NFL Page 484 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

If it wasn't for bad luck, the Ravens might not have any at all
Rarely does heartbreak come dressed as a Week 1 rout over a hapless opponent on your home field, but this is the NFL—and the Baltimore Ravens, specifically—where injuries love mocking the faithful.There must be a hive of some sort near M&T Bank Stadium, because the injury bug is again coming after t...

Joe Burrow was chum in the water for Jim Schwartz and Cleveland's defense
Watching Joe Burrow slinging a wet ball against Cleveland’s bloodthirsty defense in Week 1 was akin to noticing a shark fin circling towards a helpless swimmer. Kevin Stefanski hired blitzing connoisseur Jim Schwartz this offseason to install a pressure scheme to activate his lethargic defense an he...

The Steelers made Brock Purdy look like Joe Montana and Steve Young rolled into one
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense made Brock Purdy look like the second coming of Joe Montana and Steve Young rolled into one. Seriously, Mr. Purdy was nearly flawless during the first two quarters, completing over 66 percent of his passes, connecting for two touchdowns with Brandon Aiyuk and 154 yard...

Getting Travis Kelce, Chris Jones back won't fix Kansas City's flaws
No matter how it went down, it was shocking to see the Kanas City Chiefs lose last night. Even with the Detroit Lions being a trendy upset pick and KC being down its second and third-best players in Travis Kelce and Chris Jones, the defending Super Bowl champions have found a way more times than not...

Ever wonder what the worst team of NFL starters would look like? Here it is
On an individual level, NFL Top 100 Player Lists are what get people excited. We get it. Patrick Mahomes is number one and the most competitive race is the scrum for number two. However, half of NFL fandom is groaning about the weak links on each unit. There’s enough glowing coverage of the NFL out ...
![Cincinnati Bengals take care of their franchise QB, but won't retain one of his top targets [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/ecb00f7342943ac5112c91c3e9bc0591.jpg)
Cincinnati Bengals take care of their franchise QB, but won't retain one of his top targets [Updated]
Well that was easy, and Joe Burrow didn’t even have to pull the old fake injury/shadow holdout move. According to reports, the Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension with the team. The deal comes with $219 million guaranteed, making Burrow the highest ...

Now that Joe Burrow is the NFL's richest player, here's a look at the QBs he surpassed on the highest-paid list
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is now the highest-paid player in NFL history. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick received a five-year, $275 million extension — an average $55 million per season — as he heads into his fourth year....

Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions won a game that mattered
Sometimes overreactions are appropriate. And in the case of Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions, they’ve earned every hysterical and asinine hot take fans and analysts will make about them Friday morning — and maybe throughout the rest of the season. It’s time to drink the Kool-Aid. The Lions are leg...

Hey, refs: Mahomes already has enough of an edge, don't give him any more!
Facing Patrick Mahomes already presents unique challenges for pass rushers. Getting past the blockers may not even be half of the battle. Mahomes moves around in the pocket with the agility of a gazelle trying to avoid becoming lunch. Trying to corral him should not be made harder by the Kansas City...

Oddsmakers are singing ‘Hail to the Chiefs’, but buyer beware
The sports-driven corner of the internet nearly descended into armageddon on Tuesday when it was revealed that Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce hyperextended his knee during practice. His long-term status came into the forefront and every fantasy owner that picked him in the first round of...

MetLife Stadium may no longer have the worst playing surface in the NFL
For all of the talk about the new look New York Jets and Saquon Barkley’s contract dispute with the New York Giants, one major change in East Rutherford N.J. has been undercovered — the new turf at MetLife stadium....

The NFL buried its best Week 1 matchup, Dolphins-Chargers, in an afternoon slot
Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season is finally upon us, and the most intriguing matchup based on what will happen on the field won’t even be available for most fans to watch live. The Miami Dolphins travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers in a battle of two No. 1 picks from the 2020 draft. Tua Tagov...

Russell Wilson and his diva ways weren't ready for a coach like Sean Payton
Sean Payton is an old-school head coach in his approach and one of the few remaining in the NFL. As part of the Bill Parcells coaching tree, Payton mirrors his mentor in many ways regarding his no-nonsense way of dealing with players. It doesn’t matter who the player is or what they think of themsel...

The Ravens offense will only be as good as its backup plan
The Baltimore Ravens co-opted college tactics as much as any team in the NFL over the past five years — it just wasn’t the trendy playbook. The staff built a run-oriented scheme around Lamar Jackson, taking QB-run tactics from college, and tweaking them for the pros. It worked for a while, and earne...

Can the Detroit Lions live up to all the hype around them this season?
The Detroit Lions enter the 2023 NFL season on a wild hype train of high hopes and expectations after finishing strong last year, winning five of their final six games. Jared Goff looked like Detroit’s quarterback of the future, and Dan Campbell proved that he’s much more than a barbaric man who wan...

Hard Knocks Finale: Robert Saleh ended the season with a winner
In some ways, being a head coach is like being a late-night host. Day and day out, for an entire season, this person has to perform. There may be only 17 games in an NFL season, but every single day a head coach is forced to perform for the media, the players, and bosses. So many speeches, PowerPoin...

Jerry Jones traded for Trey Lance and didn't even tell Mike McCarthy
Recently, Jerry Jones made a front-office move that shocked many around the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys owner traded a fourth-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers for Trey Lance. In the aftermath of that deal, what wasn’t reported at the time is that Jones made the swap without consulting his foo...

Life without Tom Brady: For the first time since 1999, here are all the things we (thankfully) never have to think about again
As far as we can tell, Tom Brady is retired from the NFL. That doesn’t mean he definitely won’t change his mind once Week 1 is underway and Brady is sitting at home, asking people if they think he can throw a football over them there mountains, or whatever. He’s kinda sorta retired before, only to c...

How much is Travis Kelce worth if TJ Hockenson can get $17M annually?
TJ Hockenson’s new contract makes him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end. The former Detroit Lion — who last year was traded to NFC North division rival Minnesota mid-season — will earn $17.125 million per year after receiving more targets, hauling in more receptions, and gaining more yards than only ...

It’s OK to feel uneasy about Damar Hamlin’s return to football
Damar Hamlin’s return is almost complete. Bronny James is “doing extremely well” in his recovery. You’re not a bad person for wondering if playing again is the best idea for both of them....