The game didn’t count — last season’s Super Bowl champs lost 22-11 to the Packers in an exhibition at Gillette Stadium — but Brady played. He was in for just two series, but that’s more time than he’ll see during the first month of the regular season if his four-game suspension remains in place. Brady and the NFL Players Association are involved a drawn-out legal battle with the NFL to vacate the suspension Brady received for supposedly knowing about underinflated footballs during January’s AFC Championship game....

In both games, the focus was primarily on the quarterbacks. MORE: Week 2 in photos | RGIII can’t become the best by himself | Former player rips Griffin The Bills’ Tyrod Taylor did his best with a banged-up roster. Buffalo entered the matchup without its top five running backs and three starting receivers. To make matters worse, receiver Chris Hogan was carted off during the game. Taylor completed 7 of 10 passes for 65 yards....

The best players from the AFC and NFC will represent their respective conferences in the NFL’s version of an all-star game. MORE: Micah Parsons, Tyreek Hill show off at Pro Bowl skills challenge As happens every year, some of the game’s biggest stars who were named Pro-Bowlers have opted out — most notably Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who retired Tuesday. Players can opt out or decline a Pro Bowl bid for any reason....

Tom Brady fired a pass out to Mike Evans on fourth down that would have given the Buccaneers a first down and spotted the ball inside the red zone, but the star wide receiver was unable to haul in the pass. However, just a split second after the missed completion, the Rams’ safety came in and landed a helment-to-helmet hit on Evans that drew a penalty. As the official explained — in a lengthy call on the field that featured the use of “however” and “therefore” — because the hit came after the pass fell incomplete on fourth down, the penalty yardage was assessed from the spot where the Rams were slated to take over possession after the turnover on downs....

“The basic premise of replay, since its inception, the call on the field is presumed correct, unless we have indisputable visual evidence that it is incorrect. Then we can make a change,” Blandino said after issuing his weekly officiating report, which covered several topics from last weekend’s games. “I don’t think this is a catch. If I just had a blank slate and I could say, ‘Do you think this is a catch or not a catch?...

But over the decades, plenty of players have achieved brilliance instead of infamy. Here are the 15 greatest NFL Thanksgiving game performances ever. MORE: 2019 NFL Thanksgiving game viewing guide 1. Peyton Manning, QB, Colts (vs. Lions, 2004) This game all but assured he’d break Dan Marino’s single-season touchdown pass record of 48; he finished the game with 41, with five games left, and ended up with 49. Manning did it in three quarters, too, throwing his first three to Brandon Stokley and the last three to Marvin Harrison....

For this list, Sporting News will stick with average annual salary as the determining factor in ranking the NFL’s highest-paid defensive players. Thanks to our friends over at Overthecap.com for the contract figures. NFL’s highest-paid defenders Everson Griffen, DE, Vikings Average annual salary: $14.5 million Guaranteed: $34 million Trumaine Johnson, CB, Jets Average annual salary: $14.5 million Guaranteed: $45 million Calais Campbell, DE, Jaguars Average annual salary: $15 million Guaranteed: $30 million...

OK. The sport that’s marginally safer than being pushed out of a moving car on the interstate; the one that’s spent the last decade in court fighting former players who insist they were never told they might be getting permanent brain damage … that sport on Tuesday decided to outlaw a move because, some day, maybe soon, but eventually, somebody might get hurt. Now they’re worried about that. MORE: All approved NFL rule changes...

Assuming Riveron carries over the traits that made him one of the NFL’s better on-field referees over the past decade, his hiring is good news for one NFL player in particular: Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. MORE: Riveron brings experience, unlike predecessor Like all officials, Riveron had his share of poorly called games and inconsistency — just much less of it. His propensity to call more roughing the passer penalties in relation to other refs at least erred on the side of protecting QBs....

Vikings-Packers on Saturday night is an intriguing NFC North battle even with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers out: The Vikings can clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs with a win and a Panthers loss. NFL WEEK 16: Playoff picture | Power Rankings | Picks SU | Picks ATS Other clinching scenarios: The Rams can clinch the NFC West with a win over the Titans and a Seahawks loss or tie....

MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture for Week 15 The week started with a big showdown in the NFC West, with the 49ers playing the Seahawks in a game that may have steered the course of the division for the rest of the season. Following that, NFL fans were treated to a Saturday tripleheader on the NFL Network, starting with Colts vs. Vikings, followed Ravens vs. Browns, and concluding with Dolphins vs....

Elsewhere, the Colts and Cardinals were scheduled to play a game that could be pivotal for two teams desperately searching for positives after Week 1 losses. Sunday’s highlighted games were a matchup of playoff contenders, Cowboys vs. Broncos, in Denver and an NFC title game rematch, Packers vs. Falcons, in Atlanta’s brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Sporting News provided live updates for all 14 games Sunday. NFL SCORES: Week 2 scoreboard, stats...

Remember the infamous “Fail Mary” game in the days where we were watching replacement refs? The matchup is back and it kicks off the season. Below are the details. MORE: Ranking the top 25 quarterbacks | Top rated players in Madden NFL 15 Who: Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions When: Thursday, Sept. 4 at 8:30 p.m. Where to watch: NBC Some facts: — The game is the start to the 95th season in the NFL’s history....

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL plans to begin the season as scheduled on September 10 and earlier this month released a full 256-game schedule for the regular season. If football does begin in September, games may be played behind closed doors and without fans as the 32 NFL franchises will have to adhere to social distancing measures. Donald, however, isn’t a fan of the proposal. “You need fans to play a game,” the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year told reporters on a conference call on Thursday, according to ESPN....

Beckham, 23, is expected to appeal the suspension, with the hearing likely to take place Tuesday in New York. ENGEL: In defense of OBJ | STEELE: Dirty hit deserved stiffer penalty A former NFL player, Derrick Brooks or James Thrash — jointly hired and paid by the NFL and the NFL Players Association — would handle the appeal of any fines or suspensions. If the suspension is upheld, Beckham would miss Sunday night’s nationally televised game against the Vikings....

Trade rumors picked up around Jordan and the team on Friday, keying on the notion the new Dolphins regime might be interested in making a trade. Really? Well … The Miami Herald also pooh-poohed the report. So that says means that the Dolphins may internally have raised the idea of trading Jordan but haven’t actually shopped him yet. Even with an overall of executives, the Dolphins would be hard pressed to explain why they would trade a player selected so high in the draft after fewer than 350 snaps....

This season, obviously, hasn’t fulfilled the expectations for the Broncos or the Giants, but the Rams and Eagles have already reached their projected win totals for this season and appear to be headed to the playoffs. WEEK 10 NFL PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread Let’s take a look at the updated NFL playoff picture entering Week 10. Each week, AccuScore will update its 2017 NFL postseason forecast by simulating the remainder of the NFL season 10,000 times to predict win totals, division winners and probabilities of reaching the playoffs on the road to Super Bowl 52....