The expectations were modest, to say the least. After all, how much impact could running back C.J. Anderson realistically have on the Los Angeles Rams with a mere five days to prepare for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals?

With two games left in a disappointing season, Arizona Cardinals coach Steve Wilks knows there are plenty of questions being asked about the future. One of the biggest involves Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals’ 35-year-old wide receiver. ‘When that time is … Continued

As happy as Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Dee Ford is with team and individual accomplishments, he’s equally pleased to know that standout Chiefs safety Eric Berry is back in the lineup after missing the first 14 weeks of the season with an Achilles injury.

Josh Allen has experienced the ups and downs typical of an NFL rookie quarterback. He also feels fortunate to be receiving the guidance he has gotten from Buffalo Bills first-year offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

So far, the switch from veteran Joe Flacco to rookie Lamar Jackson as the Baltimore Ravens’ starting quarterback has gone well from the standpoint of success, with four wins in the last five games. Still, it has been, as Ravens leading receiver Willie Snead pointed out, a “big transition.”

For Chicago Bears offensive tackle Charles Leno Jr., the 24-17 victory against the Green Bay Packers was only the first of what he hoped would be two reasons to celebrate Sunday.

A week ago, the Indianapolis Colts snapped the Houston Texans’ winning streak at nine. On Sunday, they ended the Dallas Cowboys’ winning streak at five.

The Pittsburgh Steelers realized they were in no position to take anything for granted when they faced the New England Patriots Sunday at Heinz Field.

Nick Chubb realizes that it doesn’t simply happen, that there’s much more to Cleveland Browns being in the unlikely position of finding themselves in the postseason hunt after an in-season coaching change and with a rookie at quarterback than simply stepping onto the field each week.

Myles Garrett knows that the key to the Cleveland Browns’ surprising surge into the playoff hunt is the way their defense and offense have worked so well together.

The Seattle Seahawks are on yet another second-half-of-the-season run.

Don’t tell Niners tight end George Kittle, who caught seven passes for 210 yards and a touchdown against Denver Sunday, that his team’s season has been rendered meaningless.

When thinking about scoring weapons on the Chicago Bears, Bradley Sowell isn’t the first name that likely comes to mind. That’s because he plays offensive tackle.

After being pushed to the brink in their 27-24 overtime victory Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t help put feel a great deal of respect for the Baltimore Ravens.

Before the play, Derrick Henry had plenty of encouragement from his Tennessee Titans. The running back wasn’t thinking about a modest gain. Neither were those surrounding him.

The Arizona Cardinals are 3-9 and looking to make the best of what has been a disappointing season. No one is more determined to get the most out of their final four games than quarterback Josh Rosen.

In the aftermath of the shakeup of the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coaching staff, coach Ron Rivera has had to make some adjustments.

With 62 yards reception yards in helping the Rams beat the Lions Sunday, wide receiver Brandin Cooks became the first player in NFL history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards with three different teams.

Ex-NFL quarterback and SiriusXM NFL Radio co-host Brady Quinn thinks the Packers’ decision to fire coach Mike McCarthy was something he never would have anticipated.

The New Orleans Saints’ offense isn’t simply loaded with high-powered, explosive talent. It also beats opponents with creative scheming.

In his first season as quarterback with the Minnesota Vikings, Kirk Cousins has managed to find instant chemistry with wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.

Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley has a good understanding of the challenges opposing defenses face when they go against rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Add time and practice and the result, at least in the case of the Houston Texans’ Demaryius Thomas, is the development of better chemistry between a receiver and his quarterback.

Eric Ebron doesn’t see a whole lot of magic behind the fact he has 11 touchdown receptions in his first 11 games as a member of the Indianapolis Colts this season, which is as many as he had in four seasons with the Detroit Lions.

The original plan was to ease Joey Bosa back into the Los Angeles Chargers’ lineup, limiting his appearances to third downs. That went out the window last week, when the defensive end returned from injury and wound up playing 31 snaps against the Denver Broncos.

