theathletic.com
| Sunday A daily destination that provides in-depth analysis of football’s biggest stories. Each Sunday, three of The Athletic ’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games.
There was mayhem in the AFC North on Sunday as the Houston the Cincinnati Bengals behind rookie phenom and the Cleveland to knock off the first-place , with both favorites losing at home. The held off the visiting despite getting outgained, but that’s nothing new for the Steelers…
2 months ago
theathletic.com
The first nine weeks of the 2023 NFL season have come and gone and only one thing is for sure: No one knows with certainty what will happen next. But The Athletic ’s beat writers challenge that notion, providing predictions for every team as the second half of the season kicks off. will prove his worth: The deck is stacked against Murray. He’s returning from major knee surgery. He hasn’t played in nearly a year. He’s running a new offense. His offensive line is banged up. He lacks a strong supp…
3 months ago
theathletic.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jim Kelly, loser of four Super Bowls, one son and an upper jaw, stands in the pool in his backyard, water up to his midsection. About 25 family members and friends from his fellowship group circle the pool. Next to him is Matt Gold, the pastor of Alden Community Church. “To see today happen is such a sweet, sweet day, brother,” Gold tells him. “I love you and I think we can all say we’re proud of you and how far you’ve come. And where you’re going is even better.” Advertisement A…
3 months ago
theathletic.com
| Sunday A daily destination that provides in-depth analysis of football’s biggest stories. Each Sunday, three of The Athletic ’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games. What to make of the NFL’s first trip to Frankfurt, Germany? The looked like they were back to their explosive selves with an opening-drive touchdown. And then … not much else. The offense had only two other possessions in which they produced more than one first down. Take away the wi…
3 months ago
theathletic.com
| Sunday A daily destination that provides in-depth analysis of football’s biggest stories. Each Sunday, three of The Athletic ’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games. The and might have turned in the week’s best game, but did a rookie quarterback in Tennessee steal the headlines? asked the to feed him, and feed him they did. Several quarterback injuries should have a few teams worried, too. Advertisement There is plenty to discuss from Week 8.…
3 months ago
theathletic.com
running backs who have specialized in battling for every yard are learning a new skill — battling for every dollar. requested a trade when a contract extension looked impossible. When earlier this month, his was the first running back extension worth $10 million or more per year since ’s signed 26 months earlier. Advertisement and had to take one-year contracts with the and , respectively. of the is playing under the franchise tag. At 27, after a fourth straight Pro Bowl season for Minneso…
3 months ago
theathletic.com
Despite their own best interests, the previously bungling somehow dominated in victory last week. But at this point, at least, they remain the favorite to have the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That means an opportunity to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye, who could be considered generational talents. Advertisement To understand how special this opportunity is for the Bears, we have to examine two factors — the ’s perception of Williams and Maye, and the…
3 months ago
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| Sunday A daily destination that provides in-depth analysis of football’s biggest stories. Each Sunday, three of The Athletic ’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games. A week after the suffered the worst loss of head-coaching career against the Cowboys (38-3), they nearly matched it in to the . Things went from bad to worse for quarterback , who threw a pair of interceptions for the second straight game and was benched in the fourth quarter. Adve…
4 months ago
theathletic.com
Nobody hit like Dick Butkus. Nobody before, nobody since. Given the evolution of the game he symbolized, it is safe to say nobody ever will again. His intensity and desire were unmatched. It seemed as if he were bigger than everyone. Meaner and tougher, too. In a video for NFL Films, John Facenda, in typically dramatic fashion, said Butkus played “with a religious fervor, with an unrelenting obsession not only to excel but to dominate and demoralize.” Advertisement It may have been an understate…
4 months ago
theathletic.com
ATHERTON, Calif. — The freshman runs a hitch-and-go for Menlo School on a play called “X train.” This is Laila Young’s first flag football game, but she looks like she played in a previous life, moving so smoothly and decisively. Her sister, Summer, a senior, is also a natural, covering big chunks of turf with long strides. Advertisement Laila plays the X position — “I tell her she’s John Taylor, the most underappreciated athlete in history,” her father says. Summer is the Z — “Jerry Rice’s posi…
4 months ago
theathletic.com
| Sunday A daily destination that provides in-depth analysis of football’s biggest stories. Each Sunday, three of The Athletic ’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games. Sunday was a showcase of two AFC East heavyweights as the established that they’re the division’s top dog with a win over the . and company were all the rage after hanging 70 points on the last week but got a taste of their own medicine as Buffalo . Advertisement On the other end o…
4 months ago