For teams wanting a closer look at the players whom they are considering drafting in late April, they would need to attend those specific pro days around the nation. The NFL also has limited all teams to having no more than three combined representatives from their front-office, scouting and coaching staffs at each pro day. Without a Combine, talent evaluators need do their due pro day diligence by grinding film and virtually interviewing prospects....

A few observers here and there point out that, along with the likes of Josh McCown and AJ McCarron, teams could also sign ex-49er Colin Kaepernick, who was a free agent at this time last year, too. For the most part, though, his name goes unmentioned. No one should expect Kaepernick to get a call, though, for the same reasons (good and bad, right and wrong, true and false) that kept him out of the NFL in 2017, and for another that wasn’t a factor last offseason....

With these high-profile games come high-profile officiating crews. Both John Hussey and Ron Torbert are no strangers to big games. Torbert just officiated the Super Bowl last year, whereas Hussey has been a Super Bowl line judge but never a head referee in the league’s biggest game. Hussey’s crew will officiate the Eagles-49ers NFC Championship Game, whereas Torbert will call Chiefs vs. Bengals on the AFC side. Bengals fans may still have a bone to pick with Torbert, as the holding call toward the end of Rams vs....

Unfortunately, we will need to wait to see Patriots first-rounder Sony Michel, who was out with a knee injury. And we will no longer see Redskins second-rounder Derrius Guice, who is out for the season with a knee injury. WATCH: Best moments from preseason Week 1 Going around the league, here is a closer first look at eight notable rookies’ stock coming out or their pro debuts. Rising Kerryon Johnson, Lions...

Several players have come close. Jared Allen and Justin Houston each had seasons with 22 sacks in a season, just a half-sack back of tying the record. Yet since 2001, that has been as close as anyone has come. Until 2021. Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt enters the final week of the season with 21.5 sacks after an impressive four-sack performance against the Browns in his last game. He needed just one sack to tie the record, and 1....

Like Oakland, Tampa Bay will go six consecutive weeks in the first half of the season without playing a true home game. The lone contest as the designated home side will be a game in London on Oct. 13 vs. Carolina. Two West Coast trips bookend the stretch. NFL SCHEDULE: Dates, game times for every team Put all the travel together, and the Bucs are looking at approximately an 18,000-nautical-mile odyssey (by comparison, the Raiders will log at least 20,000 miles on their sojourn)....

Unless games on the 2020 NFL schedule get postponed or canceled, and barring a delayed start to the season, the opening weekend of regular-season games will begin Thursday, Sept. 10. And a complete 2020 NFL season played on schedule would mean an on-time Super Bowl 55 in Tampa Bay on Feb. 7. MORE: Everything to know about the NFL and COVID-19 in 2020 The NFL is banking on medical and scientific developments in the coming months, as it believes the entirety of the 2020 NFL schedule can play out on time as long as COVID-19/antibody testing is prevalent by the time September arrives....

MORE: NFL scores | Must-see Week 12 photos | Brady vs. Manning through the years NFL SCORES — WEEK 12 New England Patriots 34, Denver Broncos 31 (OT) Recap | Stats | Video highlights Trailing 24-0, New England stormed all the way back, taking advantage of four second-half turnovers by the Broncos, to win in overtime. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski clinched it with a 31-yard field goal in overtime. The Patriots, with the largest comeback in the organization's history, recovered a fumbled punt to regain possession in eventually secure the win....

While the more than 300 players will arrive in Indianapolis today, on-field workouts will not start until February 27, when quarterbacks, tight ends, and wide receivers take the field. Kickers, special teams, offensive linemen, and running backs will start on Friday, with defensive linemen and linebackers taking the field on Saturday and defensive backs completing the frame on Sunday. The NFL draft is scheduled for April 23 - 25 in Las Vegas....

