NFL

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

9:21 PM ET CLEVELAND — Following the rough season opener, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield came out on fire Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. After connecting on his first four passes on a touchdown drive to begin the game, Mayfield hooked up with wideout Odell Beckham Jr. off a play-action bootleg for a 43-yard

9:20 AM ET The NFL returned last week. It was weird with no fans and with face shields (shoutout to Andy Reid) and Zoom interviews, but the actual football was surprisingly crisp. Fantasy football managers rejoiced, watching high draft picks such as Saints running back Alvin Kamara and prized rookies such as Chiefs running back

4:00 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said he does not care what people have to say about him pointing out quarterback Tom Brady‘s mistakes publicly after Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints. Arians has not shied away from calling out players in the media in the past, and

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,

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

1:29 PM ET The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without at least one starter against the Denver Broncos. Though right tackle Zach Banner is still undergoing tests on a knee injury, coach Mike Tomlin ruled him out for at least the upcoming game. According to a report from NFL Network, Banner’s initial diagnosis is a torn

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

10:00 PM ET Before his big family trip from New England to Tampa, Tom Brady boxed and wrapped his gear, his footballs, his six Super Bowl rings, everything except the AFC East. What a shame that he could not bring his favorite division with him. Did you see Brady’s first 85-yard drive and 2-yard touchdown

6:42 PM ET Eric Reid on Monday called the NFL’s social justice campaign this season “half-hearted at best” and the league’s use of video of Colin Kaepernick kneeling while the quarterback remains unsigned “diabolical.” The free-agent safety tweeted that commissioner Roger Goodell “has gotten comfortable” saying he was “wrong” not to listen to players about

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

5:05 PM ET Jeremy WillisESPN.com The Cleveland Browns opened the 2020 NFL season looking like, well, the Cleveland Browns. It didn’t help that they started the season with reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. That being said, as so many on social media said, a 38-6 rout, in Week 1, is peak Browns.

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

1:40 PM ET Six NFL teams remained in the locker room Sunday during the singing of the national anthem, a stark visual reminder of the league’s pivot toward social justice issues. Elsewhere, many players and some coaches kneeled, sat on the bench and or raised their fists when on the field for the anthem. For

12:34 PM ET METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints and running back Alvin Kamara are finalizing a five-year, $75 million contract extension, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday. The deal is worth a total of $77.133 million for six seasons and includes $34.333 million in guaranteed money, sources told Schefter. Although negotiations got

4:11 PM ET Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders will not travel with the team and is out for Sunday’s opener against Washington due to a hamstring injury, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Sanders had been listed as questionable. The source said Sanders is progressing well but that the team wants to make sure

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