Perhaps all that you needed to know about how the Cleveland Browns treated facing their former head coach, Hue Jackson, was this reaction from tight end David Njoku while appearing on The Sunday Drive.

Cam Jordan can’t help but marvel at what he has the pleasure of watching in each practice with the New Orleans Saints. And as a defensive end, he takes even greater pleasure in the fact the quarterback on the other side of the ball, Drew Brees, is his teammate.

According to linebacker Bobby Wagner, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s high-energy approach is as robust as ever, and younger players are connecting with it.

Driving and shopping during a holiday weekend can be stressful. Thankfully, SiriusXM is serving up great music, hilarious comedy, and live NFL games to help you relax while waiting in traffic jams or huge Black Friday lines.

Now that Thanksgiving is here, the weather may be getting colder, but football at all levels is starting to heat up.

On a night when seemingly every Ram was scoring touchdowns, there was one member of their offense who actually managed to separate himself from his teammates — Gerald Everett.

On Sunday night, coach Matt Nagy dialed it up: a throw from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to wide receiver Anthony Miller.

The Atlanta Falcons can score, and, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence knew, if the Cowboys’ defense did its job, it would be up to their offensive teammates to do the rest.

The loss still stings. But it wasn’t just that the Pittsburgh Steelers came up just short in their 45-42 divisional-round playoff defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars last January. It was the way their season abruptly ended.

So far, the Seahawks haven’t been consistent in finishing the job when they’ve had a chance for victory. But they did just that in their 27-24 victory vs. the Packers that put them in solid position for a playoff run.

The Tennessee Titans’ 41 penalties through nine games are the fewest in the NFL this season. That isn’t by accident.

Andrew Whitworth enjoyed the 11 seasons he spent with the Bengals. However, his past two seasons with the Rams have been special — and not only because of the success the team has enjoyed during that time.

It has only been two weeks, but safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix already is feeling right at home as a member of the Washington Redskins.

Bruce Gradkowski fully expects Le’Veon Bell’s holdout to continue through Tuesday’s 4pm deadline to sign a tender or forfeit playing for the rest of the season.

According to cornerback Logan Ryan, the Tennessee Titans managed to turn the tables on the Patriots en route to their 34-10 upset victory Sunday.

Rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch knows there’s no way to minimize how important Sunday night’s 27-20 victory over the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles was for the Dallas Cowboys.

As the Cardinals will see, beating the Chiefs requires an offense that holds the ball as long as possible to minimize the number of chances Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the team’s offense have to score.

It can happen easily. Five wins in a row. Six victories in the last seven games. Of course, the 6-2 Los Angeles Chargers run the risk of becoming a bit full of themselves, especially entering a game against the 1-7 Oakland Raiders.

Zach Strief doesn’t know Dez Bryant, but he does know his former team, the New Orleans Saints. Based on that, Strief, who spent 12 seasons as an offensive tackle for the Saints, believes the team’s signing of Bryant to bolster their receiving corps makes sense.

Mike Zimmer’s coaching roots are in defense, but he doesn’t believe the NFL will sustain its high-scoring ways this season.

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t appreciate it, of course. For the Tennessee Titans, however, Kevin Byard’s celebration on the star in the middle of the field at AT&T Stadium after his end-zone interception Monday night did plenty to motivate his teammates on the way to their 28-14 victory against the Cowboys.

When a defense generates 10 sacks in a game, it’s fair to assume that it saw something it could exploit in the opponent’s pass protection. But, for the Vikings’ defense vs. the Lions, that wasn’t completely true.

Nick Mullens might not have been a name most fans recognized before his eye-opening performance vs. the Raiders, but his teammates believed the former third-string QB would handle himself well in his first NFL start.

Stephen Jones provided an encouraging update on Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick, who was diagnosed in August with Gullain-Barre syndrome and who has been on the team’s reserve/non-football illness list since October.

