PITTSBURGH — It's a little early to ask, but are the Steelers already running away with the AFC North?

They have certainly positioned themselves to do so after their 3-1 start and the struggles of the other teams in the division, most notably their chief nemesis, the Baltimore Ravens.

They already have a 2 1/2 game lead on the Ravens (1-4). ...Read more

Some days you wouldn’t wish this sports writing job on anyone. The headaches. The condescension. The constant riding the elevator down with good men at the low point of their careers in the manner it’s been with the Miami Dolphins for so much of the past two decades.

And then there are the other moments, the special moments, the ones like ...Read more

NEW ORLEANS — This is why Giants ownership needed to turn over — no pun intended — to a new regime in the offseason.

Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart now has been thrust into a no-win situation, playing for a lame duck coach, on a bad roster, for a franchise that never gets out of its own way.

Sunday’s bumbling 26-14 loss to a bad New ...Read more

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The visiting Kansas City Chiefs blew a two-touchdown lead on Monday Night Football, losing 31-28 to the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium.

The Chiefs dropped to 2-3 with the loss.

Here are some immediate observations about Kansas City’s Week 5 defeat:

Turning point: The mistake at the goal line

After the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles did not practice Monday, but they were required to release an initial injury report ahead of their Week 6 game Thursday night at the New York Giants.

Landon Dickerson, as expected, was listed as a non-participant on the injury estimation with the ankle injury that forced him from Sunday’s loss to the Denver ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Raiders coach Pete Carroll said he briefly contemplated pulling quarterback Geno Smith for backup Kenny Pickett during Sunday’s 40-6 loss at Indianapolis.

The Raiders trailed by 23 points at the time, and Smith had just thrown his second interception of the game and fifth in the past seven quarters. He has an NFL-high nine after...Read more

It’s now safe to say Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel shouldn’t be back next year. The rest of this season is simply an exercise in how long owner Steve Ross allows McDaniel to twist in the breeze.

This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction. This is cumulative.

We’ve watched the Dolphins for the past three-plus seasons under McDaniel, capped by...Read more

SEATTLE — The Seahawks didn’t lose because Sam Darnold threw an interception.

They lost because 341 passing yards and five straight touchdowns were still not enough.

When halftime hit at Lumen Field on Sunday, waves of Seahawks legends paraded onto the turf. They wore nearly identical black letterman jackets, with their renowned last names...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Chargers running back Omarion Hampton will be placed on injured reserve, coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday, meaning the rookie first-round pick will be out for at least the next four games.

Late in the third quarter of Sunday's 27-10 loss to Washington, Hampton came up limping after colliding with a Commanders pass rusher. After ...Read more

BOSTON — The New England Patriots endured their first season-ending injury in Sunday’s upset win over the Buffalo Bills.

Running back Antonio Gibson suffered a torn ACL in the 23-20 Week 5 win and will miss the rest of the season, according to multiple reports.

Gibson suffered the injury on a kick return. Gibson took a hard shot to his ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Raiders have released starting linebacker Germaine Pratt.

The veteran linebacker, who signed with the Raiders during the offseason, played in four games with the club. He did not make the trip to Indianapolis on Sunday, a 40-6 loss that dropped the Raiders to 1-4.

Pratt, who had 25 tackles, including 10 solo, signed...Read more

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – The New England Patriots’ greatest win in years turned when they put their fate in the shaky hands of their 23-year-old quarterback at a time he looked less like himself than he had all season.

It was halftime. Drake Maye was 9 of 16.

In his first career primetime start, Maye played like the ghosts who famously spooked...Read more

PITTSBURGH — It happens all the time in college. Positions coaches will play tug-of-war over players. Maybe it’s a receiver who also is a talented defensive back. Or tight end who can become an elite edge rusher (T.J. Watt, anyone?)

It rarely happens in the NFL with established players, but oversized tight end Darnell Washington is ...Read more

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – A return to relevance.

That’s what a 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills, on the road in a hostile environment at Highmark Stadium in primetime on national television on “Sunday Night Football” represented for the New England Patriots.

For the first time in years, the Patriots matter. They’re 3-2 and just beat the ...Read more

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — We talk about people or things passing the eye test as if seeing is supposed to be synonymous with believing. In the case Sunday of Cowboys 37, Jets 22 at MetLife Stadium, where a sizable Dallas crowd showed up and most of the New York fan base left early, it’s a lot easier to ride with the Cowboys’ offense in this ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The Buccaneers may not be the best team in the NFL, but they are the most entertaining.

On a day when the defense struggled to come up with plays, when the offense was missing four starters, when they blew three different leads, the Bucs scored twice in the final 68 seconds to beat the Seahawks 38-35 at Seattle’s Lumen Field. ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles are defending Super Bowl champions, they’re the winningest team in the NFL since 2022, they’re 4-1, and they have the best assemblage of talent and coaches in franchise history.

But all that seems to matter these days is how one player, A.J. Brown, feels about his quarterback, Jalen Hurts, his coordinator, Kevin ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The quarterback fought frustration. The tight end remained in witness protection. The cornerback got cooked.

The penalties, each more ridiculous than the last, mounted. The Broncos were on the verge of getting skunked.

Then something remarkable happened. They finished.

They met the moment. At last.

Trailing by 14 points ...Read more

BALTIMORE — By the time the Ravens’ 44-10 loss to Houston was over Sunday, M&T Bank Stadium was half filled.

There hasn’t been this much despair in Baltimore since the Indianapolis Colts left the city nearly 40 years ago, or when Ravens quarterback Elvis Grbac cried at the end of the 2001 season, and then tried to blame it on sweat ...Read more