NFL

1:38 PM ET It was pretty simple: John Merritt wanted his two best players — current Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and Atlanta Falcons linebacker Foyesade Oluokun — on the field as much as possible. Merritt, who was the special teams coordinator at the John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri in 2012, knew it

7:12 AM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In the aftermath of his Detroit Lions letting a double-digit fourth-quarter lead slip away in a disappointing 2020 Week 1 loss, coach Matt Patricia was asked if there was something about his coaching that led his teams to struggle to close out games. “I don’t think so,” said Patricia,

11:55 PM ET CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield’s NFL career began on a Thursday night. It might have just been revitalized on a Thursday night, as well. Coming off a rough 2019 season and even rougher season opener on Sunday, Mayfield roared back with perhaps the sharpest performance since his rookie year, as he propelled the

7:00 AM ET Ben Baby Close ESPN Staff Writer ESPN Staff Writer Previously a college football writer for The Dallas Morning News University of North Texas graduate Jake Trotter Close ESPN Staff Writer Covers the Big 12 Joined ESPN.com in 2011 Graduate of Washington & Lee University Lincoln Riley could barely believe it. A budding

8:50 AM ET Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season is in the books, and unsurprisingly, what happened on Sunday (and even Thursday and Monday) can be a blur. Every week of the season goes by quickly and leads to information falling through the cracks, but that information is more meaningful in Week 1 for

7:45 PM ET NFL NationESPN The 2020 NFL season heads into Week 2 with a battle of Ohio between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns on Thursday night (8:20 ET, NFL Network). The Bengals could be without defensive tackles Geno Atkins and Mike Daniels, which could mean good things for the Browns’ run game. Elsewhere,

7:00 AM ET LAS VEGAS — As Mark Davis lorded over the scene — assembled players, coaches and staff members scattered about the natural grass playing surface, with their ears tuned in — the Las Vegas Raiders owner took the mic. The centerpiece of the $1.9 billion, 65,000-seat, state-of-art, domed stadium with a translucent roof

9:00 AM ET ESPN.com staff The NFL opens a pair of glitzy, new stadiums this season for the Los Angeles Rams/Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders. While it’s unclear how many, if any, fans will get to sit in these state-of-the-art marvels this season, their debut does bring excitement, inspiring ESPN to rank the 28

9:32 PM ET SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers publicly condemned the person who sent racist messages to Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker and announced that they have begun an investigation into identifying the fan. Baker took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to share screenshots of direct messages he received on Instagram from

3:35 PM ET ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Tuesday the team’s failure to use a timeout late in Monday night’s 16-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans was “totally my fault.” The Broncos had plenty of other foibles during the narrow loss to open the season, but Fangio’s decision to forgo using

6:45 AM ET NFL NationESPN As we unveil the first regular-season edition of the NFL Power Rankings, we keep in mind the unique circumstances that led to Week 1. This was the first action of any kind for the rookie class of 2020. For a rookie, seeing regular-season game action for the first time is

10:11 PM ET If Ben Roethlisberger had any jitters Monday night, the veteran shook them off in time for a vintage performance in the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ 26-16 victory against the New York Giants. Playing for the first time in a year since the 2019 season-ending elbow injury sustained in Week 2, Roethlisberger completed 21 of

8:50 AM ET The first Sunday of the NFL season was wild. The NFC’s worst team from 2019 won, while the defending NFC champs lost. The team everyone insisted was tanking for top 2021 quarterback prospect Trevor Lawrence won, in part because Philip Rivers threw an interception while his team was trailing late in the

6:45 AM ET It’s probably taking things too far to say that the Patriots have managed to revamp their entire offense around Cam Newton in two months. It’s probably way too soon to say that Newton looks just like his old MVP self and that the rest of the league made a horrible miscalculation in

6:37 PM ET ESPN staff The opening weekend of the 2020 NFL season was surreal. While the action on the field looked and sounded quite familiar to viewers at home, the precautions being taken due to the coronavirus pandemic meant that only one home team was allowed to have fans in the stadium in Week

4:19 PM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quarterback Cam Newton rushed for two touchdowns to help lead the new-look New England Patriots offense — powered by the ground game — past the Miami Dolphins 21-11 in Sunday’s regular-season opener at Gillette Stadium. Newton’s 75 rushing yards on 15 carries were the most by a Patriots quarterback

9:31 PM ET Adam Schefter Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN NFL Insider Joined ESPN in 2009 Former president of the Pro Football Writers of America and the author of four books Jeff Darlington Had Drew Brees retired after last season, as the Saints believed he might do, New Orleans’ backup plan was to sign Tom

10:00 AM ET We want our fantasy football and we want our fantasy, period. We need the fun-and-games escape from all of America’s problems. And our blessed medicine, our respite from months of sea-to-shining-sea sickness, arrives this weekend in an avalanche of wonderful football, God bless America. But as our country’s history records the victims