The executive, Joe Lockhart, also said those settlements will be examined as part of a broader investigation of allegations against Richardson. Lockhart, the league’s vice president of communications, told reporters outside counsel would handle the investigation. “We just made the judgment that an outside firm is most appropriate,” Lockhart said, per The Charlotte Observer. MORE: Cam Newton says Richardson innocent until proven guilty The league previously announced it would take over the probe of Richardson’s alleged behavior from the Panthers....

All the same, if history is anything to go by, the Dallas Cowboys should be moderately optimistic about their chances of making a long postseason run. Dallas’ 31-6 win in Miami over the Dolphins on Sunday improved its record to 3-0, the first time in 11 years the Cowboys have won their first three games. Dallas has previously gone 3-0 five times during Jerry Jones’ ownership and reached the playoffs in four of those occasions, including when they won the Super Bowl in 1992 and 1995....

Wait, what? Did you fill out the wrong application and apply to be a hitman again? It happens to the best of us. MORE: Best-case draft scenarios for every team | Each team’s biggest draft regret This seems like an absurd scenario, but it’s something that NFL Draft prospects apparently face quite regularly. A member of this year’s draft class — LSU safety Jalen Mills — told CBS Sports that this is the exact question he was asked by an unidentified team....

There already has been plenty of action counting down to 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 30. The Browns moved running back Carlos Hyde to the Jaguars. The Raiders sent wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cowboys. The Giants broke down their defense by shipping cornerback Eli Apple to the Saints and tackle Damon Harrison to the Lions. WEEK 8 NFL PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread The blockbusters started with a bang with Khalil Mack right before the season and Josh Gordon not too long into the season....

MORE: Follow SN’s live trade tracker for 2019 deadline updates Jalen Ramsey, who was rather public in his desire to be traded from the Jaguars, was moved to the Rams. Emmanuel Sanders, who had been mentioned in trade rumors for more than a year as the Broncos faded away from contention, was traded to the 49ers. The moves took a couple intriguing trade targets off the market but left several big names on the trade block for teams to consider ahead of the trade deadline....

There were a handful of trades in October in warming up for the trade deadline, but this is of course an unprecedented year for trading for a couple reasons. First and foremost is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has an impact on finances and on the logistics of moving any player from one team to another under the NFL’s protocols. Additionally, the NFL expanded the playoffs this year to include seven teams from each conference, changing the math on who is a contender or rebuilder....

Marshawn Lynch has been warned by the NFL that their referees will be on the lookout for his hands wandering down to his nether regions. They will be ready to hand out a 15-yard penalty if he does do it. Although this does apply for everyone, it does seem more aimed at Lynch than anyone. MORE: Best players to never win Super Bowl | From Watergate to Deflate-gate | Seahawks fan’s Richard Sherman prosthetic leg...

Are the Ravens for real, or was it just because they were playing the worst team in the league? Will the Vikings throw the ball more than 10 times in a game? Will the Cowboys offense continue the way they started? We’ve probably all got our ideas of what’s true or not, but one thing is for sure — the Dolphins “organically tanking” is definitely happening. For NFL picks this week, Sportsbook Review looks at the anytime scorer odds — one short odds (minus money), one middling (+150 or so) and one longshot for the weekend....

Numbers listed are the first ones posted at the Las Vegas SuperBook, with line movements and odds at other books noted as well. Check updated spreads at our live odds page. Thursday, September 18, 2014 Bucs at Falcons -5.5 Atlanta was bet up to -6 at the SuperBook on Sunday night despite a poor showing in Cincy earlier in the day. Tampa is off to an 0-2 start under new coach Lovie Smith, and both of its losses have come at home....

While the Ravens have no chance of repeating, the 49ers will need to survive as a wild-card team this year. That also means we don’t need to wait a week for their playoff rematch with Green Bay: NFC Game of the Week 49ers at Packers (4:40 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX). It does feel early for these teams to be meeting, but the rest of the NFC playoff field is well aware that the winner here can go a long way....