Before getting into some veteran bridge types and backups who tend to journey to different teams from one season to the next, there are some hopeful to get one last shot at erasing their label of first-round draft disappointment: MORE: Ranking the 50 best NFL free agents for 2022 NFL free agency 2022: Quarterback rankings James Winston, Saints (age: 28) Winston was having a good, efficient first season as a starter in New Orleans replacing Drew Brees until he suffered a major knee injury (torn ACL) in Week 8, ending his 2021 at only seven games....

Officials at at the NFL brain bank at Boston University confirmed the diagnosis on Wednesday, ESPN.com reported. MORE: Notable sports deaths of 2015 | Football helmets part of the problem? Robinson, 25, hanged himself in Philadelphia in March. According to family lawyer Ben Andreozzi, Robinson suffered several concussions during his two-year stint in the NFL. Scientists have linked concussions to CTE and other mental health disorders, many of which can lead to suicide....

The Week 17 schedule returns to normalcy, as action kicks off on Thursday night when the 11-4 Cowboys head to Nashville to face the 7-8 Titans. Games continue on Sunday with a 13-game slate headlined by Packers-Vikings, Buccaneers-Panthers, Seahawks-Jets, and Ravens-Steelers. Keep in mind these lines will move throughout the week as we get updates on various injuries and betting limits increase. Below, we take a look at the latest odds for Week 17 from BetMGM and offer up a few early bets to consider....

MORE: Why Reddit banned the NFLStreams subreddit Oct 8 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears Oct 15 — Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills Oct 22 — New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles Oct 29 — Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers Nov 5 — Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers Nov 12 — Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans Nov 19 — Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Dec 3 — Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens Dec 10 — New England Patriots at Los Angeles Rams Dec 17 — Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders Dec 25 — Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints**...

For now, there are no games of Week 7 being rescheduled, so that helps to have some sense of normalcy in how to figure out how prepared every team will be for their matchups. But there’s also that typical regression to the mean, where teams with either inflated or underachieving records will even out based on their true value. Here’s our latest fearless forecast based on the early Las Vegas lines which will be adjusted accordingly if there should be some key changes:...

The Vikings quarterback suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury at practice (UPDATE: The Vikings called it a dislocation and an ACL tear), and he was taken away in an ambulance. Minnesota players reportedly “freaked out.” MORE: NFL backup QB ranking They weren’t alone. Perhaps an indication of the amount of respect for Bridgewater around the league, fellow players took to Twitter and wished for his well-being as news of the injury developed....

Once a team makes the playoffs, history shows it has as good of a chance to win it all as everyone else — if it can get hot and draw the right matchups at the right time in a high-pressure, one-and-done environment. NFL PLAYOFF PROJECTIONS:Predicting the seeds, matchups for AFC, NFC Looking at where teams are seeded now and where they might end up for and after Week 17, here’s breaking down the best and worst of these matchups....

Here are all the scenarios at play for the 49ers going into Week 17. MORE: Projecting the AFC, NFC playoff matchups NFC playoff picture: How the 49ers get the No. 1 seed If the 49ers beat the Seahawks on Sunday night to improve to 13-3, they will win the NFC West. The 49ers in that scenario also would grab the top seed over the Packers and the Saints, who both finished 13-3, thanks to beating both teams during the regular season....

What is the NFL playoff picture looking like after the early Saturday afternoon games of Week 16? Here’s a complete breakdown going into the schedule’s second half of games on Saturday, Sunday and Monday: MORE: Week 16 playoff scenarios AFC No. 1 seed — Patriots (13-2): Champions, East. New England already went in with the division title and first-round bye. After thrashing the Jets, the Patriots made sure to stay a game ahead of Oakland in the race for home-field advantage....