‘I know he’s going to be a guy who’s going to come in and contribute Day One,” Allen said.

Former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn said he expects Texans coach Bill O’Brien to find simple, but effective ways, to allow newly acquired wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to make an impact when he goes against his former team Sunday at Denver.

Safety Mike Adams was surprised to learn that he and the rest of the Carolina Panthers won’t be facing quarterback James Winston when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday.

The circumstances might have been drastically different, with last January’s clash between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings a divisional-round playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium and Sunday night’s rematch on the same field for the eighth game of the regular season. Still, Saints players who were part of the postseason matchup had vivid memories — more like nightmares — about how it ended: with the Vikings connecting on a 61-yard, last-ditch touchdown pass on the game’s final play to win, 29-24.

Colts coach Frank Reich believes that a member of his offensive line deserving of far more attention than he has received is center Ryan Kelly.

Jason Pierre-Paul is a highly versatile defensive lineman, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take full advantage of him. From that standpoint, nothing has changed since Mark Duffner recently replaced Mike Smith as the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator.

Opposing defenses have been giving it their best shot. So far, though, nothing has worked in their efforts to even slow down, let alone stop, the Los Angeles Rams’ high-flying offense.

If you ask Lavonte David, it was hardly a coincidence the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense responded well to having Mark Duffner as its coordinator for the first time in last Sunday’s 26-23 overtime victory against the Cleveland Browns.

Ben Watson’s catch of a 1-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees Sunday was vital to the New Orleans Saints’ 24-23 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. It also was part of an NFL milestone, because it was Brees’ 500th career TD throw. Watson was grateful that he was target for such an unforgettable moment.

Phillip Lindsay wound up being the main ball carrier for the Denver Broncos in their 45-10 blowout of the Arizona Cardinals Thursday night, but it doesn’t change how the running back views his role on the team.

The Atlanta Falcons have a far better red-zone offense than a year ago. That isn’t happening by accident, according to tight end Austin Hooper, who has been one of the Falcons’ most impactful pass catchers with nine receptions in each of the past two weeks.

Rookie receiver D.J. Moore lost two fumbles in the Carolina Panthers’ 23-17 defeat against the Washington Redskins Sunday. What the Panthers’ first-round draft pick gained, however, is a valuable lesson about knowing when to surrender at certain times.

Paul Allen’s life, personally and professionally, will be defined by so much that goes well beyond his owning an NFL team. Yet, during his time at the top of the Seattle Seahawks organization, Allen made an indelible mark on everyone involved with the team.

The Rams’ offense vs. the Denver Broncos was highly productive, with Todd Gurley running for 208 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Jared Goff throwing for 201 yards — 109 of them on seven catches by Robert Woods.

In Sunday’s 40-7 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cole Beasley demonstrated just how effective Cowboy pass-catchers could be with his nine receptions for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“I hope the fans show out because I feel like the fans are doing a really good job and we feed off their energy,” Bates told Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt on Late Hits.

The Tennessee Titans’ defensive game plan for Sunday’s clash with the Baltimore Ravens isn’t complicated. At least, not as far as Titans tackle Jurrell Casey is concerned.

The Arizona Cardinals wish their record was much better than 1-4, but they must be pleased with the results of their offseason search for a No. 2 wide receiver behind Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals made Christian Kirk, a former Texas A&M standout, their second-round draft pick to fill that role and his performance so far has been impressive.

Former Chargers center Nick Hardwick saw Alex Spanos, the team’s late owner, as someone who approached the business of football the way he expected his players to approach the game on the field.

Ndamukong Suh is known for being a nasty presence in the middle of a defense. But the defensive tackle can’t help but often wear a smile these days as his current club, the Los Angeles Rams, is off to a 5-0 start.

Troy Brown became an early entry on the long list of current and former New England Patriots receivers to catch a touchdown pass from Tom Brady. That number reached 71 Thursday night.

Running back Todd Gurley believes his team simply has too many offensive weapons for opponents to stop.

