KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce is 36 years old now and in the final season of his current contract after seeming profoundly conflicted about returning early in the offseason. But Kelce ultimately heeded “the fire in my chest” to return, he said in June, because he “just felt like I’ve got a lot more to prove.”

Along those lines, ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 36-year-old future Hall of Fame tight end, the most prolific receiver in his organization’s history, walked onto the football field for the second half Monday night and searched for a teammate.

He had a specific message.

Over the previous 10 minutes, the Kansas City Chiefs’ position groups had nestled into their ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — As I walked around the North Shore on Sunday before the Steelers played the Packers, I was amazed at what I witnessed. I was wondering at some points whether I was in Pittsburgh or Green Bay.

Every bar I walked by was loaded with Packers fans; some were actually overloaded with Packers fans.

Then when I went into the stadium, I ...Read more

MIAMI — It had been a minute since Jaylen Waddle had a chance to turn on his afterburners in a run after catch situation.

On Sunday, the Waddle hit the angle on his slant and caught a pass in stride at the 30-yard line, then showcased the 4.37 speed that motivated the turning the Miami Dolphins to select him sixth overall in the 2021 NFL ...Read more

DENVER — The first drive was unsightly, unseemly and undeniably, as interceptions go, his worst.

It is what made this game his best.

Let Sunday serve as a reminder of what Bo Nix can be and where this season can go. Is it too early to book airline tickets to Indianapolis for the AFC Championship Game?

With a young quarterback who looked ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Washington Commanders 28-7 on Monday night at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, improving to 5-3 this season.

Here are some immediate observations from the Chiefs’ Week 8 NFL victory:

Turning point: A costly penalty gives the Chiefs control for good

After a first half of miscues that ...Read more

DENVER — The Broncos are going to be without reigning defensive player of the year Pat Surtain II on Sunday against Houston and potentially for considerably longer.

The All-Pro cornerback strained his left pectoral muscle while trying to make a tackle Sunday in Denver’s win against the Cowboys, sources confirmed to The Denver Post on Monday...Read more

DENVER — Marvin Mims Jr. was not supposed to be in the game on a late-game kick return in Sunday’s blowout of the Cowboys.

A communication failure led to Mims not only being in the game, but returning the ball 26 yards and sustaining a concussion at the end of the play, head coach Sean Payton said Monday.

Mims, a two-time All-Pro return ...Read more

ATLANTA — Let’s start with the positives for the Falcons.

They won’t have to deal with any “Kirk Cousins needs to keep playing” distractions.

They did a nice job of ensuring that Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, thought to be on the hot seat, will remain employed for at least another week.

On a gray and rainy afternoon, a pat on the ...Read more

SEATTLE — He doesn't have the star power of a Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts. He doesn't play for a franchise as storied as the Packers or Patriots, or Cowboys, either.

But there's a quarterback out there playing as well — if not better — than any other signal caller in the NFL while getting modest recognition. His name is Sam...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers defense continues to be historic, but not in the manner Mike Tomlin intended.

Their second-half implosion in Sunday night's 35-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers was just another indication of the problems they are having with their schemes or talent — or both.

"It's coaches, it's players, it's all of us," Tomlin ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz, who has started the past five games while J.J. McCarthy recovers from an ankle sprain, will miss the rest of the season.

Wentz will have surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder and was placed on injured reserve Monday. The 32-year-old veteran suffered the shoulder injury against ...Read more

Former Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson was arrested Sunday morning in Texas and booked into jail on suspicion of DWI and unlawfully carrying a weapon.

Peterson, 40, was taken into custody around 9:30 a.m. by police in Sugar Land, Texas, and booked into jail in Fort Bend County, records show.

Police in the city southwest of ...Read more

Eight days ahead of the NFL trade deadline, the Los Angeles Rams made a move to shore up their secondary, trading for Tennessee Titans cornerback Roger McCreary on Monday.

The Rams will send the Titans their own fifth-round pick while getting a sixth rounder in return for McCreary, a former second-round pick who is in the final year of his ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards hasn’t missed long stretches of games in his career. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard never has played fewer than 72 games in a season and he has never missed more than six consecutive games in a season.

All those marks are in jeopardy, and his teammates will have to make do without him for at least a couple of...Read more

NEW YORK — Jets quarterback Justin Fields had his best game of the season in Sunday's victory over the Bengals.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll continue as the team’s starting quarterback.

Despite helping lead the Jets to their first victory of the year, Jets coach Aaron Glenn declined to commit to Fields as the team’s ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Flush with salary cap space this offseason in their first year with Kirk Cousins’ contract off their books, the Minnesota Vikings pursued an ambitious plan to bolster their team from the inside out.

Coach Kevin O’Connell highlighted the need for interior offensive line upgrades from the postgame podium on Jan. 13, after the ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The youngest team in the NFL came to Pittsburgh and showed the oldest team in the AFC that the future is now.

Jordan Love and Tucker Kraft put on a clinic for Green Bay as the Packers sliced and diced the Steelers defense in a 35-25 win at Acrisure Stadium. Kraft, a third-year tight end, led the entire league Sunday with 143 ...Read more

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Forget for a minute the punching bag the Cleveland Browns have been and seem fated to be so long as they call themselves a football team.

This isn’t about the Browns.

This isn’t even about Sunday.

It’s about the punctuation Sunday became for the first half of a season where the New England Patriots defense is no ...Read more