After Monday night, here are where the division leaders, wild-card teams and contenders stand, with 26 of 32 teams still alive for the playoffs with three weeks left. MORE: Week 15 playoff scenarios AFC No. 1 seed — Patriots (11-2): First place, East. New England wasn’t able to wrap up the division by beating Baltimore because Miami won, but it did bolster its hold on the first seed with Oakland losing and Kansas City still a game behind....

Though 10 NFL teams have clinched playoff berths, only Washington is locked in its spot (NFC’s No. 4 seed). Here’s a team-by-team breakdown of playoff scenarios as Week 17 approaches. Stay with us, now … PHOTOS: Best of Week 16 | MORE: Sunday NFL scoreboard, stats AFC Steelers (9-6) — Sunday’s loss in Baltimore was a knockout blow. Pittsburgh now needs a Week 17 win in Cleveland and a Jets loss in Buffalo to sneak back in for a wild-card spot....

The NFL continues to push ahead on expanding the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams, with the switch possibly taking place as early as the 2015 season. According to one report, the plan is gaining support in league circles. “I think there’s a lot of momentum for it,” a source told The Washington Post's Mark Maske for Thursday's editions. “I don’t know for sure if the votes are there yet (among the owners) or not....

When the teams met in Week 4 in Indianapolis, the Colts went for the win late but lost in overtime, 37-34. When the teams played again in Week 14 in Houston, the Texans were the ones to fall by field goal in regulation, 24-21. That sets up an intriguing rubber match between two evenly matched teams with two premier quarterbacks, as former Houston prep star Andrew Luck returns home to duel Deshaun Watson....

Aside from the season-opener, there are several storylines that should make the division an intriguing affair this year. Here’s what to expect from the NFC North this time around. Chicago Bears The Bears have lost defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to the Denver Broncos, with Chuck Pagano coming in as replacement. Chicago’s defense should again be its best asset, with former Packers safety Ha-Ha Clinton Dix and former New York Jets cornerback Buster Skrine moving to Illinois in the offseason....

The No. 1 team, the Cardinals and the hottest recent risers, the Chiefs, were both on a bye. But there was plenty that got remixed behind and around them. All the way through the bottom, a few surprises changed the hierarchy. Here’s how Sporting News sees how all 32 teams stack up against each other going into Week 13: MORE: Updated NFL standings, playoff picture after Week 12 NFL power rankings Arizona Cardinals 9-2 (previous ranking: 1) The Cardinals rolled into their Week 12 bye with the best record in the NFL, managing their offense well without Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and Chase Edmonds....

Because this is the NFL, a league in which change is the only constant, expect another big shake-up to the hierarchy next season, with some playoff teams fading and some surprise teams rising. Although New England and Los Angeles are a little behind in their planning for 2019, there is little reason to believe either team will slip too much next season. MORE: SN’s latest mock draft for 2019...

New England, though, actually showed some vulnerability before getting things perfect in the playoffs, as its 11-5 record was its “worst” in nine seasons. The NFL’s reigning dynasty still won the East by four games. Will the competition get better enough to make the Patriots sweat? 2019 NFL PREDICTIONS:Standings, playoff projections, Super Bowl pick Based on SN’s picks for the entire 2019 season, here are our predictions for the AFC East....

Week 2 of the 2015 preseason features an eight-game Saturday slate highlighted by Packers at Steelers, Ravens at Eagles and Patriots at Saints. There are at least two games a day from Thursday until Sunday, and the Bengals and Bucs will meet in Tampa Bay in Monday’s lone game. Baltimore’s Saturday date in Philadelphia will be on NFL Network, as will the Chargers’ trip to Arizona to face the Cardinals later that night....

Roger Goodell, in a letter to Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain, wrote that the league came to the conclusion after an audited review of 100 marketing agreements from 2012-15. That money will be repaid to the government. MORE: Impact rookies ready to elevate teams | Draft snub drives Vernon Adams “In all the years I’ve spent rooting out egregious federal spending, the NFL is the first organization to perform due diligence, take responsibility and return misspent funds to the taxpayers,” Flake said (via ESPN....