In their comeback from serious injuries, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and quarterback Deshaun Watson are doing much more than simply rounding into form. Both are progressing in ways that are highly encouraging to their coach, Bill O’Brien.

The Seattle Seahawks received a major blow with the season-ending broken leg suffered by veteran safety Earl Thomas. Now, it’s time for the Seahawks to turn to younger members of their secondary to pick up the slack.

As incredible as Patrick Mahomes’ start to the 2018 season has been, there’s reason to believe it can be even better. At least, that’s what Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston believes after watching Mahomes lead the Chiefs to a 27-23 comeback victory against the Denver Broncos Monday night.

A.J. Green and the rest of the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense kept their cool when they trailed the Atlanta Falcons by five points in the final seconds Sunday.

What has done as much as anything to help keep the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive dominance rolling is the scheme of coach Sean McVay, who has the offense doing plenty of moving before the snap and operating at a fast pace.

Three of the four teams in the NFC South are 2-1, making it the division with the most clubs with winning records. That doesn’t surprise New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan, whose team is among the clubs in the division with winning marks. He saw the NFC South as presenting every bit as much strength in 2017, with a pair of 11-5 teams (the Saints and Carolina Panthers) and a 10-6 club (the Atlanta Falcons).

The Seattle Seahawks know that they’ll be seeing rookie quarterback Josh Rosen make his first NFL start when they face the Arizona Cardinals Sunday. Beyond that, it will be a whole lot of guesswork.

Dean Blandino thinks the NFL has made it too complicated for officials to determine what is or isn’t a roughing-the-passer penalty. The league’s former head of officiating, now a rules analyst for Fox Sports, said language that was previously in place should be restored because it is what most of the 17 referees the NFL employees understand best.

Tyler Lockette had to run the route properly and make the catch and run to the end zone. And Russell Wilson had to do his part in delivering the throw on time and on target. But it also was the decision to dial up the pass that resulted in Lockette’s 52-yard touchdown to help the Seattle Seahawks beat the Dallas Cowboys, 24-13, Sunday that impressed the veteran receiver so much.

For Jason Kelce, having those familiar hands under his butt Sunday meant all was right with the world. Not that the Philadelphia Eagles center had any problem with Nick Foles as the team’s quarterback. But Carson Wentz’s return to his starting spot after suffering a torn ACL late last season was something to celebrate, along with the Eagles’ 20-16 victory against the Indianapolis Colts.

Arizona Cardinals coach Steve Wilks isn’t saying when rookie quarterback Josh Rosen will be a starter. But what Wilks will say is that Rosen is showing some good things in the work he does in practice, including getting some repetitions with the starters.

Not only does Bruce Gradkowski recognize Antonio Brown’s considerable talent, he also sees his ability to mean so much more to the team than just putting up big numbers. And that’s why Gradkowski thinks Brown should recognize that he should be the last player to not show up at the facility the Monday after a game, as Brown did this week following the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Carolina Panthers expect an enormous challenge Sunday when they face the Cincinnati Bengals. Not only do the Bengals bring a 2-0 record into the game against the 1-1 Panthers, but they also bring an offense that has the talent and scheme to give any opposing defense fits.

What’s the reaction when a play like the one for which Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews was penalized shows up on the screen? “There’s definitely some eye-rolling that goes on, other than (from) the quarterbacks, obviously,” Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn told Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on Movin’ The Chains.

Beating the Seattle Seahawks, 24-17, at Soldier Field Monday night for their first victory of the season carried a larger impact beyond the won-loss column for the Chicago Bears. As far as wide receiver Taylor Gabriel was concerned, it was an ideal time and place to showcase the new and improved Bears under first-year coach Matt Nagy.

Dante Fowler is realistic about the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 31-20 victory against the New England Patriots Sunday. Although it was a rematch of the teams in the 2017 AFC Championship Game, the winner did not advance to the Super Bowl.

