originally selected Jones out of Georgia in the fifth round of the 2010 draft and he has spent his entire nine-year career with the team. He has made two Pro Bowls and picked off 21 passes during his time with the Dolphins....

NFL game telecasts averaged 14.772 million viewers during the first eight weeks of the season, according to Nielsen data obtained by Sporting News. That figure is down 5 percent from 15.549 million viewers during the first half of the 2016 season and off 18.7 percent from 18.167 million viewers for the same period in 2015 — before former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick inspired a debate about racial injustice by sitting, then taking a knee, during the national anthem....

Heralded as the game of the week, the showdown in Louisiana lived up to expectations, with Jimmy Garoppolo throwing for four touchdowns and 349 yards, while Drew Brees answered with 349 passing yards of his own and five touchdown passes. While the 49ers are yet to clinch a postseason berth, they vaulted back to the top of the NFC after the Seattle Seahawks suffered a first defeat in six games, as they lost 28-12 in Los Angeles against the Rams....

Before we get into the weather updates, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out 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 RotoGrinder’s exclusive WeatherEdge tool and see how different weather conditions have impacted historical scoring....

So far in Week 10, nine games have been settled by one score and, before the Giants and Bengals meet on Monday night, we look back at the highlights from Sunday’s action. Ballet shoes help Parks stay in bounds — The Broncos got back to winning ways with a dramatic 25-23 defeat of the Saints as Will Parks returned Justin Simmons’ block of a Will Lutz extra point for a two-point score....

Here are the early betting lines for the entire card. Point spreads are the Las Vegas consensus on Sunday night, with differences among books noted. Totals are from offshore shops. Visit our odds page for updated numbers from Vegas, and check the ATS standings here. Thursday, Nov. 12 Bills at Jets (-3, 43.5) While Ryan’s visit to his old digs will be the buzz ahead of the Week 10 opener, the opening line rates these teams close to even....

Before we break down the Week 11 forecast, 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 on Twitter @KevinRothWx or check our 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....

As we always caution, bad weather doesn’t necessarily mean you should bench all players, especially star players like Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, but kickers and borderline starters in a team’s passing game suddenly become much less attractive. WEEK 11 RANKINGS:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker NFL Week 11 weather updates The Jags-Browns game will likely see consistent winds (20-plus MPH) to go along with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark most of the afternoon....

For NFL picks this Sunday, we have two divisional encounters, one important battle in the AFC and another much less so in the NFC. In addition, is non conference clash in the Panhandle State, where a team from the south heads north. We have gone over the NFL odds as closely as doing a taste test on the holiday pies and think we have a few delicious treats for you....

Sure, we get Baker Mayfield vs. Tom Brady, Eric Reid vs. the 49ers and Gareon Conley vs. the Raiders, who just traded him, but there is not a lot going on in Week 8. In this week’s 15 NFL games, all but two feature at least one team with a .500 record or worse. But there certainly are some storylines and the Reid situation is one. He, of course, went unsigned for several weeks after his time with the 49ers, during which he protested social and racial injustice during the national anthem, waiting to be picked up in 2018....

With a 17th game on the docket, we’re just about halfway through the 2021 NFL season (yes, already), and we’ve seen what many sane, rational and reasonable people expected to see: Rookie play from rookie QBs. That said, attendance — rather, availability — is a crucial aspect to any quarterback’s grades, rookie or veteran. In Week 8, Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was absent as he deals with a knee injury; the Jets moved on without Wilson, though, winning a 34-31 stunner over the Bengals with Mike White at the helm....

Before we get into the Week 9 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....

The pledge comes after two retired Black NFL football players filed a civil rights lawsuit in August 2020 after being denied monetary compensation for brain injuries. The NFL has been compensating players for brain injuries related to the game since a landmark 2013 case, after officially acknowledging the link between professional football and brain health. What Is Race-Norming? Race-norming began more than 40 years ago as a way to account for systemic inequities linked to race....

Sure, there are still some quality free agents that are yet to be signed. Teams will also continue to shuffle the back-end of their 90-man rosters as well to scout depth in the league’s player pool. But for the most part, we know the core of each NFL team, and that means we can more accurately assess how teams stack up against their win totals. Win total bets always become popular for NFL fans around the time of the schedule release....

Case No. 15-cv-03168-RHK-HB was filed Wednesday. It listed the NFLPA and Brady as petitioners and the NFL and its management council as respondents. MORE: NFL’s notably short suspensions | Jerry Jones supports the Brady ruling The NFLPA is asking the player-friendly Minnesota court, which has ruled in favor of players in past suits against the NFL, to overturn Brady’s four-game suspension, which was upheld by commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday....

This makes sense, given what counts as predictive value in an otherwise highly random sport. Possessing the puck — specifically by controlling the neutral zone via successful defensive zone exits and offensive zone entries — should be a highly sought-after trait. Performances that have been inflated or deflated by extreme percentages in either direction should be cause for further investigation and potentially skepticism. Travis Yost highlighted a practical application of this by noting that we should be highly skeptical of players that have made their bones riding cushy shooting percentages....

On Monday, the league told players they could head home and leave the city their team plays in if they choose to do so. The release also noted that NHL does hope to hold training camp in roughly 45 days and then restart the season soon after. Whether or not that is able to happen, the players are finding a way — some creative ways — to pass the time....