Just like Thursday night’s AFC West division battle in which the Chiefs outlasted the Chargers in overtime, the result of the Patriots-Colts contest has ripple effects on the conference’s playoff picture. MORE: Highlights from Colts’ big Saturday night win Starting with the Patriots’ perspective, here’s what it all means: NFL playoff picture: How Patriots’ loss affects AFC home-field, AFC East races The Patriots (9-5) fell to the No. 3 seed in conference playoff positioning behind the Chiefs (10-4), who beat the Chargers to begin Week 15, and the Titans (9-4), who play the Steelers on Sunday....

This time, one could argue the Chargers, this time from Los Angeles, are bringing to New England the best team they’ve had during quarterback Philip Rivers’ career. MORE: Full 2019 NFL playoff schedule Some interesting numbers around this game: The Chargers are 0-7 against Tom Brady and the Patriots, including playoffs, since Rivers became the starter in ’06. Rivers’ only career win against New England came in 2008, when Matt Cassel was the Patriots’ starting QB....

The Saints dominated from wire to wire in a 48-7 rout. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles will try to continue to reverse fortunes, as that marked one of the worst games in the young career of Carson Wentz. MORE: Full 2019 NFL playoff schedule Foles has more in common with counterpart Drew Brees than just their being Super Bowl MVP-winning QBs. They both wear No. 9 on their jerseys, and each is an alumnus of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas....

The Chiefs completed a historic comeback against the Houston Texans, erasing a 24-0 deficit to win 51-31 and reach the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive season. Tennessee stands between Kansas City and a first Super Bowl appearance since the AFL-NFL merger, but if form is anything to go by, defeating the Titans will be far from a formality for the Chiefs. Tennessee entered the playoffs as the No....

Here is the schedule for the Wild Card Weekend (All times ET): Saturday, January 4, 2020 Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans, 4:35 p.m. (ABC/ESPN) Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. (CBS) Sunday, January 5, 2020 Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints, 1:05 p.m. (FOX) Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:40 p.m. (NBC) The Divisional Round will be Jan. 11-12, 2020, and teams who had first-round byes will host....

Looking at the results of Week 15 , they didn’t really cause much shakeup at the top rolling into Week 16, but there are a few contenders who took some big hits and some doormats who delivered bright spots to carry over into next season. From 1-32, here’s our latest look at how every NFL team stacks up against each other: MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture after Week 15 | Updated 2021 NFL draft order...

The action doesn’t stop in the offseason as teams reset their rosters, for better or for worse, through NFL free agency in the draft. There already are the early odds on just how every team, from 1-32 will fare in 2022, from great to bad. Here’s how Sporting News looks all the way ahead to September with our way-too-early power rankings, the first of the new year: MORE NFL DRAFT: SN’s latest 2022 mock draft | Top 100 prospects...

The Steelers haven’t missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons since 1998-2000, and that’s put veteran coach Mike Tomlin on the spot. Veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returns for his 17th season. Roethlisberger, 38, is in a division with three former Heisman Trophy-winning QBs in Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow. The Steelers are devoid of some of the locker-room drama that clouded the past few seasons, and the schedule is set up for a fast start....

Cooper Kupp made a serious run at the record last season, falling just 17 yards short, but two new candidates emerged early this season in Miami’s Tyreek Hill and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson. As the season has progressed, Jefferson has continued to pile up impressive numbers and position himself as the one player who can threaten Johnson’s record. A rough Week 17 hurt his chances of catching Johnson, but Week 18 offers Jefferson a chance at redemption....

The Bengals veteran cornerback on Monday had a $28,940 fine for his conduct during last year’s AFC wild-card playoff game against the Steelers reduced by more than half to $12,500 through an appeal process heard by officer Derrick Brooks, Pro Football Talk reported. MORE: NFL free agency 2016: 10 best player-team pairings A personal foul penalty against Jones for making contact with an official, combined with teammate Vontaze Burfict’s penalty for a hit on Antonio Brown, set up Steelers kicker Chris Boswell’s winning 35-yard field goal with 14 seconds to play in Pittsburgh’s 18-16 AFC playoff victory in January....

Teams are then tasked with trimming their rosters down to just 53 players before September, almost half the size they were when training camp opened. Here is the NFL roster cut schedule, along with some key dates as the season begins. Tuesday, August 26: Maximum of 75 players on roster by 4:00 p.m. ET. Thursday, August 28: All 32 teams play their final preseason game. Saturday, August 30: Maximum of 53 players on roster by 4:00 p....

From Friday morning through Saturday afternoon, teams will be tasked with whittling their rosters down to the 53 players they intend to carry into Week 1 of the regular season. The deadline for teams to make their final decisions is 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. Here is all you need to know about 2018 roster cuts. MORE: NFL practice squad rules NFL roster cuts 2018: Deadline, rules NFL teams before last year’s rule change cut players before and after their fourth and final preseason games....

In a series of Instagram posts, the Steelers linebacker documented his encounter with the official who came to give the test, and appeared under the impression he was allowed to record the process. However, he was informed that would be a violation of NFL rules. MORE: 40 most-hated NFL players | Harrison returning to Steelers in 2016 The NFL confirmed to the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette that there are rules against recording PED testing....

The question was how to represent those players who find a way to step up late in games or in the postseason, when the pressure is highest. The “Clutch” trait was meant to be the answer to that dilemma. Players who are designated as “clutch” receive ratings boosts in the final minutes of close games. Offensive and defensive linemen are not eligible for the trait.MADDEN 18 REVIEW: New story mode a success...

Last year, Packers running back Eddie Lacy got the AP nod over Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, Sporting News’ choice for best rookie overall. For a change, going into this season, wideouts have the edge with the top RBs and QBs in the 2014 NFL draft still fighting for significant roles. Knowing skill positions player all have the edge, the eventual winner tends to win a numbers game. Sammy Watkins, WR, Bills....

This comes as Moreno became a U.S. citizen just three weeks ago—after 28 years in America. Moreno was an independent contract worker for the Panthers over the last 10 years. He was there when the Panthers did poorly, and he was there when they made it to the Super Bowl after the 2015 season. He was there when the Panthers said the 2012 Democratic National Convention could use Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte for Barack Obama’s speech to accept a nomination for reelection before 74,000 people....

Here’s a breakdown of the NFL’s latest playoff field and seedings, also looking at the contenders on the brink of joining the potential postseason party: NFL POWER RANKINGS: Cowboys, Bengals, Patriots climb; Vikings, Giants stumble for Week 12 NFL standings after Week 11 AFC playoff picture Kansas City Chiefs (8-2), first place, AFC West. The Chiefs are looking good again for the top seed, which includes the lone bye and home-field advantage for the AFC playoffs....