Dion Lewis knows that after the Tennessee Titans’ season-opening loss at Miami, the path to improvement only gets more difficult. That’s because the highly versatile running back and his Titans’ teammates know that they’ll be facing a solid defense when the Houston Texans visit Nashville.

Chris Thompson can’t deny being awestruck when he suddenly found himself a teammate of a childhood hero after Adrian Peterson joined the Washington Redskins. Now that they’re part of the same offensive backfield, they are using their respective skills to complement each other in an effort to help the Redskins succeed.

It isn’t only 13-plus years of experience that Ryan Fitzpatrick has going for him in his role as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starting quarterback. It’s also the ability to deliver difference-making plays, as he did in throwing for 417 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bucs to their stunning 48-40 victory in last Sunday’s season-opener against the New Orleans Saints.

Aaron Rodgers is touted as the hero for the Green Bay Packers’ remarkable comeback victory against the Chicago Bears Sunday night, and no one would dispute that. After leaving the field in the second quarter with a knee injury, Rodgers not only returned in the third quarter but even while clearly hobbling he still managed to lead the Packers from a 20-0 deficit to a 24-23 victory. He threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns. But it was his final scoring throw, a 75-yard connection with Randall Cobb, that decided the outcome. And Cobb’s role in the play can’t be overlooked.

Don’t get Vance Joseph wrong. He’s thrilled that his Denver Broncos opened the season with a victory. It’s just that the Broncos’ coach knew, based on what the stat sheet reflected, his team could have done better than just get by the Seattle Seahawks, 27-24.

On some level, the Cleveland Browns had to view Sunday’s 21-21 season-opening tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a plus. After all, the Browns were 0-16 last year and 1-15 in 2016. Avoiding a loss out of the gate had to be viewed as progress, right?

The biggest disappointment for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season was their 5-11 finish. On top of that, however, there was the frustration players such as wide receiver DeSean Jackson felt over the inability to consistently make the game-changing big plays he and the rest of the Bucs’ passing game were capable of producing.

The Philadelphia Eagles successfully began the defense of their Super Bowl championship in large measure because their defense came up big in Thursday night’s 18-12 victory against the Atlanta Falcons.

Christian Kirksey has started 32 consecutive games at linebacker for the Cleveland Browns. The team only won one of them. So why is Kirksey so enthusiastic about the 2018 season, which the Browns open Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers?

After signing a contract extension with the Detroit Lions that makes him one of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL, Quandre Diggs wanted to make one thing clear. He will not be seeing himself any differently than he did before signing the three-year deal reportedly worth up to $20.4 million.

Now that he’s 41 years old, Tom Brady is seen as entering overtime of a career in which he has established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Some people thought he should, and even expected he would, have walked away after another MVP and Super Bowl season last year.

Wesley Woodyard is entering his 11th season as an NFL linebacker, his fifth with the Tennessee Titans. For Woodyard, however, the preparation has felt noticeably different.

Former NFL General Manager Mark Dominik wasn’t the least bit surprised by the monster, six-year, $135-million contract the Los Angeles Rams gave defensive tackle Aaron Donald Friday. While co-hosting on the SiriusXM Blitz, Dominik said he saw the annual average of $22.5 million as being right what he thought it would be.

Tyler Lockett and Paul Richardson are still friends even if they’re no longer teammates. But when they were teammates for the Seattle Seahawks, the receivers had an understanding that one of them would likely remain while the other went elsewhere. In March, Richardson signed a free-agent deal with the Washington Redskins. On Wednesday, Lockett, who has doubled as a highly effective returner, signed a three-year, $31.8 million contract extension with the Seahawks.

Former offensive tackle Mark Tauscher, who was Aaron Rodgers’ teammate for the last six of his 11 seasons with the Packers (2000-2010), has seen this movie before. He was a rookie with the Packers when Rodgers’ predecessor, Brett Favre, signed a long-term deal that presumably would keep him in Green Bay forever. Then he watched him play for two other teams before retiring.

