CHICAGO — The “Monday Night Football” broadcast played the clip twice, just to drive home the point.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had just taken a huge hit from Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Jihad Ward while throwing an incomplete pass to end a drive early in the fourth quarter.

Back on the Bears sideline, Williams ...Read more

ATLANTA — The Falcons needed a quarterback so badly they flouted NFL regulations to get one. They paid him $180 million. (Though only – only! – $100M is guaranteed.) He started 14 games. He might not start another, at least not for this club.

I was here when Dan Henning benched Steve Bartkowski, franchise QB, for David Archer, drafted by ...Read more

GREG COTE’S NFL WEEK 16 THURSDAY PICK

BRONCOS (9-5) at CHARGERS (8-6)

Line: LAC by 3.

Cote’s pick: DEN, 23-18.

TV: 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Prime Video.

[Playoff status: DEN reaches first postseason since 2015 with a win; LAC can also clinch with a win if IND and MIA both lose Sunday.] This isn’t quite the high-stakes game suggested ...Read more

NEW YORK — On Tuesday, “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma” debuted on Netflix.

The three-episode docuseries begins with the four-time NFL MVP receiving a tattoo of a dragon chasing its own tail.

It reflects on Rodgers’ last year, which included a trade to the Jets and the quarterback tearing his Achilles four plays into his debut in 2023. Viewers ...Read more

CHICAGO — It ain’t easy being the G.O.A.T.

Over the course of a career, people start referring to you as the Greatest Of All Time, a sign that you’re living large and all your dreams have come true.

But soon you realize it’s an impossible standard to live up to, and not everything you touch will turn to gold. Even G.O.A.T.s have bad ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Rams are in first place in the NFC West and readying for a playoff push.

Will coach Sean McVay seek reinforcements?

The window closed after Week 12 for future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald to come out of retirement this season for a shot at another Super Bowl.

But star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who also was...Read more

ATLANTA — With their playoff hopes and season on the line, the Falcons are benching veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and handing the football to rookie Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons announced in a statement Tuesday night.

The move came just a few hours after coach Raheem Morris was non-commital to several questions about the team’s ...Read more

ATLANTA — Falcons coach Raheem Morris has fielded questions about benching Kirk Cousins for weeks. Each time, Morris confirmed that Cousins was the starter. Morris declined to do that soon after the Falcons got back from Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Two hours later, Morris announced that rookie Michael Penix Jr. would replace Cousins as the starter ...Read more

ATLANTA — Falcons coach Raheem Morris has fielded questions about benching Kirk Cousins for weeks. Each time, Morris confirmed that Cousins was the starter before acknowledging that he must play better. This time, Morris didn’t say Cousins will start ahead of Michael Penix Jr. on Sunday against the New York Giants.

“I think we’ve got to...Read more

Each week I’ll list the best widely available free agents for fantasy football — I define “widely available” as being owned in around half of all ESPN or Yahoo leagues — and some guys who are probably better off in the free agent pool than collecting dust on your roster.

Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @UTEddieBrown if you ...Read more

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will recap the best and worst from around the league. Here are our winners and losers from Week 15:

Winner: Lamar Jackson

Here’s your annual reminder: The NFL Most Valuable Player Award race isn’t over until the final votes are cast.

The NFL is a week-to-week league, so it’s tempting to ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If Patrick Mahomes’ injured ankle has recovered enough for him to play in Saturday’s game against the Houston Texans, he’ll play, Andy Reid said on Tuesday.

Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. On a fourth-and-3 from the Browns 39...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The trouble for Chicago Bears rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie started early Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, and it came in the form of Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard.

On third-and-9 midway through the first quarter, Greenard flew by the left side of Amegadjie, who barely got a finger on the fifth-...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Atlanta Falcons went old-school to pull out a 15-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night at Allegiant Stadium.

In the pass-happy NFL, the Falcons went smashmouth 1970s era on the Raiders. They ran the ball on 23 of 24 first downs.

The Falcons kept the clock running. More important, they found a way to limit ...Read more

MIAMI — “[Expletive] man,” Tyreek Hill yelled in the locker room minutes after Sunday’s 20-12 loss to the Houston Texans, which virtually eliminated the Miami Dolphins from the postseason equation.

“This was supposed to be our year,” the five-time first-team All-Pro receiver said in a moment of transparency before taking his ...Read more

With Bill Belichick off to college, Mike McCarthy’s chances to remain as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys improved but there is zero chance he will stay as the play caller next season.

The lame duck head coach is still in play to sign an extension, but it will come with conditions, and promises of major changes. There is no way Cowboys ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — In his opening comments of training camp, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell set forth a vision for a team that would build its foundation differently than in the coach’s first two seasons. O’Connell frequently invoked the phrase “play style” as shorthand for a physical approach that would incorporate heavier personnel,...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — De’Vondre Campbell’s expulsion from the San Francisco 49ers has come via an unpaid suspension for their final three games.

That discipline was announced in a two-line statement from general manager John Lynch just before noon as the 49ers (6-8) reconvene after Thursday’s dramatic 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams ...Read more

DETROIT — After significant injuries to defensive tackle Alim McNeill and cornerback Carlton Davis, it was hard to imagine the Detroit Lions' injury outlook could get much worse.

But it has.

According to a league source, Lions running back David Montgomery suffered an MCL injury in Sunday's 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills and will be out ...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions' worst fears about injuries to defensive tackle Alim McNeill and cornerback Carlton Davis III have come true.

McNeill suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season, while Davis suffered a broken jaw that'll keep him out at least six weeks, a league source confirmed to The Detroit News on Monday.

After Sunday's 48-...Read more