Since 1957, the MVP award has been handed out to the player who performed well during the regular season. The NFL MVP is different than the Super Bowl MVP, since the NFL award is given out based solely on the player’s regular season performance. 49 different players have won the award. More often than not, a quarterback takes home the MVP title. And, in 2021, it looks like that will probably be the case again as Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady lead the odds....

Amid anti-racism protests in the United States and around the world after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month, the NFL apologized for not listening to its players earlier. Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem, starting in 2016, in protest against racial injustice and police brutality, but that was the last season the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback played in the NFL. Hyde, a former teammate of Kaepernick’s on the 49ers, said the quarterback should be signed by another team....

MORE: Get the latest NFL Week 16 odds, lines & more here Five AFC teams are 9-5 or better, but there are only four playoff spots remaining. Nine NFC teams are fighting for the four remaining playoff spots. The AFC has some big matchups this week, including the Raiders-Dolphins and Colts-Steelers matchups. The NFC West matchup between the Seahawks and Rams also is huge for seeding purposes. It is another fun week, and SN is on a hot streak with our straight-up picks....

Titled “Take A Knee My Ass,” McCoy first performed the single during a Nov. 8 concert in Branson, Mo., and posted the video to his official Facebook page. The clip went viral, with more than 3.8 million views as of Friday evening, receiving both positive and negative reviews depending on one’s stance in the polarizing protesting-during-the-national-anthem debate. The song begins around the four-minute mark in the video. MORE: NFL’s Most Hated list...

The new agreement passed by a narrow 1,019-959 vote and is sure to generate polarizing reactions for players in the coming day. After all, Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt and Russell Wilson were among the star players who were not in favor of the new agreement. In the end, the NFLPA passed the deal. According to ESPN.com, the players’ share of revenue increases from 47% to 48% in 2021 and will be at least 48....

The 49ers’ win in Week 17 also means the Saints will be forced to play a wild-card game. They’ll host the Vikings on Sunday, Jan. 5, before the Eagles play the Seahawks in Philly. MORE NFL PLAYOFFS:Playoff picture analysis | Full TV schedule As for the AFC, the final week of the regular season brought a twist to the playoff seeding. The Patriots were upset by the Dolphins, knocking them down to the No....

San Francisco meets Philadelphia in the NFC championship game in the early matchup at 3 p.m. on Fox. The Eagles routed the New York Giants 38-7 in the NFC divisional playoffs. Philadelphia is making its eighth NFC championship appearance; it’s first under second-year coach Nick Sirianni. Jalen Hurts threw a pair of TDs and added another rushing TD despite playing through a shoulder injury. The 49ers beat the Cowboys 19-12 in the NFC divisional championship and are making an 18th appearance in the NFC championship game....

There’s no doubt those are the three best teams in the conference and all have a good chance to end up winning Super Bowl 57. But only one can earn the coveted top spot that comes with home-field advantage and the lone bye. Here’s laying out the path for how each of the three teams can clinch the No. 1 seed: MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture after Week 17...

Dallas remains in first place for now thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker Week 7 home win over Philadelphia. But the most recent results have set up what’s shaping up to be a de facto division championship game when the Cowboys travel to face the Eagles in Week 16. MORE: NFL Week 15 picks Here’s a breakdown of the different ways left for the Eagles to clinch their third consecutive preseason trip:...

The Giants blew their opportunity to earn at least a wild card by losing in Philadelphia on Thursday night. That allowed the Cowboys to clinch the NFC East and top seed with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. New York did, however, clinch a playoff berth when Tampa Bay lost. The Dolphins, whose playoff hopes plunged when Ryan Tannehill got hurt, clinched a playoff berth with their win and the Broncos’ loss....

The postseason field expanding by one team each in the AFC and the NFC to a total of 14 has made more things interesting for the final three games. Based on the current standings, here’s an updated look at what each conference tournament would look like if the playoffs started now: WEEK 15: Where every team rates in Sporting News’ latest NFL power rankings NFL standings for Week 14 AFC playoff picture Who would be in?...

Whether it’s within the division or in the conference wild cards, the NFL has to have a means to break ties without playing an extra game. Baseball could do the now-defunct Game 163, but NFL teams playing an 18th win-and-get-in game is a non-starter given the preparation and rest that is so essential to a game with the physicality of football. The league has a series of tiebreakers to determine which team will go to the playoffs in the event of a tie record....

The Titans (9-7) were cold before Week 17, needing to hold off the Jaguars to end a three-game losing skid in order to take the top AFC wild-card berth. The Chiefs (10-6) are riding a four-game winning streak that has them back on track after dropping four straight games to begin the second half of the season. Both offenses are run-oriented and operated by mobile passers in Marcus Mariota and Alex Smith, whose respective tight ends, Delanie Walker and Travis Kelce, are their most reliable receivers....

The AFC No. 2 seed Chiefs are in the penultimate round at home for a fourth consecutive year, looking to advance to a third straight Super Bowl. Their opponent on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, CBS), the Bengals are crashing the party, making their first conference title game appearance in 33 years after winning the AFC North. The NFC is down to an all-West affair, with the No. 4 seed Rams hosting the No....

The bottom line is, the league is more competitive with more teams having real Super Bowl aspirations and an expanded list of at least wild-card hopefuls. That’s perfect to make us more thankful for great action going to Thanksgiving with the league also giving us plenty more to come over the final two months. Going into Week 12 and that upcoming holiday-stamped stretch, here’s how all 32 teams stack up against each other:...

The Eagles and Seahawks have joined the Packers and Panthers as teams that have taken control of their tough divisions early in the season. Philadelphia is doing it with explosive offense, while Seattle has rediscovered its dominant defense. Both flocks of birds are flying out fast and physical, and they can be expected to keep up the speed and momentum in their respective playoff pushes. The Cowboys and Giants are helping the Eagles look good, while the 49ers, Cardinals and Rams sitll don’t have what it takes to clip the Seahawks....

Only the strongest survive to advance into January, while others finish to build higher hopes for the rest of 2019. With four weeks left the season, this is how the power struggle for pre-Super Bowl supremacy looks. MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture NFL power rankings Los Angeles Rams 11-1 (last week: 2) The Rams took care of the Chiefs and didn’t have too much rust against the Lions, taking advantage of the Saints losing in shocking indoor road fashion Thursday....

So predictions regarding how all teams including the Raiders will finish in the 2020 NFL standings and beyond are more of a crap shoot than usual. We have no choice but to operate with the roster and schedule knowledge we have of all 32 teams heading into what will be a strange season. Based on NFL senior writer Vinnie Iyer’s game picks for the entire 2020 season, SN is projecting that the Raiders’ first season in Las Vegas will be just like their last season in Oakland....