Free-agent defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins isn’t sweating the fact he remains unemployed with the start of the NFL regular season just around the corner. Hankins is confident he will wind up with a team for which he expects to be a good fit in the near future.

It won’t happen overnight. The NFL knew that from the very beginning when it put in its new rule banning the lowering of helmet before contact. Everyone involved in the game is going to face challenges dealing with it, something that has already been seen during the preseason. But Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, chairman of the league’s Competition Committee, believes the coaching, the playing and officiating will all find their way to a level of efficiency that should make controversy surrounding the rule dissipate in time.

Among those who had to have been pleased to see Cincinnati receiver John Ross on the other end of a 57-yard touchdown bomb in Sunday’s preseason game against Buffalo was someone who himself once caught passes for the Bengals. But T.J. Houshmandzadeh wasn’t merely happy for a member for the team on which he spent eight of his 11 NFL seasons. His reaction was more along the lines of a teacher seeing a student apply what he learned.

If Gil Brandt isn’t talking about football on SiriusXM NFL Radio or writing about it for NFL.com, he’s busy researching it one way or another. And it was while he was driving home from the facility of the Dallas Cowboys, with whom he built an iconic career as a player-personnel chief, that Brandt received a phone call Thursday informing him that he had been chosen as a contributor candidate — along with Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen — for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Josh Allen’s start in Sunday’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals — the third and typically the tune-up for the regular season — seems to strongly indicate that he will keep the job for the Sept. 9 opener at Baltimore. But along the way, the Bills have had something that General Manager Brandon Beane said has been exceptional: three QBs who have been cohesive in Allen, Nathan Peterman and AJ McCarron.

This week, the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks kicked the tires on free-agent defensive end Junior Galette. The Oakland Raiders did so last March. Galette, who previously turned down an offer from the Rams because he opted to take care of his sick mother, is still searching.

Clinton Portis isn’t troubled by the fact Adrian Peterson is 33 years old. Portis, a former standout running back for the Washington Redskins, believes Peterson can still make a significant contribution to his former team.

Coaches, players, fans and media are weighing in largely with a dim view of both the all-encompassing nature of the NFL’s new rule that prohibits all players from lowering their head upon making contact and the aggressive manner in which it is being enforced. Even with all of the controversy, however, former league vice president of officiating Mike Pereira doesn’t believe it will be a problem once the regular season begins.

Before last season, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ quarterback had to do a major overhaul of his mechanics. The repairs paid off in helping Bortles lead the Jaguars all the way to the AFC Championship Game. Through the offseason and during the Jaguars’ training camp this summer, Bortles has been able to concentrate more on smaller, but no less important, details to sharpen his play even further. He and the Jaguars are hoping for an even larger pay off this season.

As Jon Gruden wrapped up the first training camp since his return to head-coaching after nine years away from the sidelines, he’s certain of one thing. The practice hours logged by his Oakland Raiders are second to none in the NFL. Now, he hopes that will translate well once they begin playing games that count.

Although LeGarrette Blount worked on the offensive side of the ball, he managed to form a bond with then-defensive coordinator Matt Patricia on the New England Patriots from 2014 to 2016. It’s a relationship that has carried over to this year, with the two reuniting on the Detroit Lions — Patricia as head coach and Blount as a veteran running back with an uncanny knack for helping his teams win Super Bowls.

Tyreek Hill has more than one reason to be excited about entering his third season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

This is no ordinary training camp for Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

A year ago, the Denver Broncos’ defense improved an area of weakness, but it wasn’t strong in the place that is supposed to be its greatest strength: rushing the passer.

With an eventual offseason behind him, Matt Ryan has been focused on a training camp that has allowed him and the rest of the Atlanta Falcons’ offense to thrive on being in the same offense for the second year in a row.

