nfl playbook
NFL kickers are better than ever, but in the playoffs, only one thing matters
January 16, 2025 | 12:00pmThe playoffs are different for kickers, just like they are for QBs. Except QBs have big contracts and are less interchangeable than short-leashed kickers.
Underdog Steelers might be 'worst draw the Ravens could've gotten'
January 10, 2025 | 12:30pmWhat makes Ravens-Steelers different is the long history between opposing head coaches John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin.
Inside this year's NFL awards ballot
December 19, 2024 | 12:00pmNone of the NFL's award races can be considered in the bag just yet, which is slightly unusual for Week 16.
The NFL head coach and GM candidates to watch as busy offseason awaits
December 12, 2024 | 2:15pmWho are the general manager and head coach candidates to watch this offseason (and in future hiring cycles) as the season rolls toward Black Monday.
How 3 Super Bowl contenders capitalized on a broken NFL market
December 5, 2024 | 12:00pmWelcome to the Year of the Running Back’s Revenge.
Why the decline of the Chiefs has been overstated
November 27, 2024 | 5:00pmIf it did, no one would be asking, “What’s wrong with the Chiefs?”
Why it's time to reconsider this year's NFL rookie class
November 21, 2024 | 1:00pmHold off on handing that Offensive Rookie of the Year trophy to Jayden Daniels just yet. Daniels has been one of the biggest stories in the NFL since Week 3,...
The sleeper teams who still can upset the NFL playoff picture
November 15, 2024 | 11:30amExcuse longtime Bengals fans if they are suffering from déjà vu. Once upon a time, the 1989 Bengals – coming off of an AFC Championship – outscored their opponents by...
Which NFL bottom-feeders should be the most desperate for a new QB?
November 8, 2024 | 12:00pmAs many as six of the nine two-win teams should be in the market for a new quarterback — in a year when there might only be two coming out...
What happened to the golden age of NFL tight ends?
October 31, 2024 | 1:00pmThere was a time tight ends ruled the NFL, but it's getting harder and harder for them to thrive. Why?
The rise of the best division in football
October 24, 2024 | 1:00pmThere are some themes running through the old so-called black-and-blue division.
Who has the hottest seats in the NFL?
October 17, 2024 | 5:00pmHere is the Sports+ hot-seat meter (1 is the coolest, 10 is the hottest) for head coaches, general managers and quarterbacks.
What former Jet Anthony Cioffi learned in portraying Aaron Hernandez on screen
October 3, 2024 | 11:00amOnce the part was his, Anthony Cioffi studied football film like he has for years. Only he was watching old highlights of Hernandez — not next week’s opponent.
Inside the schemes that have made the Saints' offense the talk of the NFL
September 26, 2024 | 2:00pmIf you have seen the Saints play in 2024, you might even have mistakenly thought that you time-traveled back earlier into the 21st century.
Why the biggest obstacle facing Daniel Jones and other struggling QBs may be in their heads
September 12, 2024 | 7:00amWhen age isn’t to blame for a formerly successful player’s performance drastically falling off, it’s usually a matter of lost confidence.
Why NFL insiders think I'm wrong about what 10-7 is worth and say 'keep swinging' for QB savior in the draft
April 23, 2024 | 4:00pmShouldn’t the year-in, year-out bad teams try to get good before obsessing about championship-or-bust results and acquiring the rare species of Super Bowl-caliber quarterback?
'You’re not just gambling on roulette': Why the Super Bowl has become the perfect venue for trick plays
February 9, 2024 | 5:00pmSomething about the championship environment seems to cause coaches to feel safe breaking the glass on that in-case-of-emergency play call.
What each of the NFL's 30 teams left watching the Super Bowl need this offseason
February 1, 2024 | 4:00pmWhat is one thing that each of the other 30 franchises needs in order to gain ground on the AFC and NFC champions?
The under-the-radar weapons who could help send their teams to the Super Bowl
January 27, 2024 | 11:00amSunday’s two games offer plenty of star power, but what if the tickets to Super Bowl LVIII are punched by someone unheralded?
What an NFL playoffs breakthrough would mean to Detroit and Buffalo, as told by players who lived through both droughts
January 19, 2024 | 2:05pmPent-up frustration will be fueling the raucous atmospheres in an unlikely pairing of home playoff crowds for Buccaneers-Lions and Chiefs-Bills.