The picks highlighted in this post went 3-2 last week, which is notable since only one, New England, was a favorite at publication time (and only favored by 1.5 points). For those who like to track betting line movements, all five picks we made last week showed positive closing line value by kickoff time, which is a great sign. The public only won 2.2 games on average in those same five games....

From opening kickoff Thursday night through Monday night, every team has a clean slate and represents a fresh set of possibilities. With all the records unblemished, here’s navigating through some of the unknown to make a fearless forecast vs. the initial numbers: (Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction) MORE: SN’s predictions for entire 2022 season, Super Bowl 57 pick NFL picks against the spread for Week 1 Game of Midweek: Bills (-2....

“We can’t have the inmates running the prison,” McNair said, according to ESPN’s report. MORE: Texans players threaten walkout after McNair’s ‘inmates’ remark Outraged NFL players and other athletes responded to McNair’s comments via social media: A post shared by Draymond Green (@money23green) on Oct 27, 2017 at 9:49am PDT

First up: The Arizona Cardinals (11-5) visit the Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) in the first NFC wild-card game. Saturday’s nightcap pits AFC North rivals in a showdown: Baltimore Ravens (10-6) against the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5). Kickoff in Pittsburgh is 8:15 p.m. ET. Kickoff in Charlotte: 4:35 p.m. ET PICKS: David Steele | Fantasy Source | The Linemakers | Super Bowl repeat for Seahawks? Despite the obvious disparity in their records, the NFC game will be much closer than it appears....

But the NFL is turning a blind eye, or just has really bad timing. MORE: Aaron Rodgers on deflated balls | Colts react | AFC Championship photos The league is giving fans a behind-the-scenes peak at its preparation for the Super Bowl, but that might not be such a good idea. On the same day news broke of the investigation into the Patriots’ potential tampering scandal, the NFL posted three separate pictures of footballs on its Instagram page....

With only two undefeated teams going into Monday night, there’s a logjam developing among three- and two-win teams. Some of the established contenders are starting to flex and a new powerhouse is rising. On the flip side, some teams are fading fast out of the playoff picture after a month. Here’s how Sporting News breaks down the league hierarchy from 1-32 going into Week 5: IYER: Brady’s Bucs, Belichick’s Pats both win in revenge game...

The AFC still has two firm teams at the top entering Week 9, but there also is some serious company creeping up behind them. Here’s a complete look at our updated NFL power rankings going into Week 9. MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture NFL power rankings New Orleans Saints 6-1 (last week: 2) The Saints went on the road and survived in Baltimore and then thrived in Minnesota. Their reinforced running game and defense are back to supporting MVP-worthy play from Drew Brees at an elite level....

That’s part of why the league is once again allowing teams to sign 16 players to practice squad rosters. Originally, the NFL and NFLPA’s Collective Bargaining Agreeement outlined a 12-man practice squad in 2021 with an increase to a 14-man unit in 2022. However, because of the pandemic, both parties agreed to expanded units last year; that policy will stay in effect for 2021. Teams are allowed to begin signing players to practice squad contracts at 4 p....

Despite all that, the perception is the Packers should feel a sense of panic in 2020. Is that because they were outmatched by San Francisco in the NFC championship game? Is that why Green Bay selected Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the draft. Why didn’t Green Bay make any big-time free-agent pickups to help out Rodgers — who turns 37 in December? Those are questions Green Bay needs to answer to give the veteran quarterback another Super Bowl shot....

Here’s a betting primer for the pair of games, including picks from our experts in Las Vegas. Lines are current as of Saturday evening. Visit our NFL odds page for updated point spreads ands totals. Texans at Saints (4 p.m. ET, Fox) Line: New Orleans -3.5, Total: 44 The Texans have been must-watch TV on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’, from the non-stop swearing of coach Bill O’Brien to J.J. Watt’s motivational speech....

“I believe the league should pursue a policy where if there are two personal fouls in a game, there’s an automatic ejection of a player,” Goodell said in February. “I believe that that’s consistent with what we believe are the safety issues, but I also believe it’s consistent with what we believe are the standards of sportsmanship that we’ve emphasized.” The competition committee will meet next week at the NFL Annual Meeting in Boca Raton, Fla....

Pittsburgh was down 27-10 late in the second quarter Sunday against the NFL’s best defense. Any other team would have folded against Denver’s pass rush and excellent cover men. That is, except for the NFL’s best offense. PHOTOS: Best of Week 15 | HIGHLIGHTS: Big Ben’s big night Roethlisberger reared back and completed 40 of his 55 passes to rip apart the Broncos for 380 yards and three touchdowns, as the Steelers roared back for a 34-27 victory....

Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense are enjoying a good start to the year, but the Patriots’ defense will need to show some improvement to stop the connection between Jameis Winston and Mike Evans along with the rest of the Buccaneers’ offensive threats Thursday night. Chiefs-Texans will be the most anticipated primetime game of Week 5, with the league’s only undefeated team in the Chiefs taking on red-hot rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Texans....

Four teams entered Sunday with the ability to clinch something, be it a playoff berth, a division title or, in the case of the Rams, a first-round bye in the playoffs. With that as the backdrop, below are Week 14 NFL scores, highlights and injury updates from Sunday’s action around the league. NFL scores: Week 14 NFL Week 14: Highlights, injury updates

MORE: NFL scoreboard | Must-see Week 15 photos NFL SCORES — WEEK 15 Green Bay Packers 37, Dallas Cowboys 36 Recap | Stats | Video highlights Matt Flynn threw four touchdown passes in the second half, Eddie Lacy had the winning score on a 1-yard plunge and the Green Bay Packers matched the biggest comeback in franchise history, rallying from 23 points down at halftime to beat the Dallas Cowboys 37-36 Sunday....

Everyone is celebrating the day of 3.14 so on and so forth. The exact numbers can be found in the Jets tweet of jersey numbers with their helmet as the decimal. They tweeted at exactly 9:26 so everything would align perfectly. Let’s hope their this clever during the upcoming season. MORE: Jets bring Antonio Cromartie back to pair with Darrelle Revis | Jets WR challenges Brandon Marshall for jersey number The Panthers and Lions also get in on the math fun....

Multiple training camp sites for 2018 are familiar, with teams like the Cowboys, Steelers and Packers holding camp in their traditional locations of Oxnard Calif., Latrobe, Pa., and De Pere, Wis., respectively. Teams like the Vikings, on the other hand, will hold camp in new locations. Minnesota will practice at its brand-new facility in Eagan, Minn., after more than 50 years of camp in Mankato, Minn. The differing reporting dates for 2018 NFL training camps are due to differing preseason schedules....

This year’s class might not have an Aaron Rodgers-type player holding out, but there are still several Pro Bowl talents that are not expected to report to training camp as they open. Several of these players have already missed OTAs and minicamps as they’ve awaited new deals. Who are the players holding out as training camps open? The Sporting News takes a look. MORE: Why Cardinals are giving Kyler Murray a strange ‘independent study’ addendum...

In a rare occurrence, one of the regional Fox broadcasts in Week 12 has become a national broadcast. The entire country will see Cowboys vs. Patriots at 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox thanks to the NFL flexing Packers vs. 49ers to Sunday night. As for Fox’s early Sunday afternoon games, the majority of the country will get Seahawks vs. Eagles, the game that was flexed into the 1 p.m. ET window when Packers-49ers was moved....