Most prognosticators aren’t expecting a whole lot from the Cincinnati Bengals this season. You don’t hear them mentioned as a popular pick to win the AFC North or even reach the playoffs as a wild-card. But Bengals standout receiver A.J. Green thinks the rest of the NFL is in for a big surprise.

The Carolina Panthers’ defense appeared to take two major hits in the offseason with the free-agent departure of defensive tackle Star Lotulelei to the Buffalo Bills and the four-game suspension of outside linebacker Thomas Davis for PEDs. Luke Kuechly doesn’t quite see it that way.

Day after day, practice after practice, they make each other better. Alex Smith, the new Washington Redskins’ quarterback who is known for his precision, realizes he has to be at the very top of his game every time he faces cornerback Josh Norman.

So what was it? What part of Kirk Cousins’ game was the most attractive to the Minnesota Vikings when they decided to sign him to a three-year, $84-million contract? Mike Zimmer, the Vikings’ coach, was as enamored by what Cousins didn’t do then what he did do. And what he did a good job of avoiding was mistakes with his throws.

For Josh Allen, virtually every moment at the Buffalo Bills’ training camp has felt like being in a classroom. Whether he’s on the field or sitting in a meeting, the rookie quarterback finds himself learning something new all the time. And much of that learning comes from making mistakes.

There were so many unknowns and a great deal of trepidation throughout the Chargers’ organization before the team’s move from San Diego to Los Angeles last year. The biggest immediate change was training camp, which went from the club’s former headquarters in San Diego to Costa Mesa, Calif. Adjusting to that was a big deal and set the tone for an entire year of adjustment.

Todd Bowles has a matter-of-fact perspective on the New York Jets’ quarterback situation. He sees himself and the Jets’ other coaches evaluating the competitors daily before picking a starter from Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater and recently signed first-round draft pick Sam Darnold. “They’re battling it out and we just monitor it and we’ll go by practice every day and see what happens at the end of the preseason,” Bowles told Bruce Murray and Erik Coleman at the Jets’ training camp in Florham Park, N.J., Sunday, a day before Darnold agreed to a deal and report to camp.

After ranking 10th in the NFL last season, the Chicago Bears’ defense has established a fairly lofty standard for itself. Akiem Hicks, a defensive end for the Bears the past two years, believes the unit not only can play up to that level again this season, but also show improvement.

Dak Prescott performed better as a rookie in 2016 than he did last year. But that doesn’t have Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett worried about his quarterback’s ability to find that form again.

Kyle Juszczyk had embarked on his NFL career a few years before the Ivy League, in which he played while at Harvard, decided to ban contact in practices. The move was ne as a safety measure to help reduce head trauma suffered by players. With training camps opening around the league, it is something Juszczyk can see becoming a part of the way he and others prepare for games at the professional level.

Tom Coughlin has no doubt the Jacksonville Jaguars have the right man at quarterback in Blake Bortles. Bortles proved plenty of his doubters wrong with his strong showing in the playoffs last January, nearly guiding the Jaguars to the Super Bowl. Coughlin, the Jaguars’ executive vice president of football operations, sees that and plenty of other reasons that Bortles can allow the Jags to remain a contender.

Ben Watson is beginning his second stint with the New Orleans Saints, so he is more than familiar with his iconic teammate, Drew Brees. But Brees, who is entering his 18th NFL season, never ceases to amaze Watson, who is in his 15th year in the league.

Sunday’s passing of Tony Sparano brought tributes for the long-time NFL coach from all over the league. Former running back Ronnie Brown, who played for the Miami Dolphins when Sparano was their head coach, thought one of Sparano’s greatest qualities was how he connected with players beyond preparing them for and guiding them through games.

Adam Thielen remembers being on the wrong side of Kirk Cousins’ surgical-like dismantling of a defense. Cousins was playing for the Washington Redskins, and all Thielen and his Minnesota Vikings’ teammates could do was watch helplessly as Cousins went to … Continued

Blake Bortles can sense it. The Jacksonville Jaguars have captured the imagination of their fans in Jacksonville.

