Sportsbooks say Tom Brady-Bill Belichick matchup attracting heavy bettingVideo
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Sportsbooks say Sunday’s showdown between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick is shaping up to be the most heavily bet on NFL game of the regular season. Brady, the six-time Super Bowl champion, returns to Gillette Stadium for the first time as a member of the visiting...
Bears waiting until game time to announce QB against Lions
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears will wait until game time to announce their starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against Detroit, choosing between Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields. Both quarterbacks are dealing with injuries, but Fields has been able to go through full practices the entire week while...
Joe Burrow says Bengals improving every weekVideo
CINCINNATI — After rallying the Bengals to a late win over the Jaguars, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow said with matter-of-fact confidence that he is getting better every week. The stats and his dauntless performances under pressure seem to suggest it’s not just talk. The unflappable second-year quarterback, playing on a...
Tom Brady showing his personality with BuccaneersVideo
Reporters who covered Tom Brady for two decades in New England rarely expected anything enlightening or entertaining to emerge from the quarterback’s mouth. Keep to the straight and narrow, reveal nothing about yourself or your team, and just win. So when Brady began cracking wise as a Tampa Bay quarterback...
Injuries force Packers to utilize depth on O-line entering Steelers gameVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line looks quite a bit different from last year’s version. But it again is withstanding multiple injuries to provide capable protection for reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers. All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari hasn’t played all season as he recovers from a torn...
Running wild: Browns’ Hunt a ‘devil’ when he has the ballVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Arms flailing, legs churning while kicking up grass and dirt as his dreadlocked hair flies from under his helmet, Kareem Hunt’s got a running style that is unorthodox and unique. He fights for every yard — every inch — like it’s a personal turf war. “Runs like...
Bengals shake off slow start, beat Jaguars on last-second field goal
CINCINNATI — Evan McPherson kicked a 35-yard field goal as time ran out to give the Cincinnati Bengals a 24-21 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night, spoiling Urban Meyer’s Ohio return. Joe Burrow passed for 348 yards and two touchdowns to help the Bengals (3-1) overcome a 14-0...
Giants’ Saquon Barkley staying the course with rehab, pleased with progressVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Coming off a torn ACL, Saquon Barkley is the first to admit he is not back to being the running back who was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. Through three games, the 24-year-old Barkley has 39 carries for 134 yards and...
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson misses 2nd straight practice with back issueVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson missed practice for the second straight day Thursday because of a back issue. Jackson was listed on the Baltimore Ravens’ injury report. “He’s dealing with a little back flare-up,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said before practice. “I don’t think it’s anything serious, but we’re...
LeSean McCoy to retire as member of Philadelphia Eagles
Harrisburg native and former Pitt star LeSean McCoy will officially retire as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, the team announced. McCoy, an all-time franchise great at running back, will be honored at Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field as the Eagles Legend...
Ravens activate 1st-round pick Rashod Bateman, Justin Houston
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens activated receivers Rashod Bateman and Miles Boykin from injured reserve Wednesday and activated defensive lineman Justin Madubuike and linebacker Justin Houston from the reserve/covid-19 list. Bateman, a first-round draft pick this year, had been out with groin problems, and Boykin had a hamstring...
Browns’ Kevin Stefanski heads ‘home’ to face VikingsVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Kevin Stefanski won’t be swinging through any old neighborhoods or dining at a favorite restaurant when he returns to Minnesota — his NFL home for 14 seasons — this weekend. Those will have to happen another time. “Business trip,” the Browns coach said. Partly. While Stefanski isn’t...
Emmanuel Sanders quickly fitting in with Bills after 2-TD outingVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Emmanuel Sanders paused the start of his inaugural training camp session with reporters to adjust the strap of his new Buffalo Bills cap, which was dipping down on his forehead. “Like my head done got smaller,” the receiver said with a laugh. “OK, you all going...
Why NFL TV ratings are rebounding this season
LOS ANGELES — The National Football League is defying gravity in the changing television universe. Three weeks into the 2021 season, overall viewing of the NFL is up 9% over the comparable period last year according to data from Nielsen and the league’s partners, with an average of 16.9 million...
How is Tom Brady still throwing like he’s 24 and setting records?
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady glanced down and extended his right throwing arm. Seated in the patio area of the Bucs’ training facility, the 44-year-old rubbed it like a genie’s lamp, awaiting more granted wishes. Now in his 22nd NFL season, Brady’s arm has passed footballs nearly 46 miles and...
Bengals’ Joe Burrow, Jaguars’ Urban Meyer set to meet again, this time in the NFLVideo
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow didn’t play much in three years under Urban Meyer at Ohio State. But there is still much mutual respect and admiration, so much so that Meyer, as a rookie NFL coach, went to Burrow for advice last spring about how to handle his new quarterback, top...
Tampa Bay, New England abuzz as Tom Brady prepares to returnVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — It has been 633 days since Tom Brady played an NFL game in New England. He trudged off the field Jan. 4, 2020, after a playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans, a rare loser in the place he helped to hoist six Super Bowl championship banners. But...
Bucs add cornerback Richard Sherman to injury-ravaged secondaryVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed Richard Sherman, a three-time All-Pro cornerback and Super Bowl champion who has been dealing with legal issues in the offseason. Sherman got a one-year deal Wednesday and said Tom Brady helped recruit him to the defending Super Bowl champions, who have...
Dak Prescott leads Cowboys to emotional win over Eagles
ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott ran toward the tunnel, raising his arms to the fans and tossing them souvenirs after the Dallas Cowboys manhandled the Philadelphia Eagles in prime time. The scene was a stark contrast to almost a year earlier, when the star quarterback was in tears as he...
Bengals get Jaguars after statement win against SteelersVideo
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals played one of the most consistent and complete games of the Joe Burrow era Sunday against none other than the Pittsburgh Steelers. But there is little time to reflect on the 24-10 road win over the divisional rival Steelers and future Hall of Famer Ben...
Kareem Hunt jump-starts Browns offense versus BearsVideo
CLEVELAND — After two first-quarter possessions ended in failure with the Browns allowing Chicago to sack quarterback Baker Mayfield on consecutive fourth-down tries, coach Kevin Stefanski needed a spark. Kareem Hunt started a fire. Hunt accounted for 155 yards and had perhaps his best game since coming back to his...
Ravens sloppy again, but Justin Tucker’s record kick rescues performanceVideo
Ravens coach John Harbaugh called Justin Tucker the best kicker in history after his 66-yard field goal gave Baltimore a win at Detroit. With all due respect to Adam Vinatieri and anyone else with a claim to that honor, Tucker is building quite a case. “He does have kind of...
Former Penn State star KJ Hamler to miss rest of Broncos season after torn ACLVideo
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos speedy second-year receiver KJ Hamler will miss the rest of the season with a torn left ACL. Coach Vic Fangio said Monday that the Broncos’ second-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft tore his ACL and “some other stuff” in the first half of the Broncos’...
Chiefs coach Andy Reid in stable condition at hospital
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs coach Andy Reid is resting and in stable condition after being taken to a hospital following Kansas City’s 30-24 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. The Chiefs released a statement Sunday night saying Reid was evaluated by the medical staff in the locker...
Aaron Rodgers rallies Packers past 49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Aaron Rodgers completed two deep passes to Davante Adams on a last-minute drive, setting set up Mason Crosby’s 51-yard field goal on the final play of the game that gave the Green Bay Packers a 30-28 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. Rodgers...