Ramon Foster, who is entering his 10th season as an offensive guard, understands that the contract dispute between Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers could lead to Bell moving on in free agency in 2019. But Foster knows that Bell will be his teammate this season and, along with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and other difference-makers on offense, the veteran lineman believes there is enough talent for the team to go the distance THIS SEASON.

Chris Long’s main regret about not playing for the New England Patriots last season was failing to have the chance to help them win back-to-back Super Bowls. It stung, even though, as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, the veteran defensive end was able to not only win a second Super Bowl in a row but also do so at the Patriots’ expense.

Tim Brown would like to see Terrell Owens show up for the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Aug. 4. Even if that isn’t going to happen, Brown would like to have a heart-to-heart conversation with his fellow Hall of Fame receiver just to let Owens know he cares and has his best interests in mind. However, Brown knows that he is one of the last people Owens would listen to.

Looking back, Case Keenum doesn’t see much reason for the Minnesota Vikings to feel any sort of shame over their 38-7 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. It also continues to serve as motivation for the quarterback to take the next step with his new team, the Denver Broncos.

Consistency. It’s what every coach wants from every player in the NFL. And it’s what new Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner is determined to get from his quarterback, Cam Newton.

Connor Barwin has spent nine seasons in the NFL as a linebacker and defensive end. He fully expects to play a 10th. The free agent said “a number of teams” have expressed interest in signing him. He believes he’ll have a deal in place within a couple weeks, likely right before most of the league’s training camps open.

Eli Manning fully understands what the New York Giants’ decision not to select a quarterback with the second overall pick of last April’s NFL Draft means. The Giants determined that going with running back Saquon Barkley instead of Manning’s replacement was the better option, because they have faith the two-time Super Bowl MVP can still lead them to another Super Bowl crown.

Baltimore Ravens rookie tight end Hayden Hurst felt he did some immediate bonding on quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson during offseason practices. Among the qualities Hurst liked best about Flacco and Jackson is that they “both rely on the … Continued

Jameis Winston’s three-game suspension stemming from an incident with a female Uber driver that the NFL ruled was in violation of its personal-conduct policy hasn’t changed the way at least one of his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates looks at him. Tight end Cameron Brate calls Winston a friend and continues to view the quarterback as the type of person with whom he is happy to spend time away from the game.

Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Russell Okung tweeted this week about the NFLPA needing to make guaranteed contracts for players a priority when it negotiates a new collective bargaining agreement for the one that expires in 2020. Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, a member of the NFLPA’s executive committee, concurs and says it is something that the union will continue to seek.

Usually, it’s the other way around. It’s the rookie, who has yet to play a down in the NFL, saying how flattered he is to be compared with a Hall of Famer. But it was LaDainian Tomlinson, the former running back with a bronze bust in Canton, expressing his appreciation to the many observers who think New York Giants rookie Saquon Barkley looks like a young LT.

Cliff Avril probably played his final down in the NFL. The former member of the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions is relieved that one of his former Seahawk teammates, Kam Chancellor, is apparently following the same road.

Thanks to the guidance of coach Sean McVay, safety John Johnson is convinced the Los Angeles Rams won’t become caught up in all of the hype of soaring expectations after last season’s 11-5 finish.

Now that the NFL has suspended Jameis Winston for three games for violating its personal conduct policy, some pundits have said, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are poised to cut their franchise quarterback. Don’t believe that for a second, according to former Buccaneers General Manager Mark Dominik.

Wide receiver was an area the Carolina Panthers set out to upgrade during the offseason. Based on what Devin Funchess could see through organized team activity and mandatory minicamp practices, the competition should be intense.

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t having any problems tuning out the proverbial noise that they’re expected to be a strong postseason contender this year. Although it has been a long time since any such discussion surrounded the team during the offseason, the players need only have to consider one fact before feeling even the slightest temptation to become full of themselves.

Nick Foles knows better than most how quickly life can change.