NFL 2026

[InThe313]

The players have arrived!  The Patriots and Seahawks are coming in their best threads as a Super Bowl rematch opens the season.  Updates to come.

UPDATE:  This is not how you want to open a title defense.  The Seahawks’ Sam Darnold is questionable after limping off following a sack on the opening drive.  He was replaced by Drew Lock.

UPDATE 2:  Can you imagine a worse way to start the season?  Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Darnold is out for the game with a hip injury.

UPDATE 3:  Now the star players are dropping like flies.  The Patriots’ A. J. Brown is questionable after limping off following an ankle injury during the first drive of the third quarter.

UPDATE 4:  What is going on with this game.  Patriots star Brown is out with an ankle injury as injuries overshadow the season opener against the Seahawks.

UPDATE 5:  What a game!  The Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba exploded for a 45-yard touchdown to draw even with the Patriots.

UPDATE 6:  This season started with the same result as last season’s finale.  The Patriots’ Drake Maye threw a devastating interception in the final seconds as the Seahawks began their title defense with a 13-10 win in the season opener.

UPDATE 7:  Football fans of Seattle, breathe easy.  Macdonald said the Seahawks got “great news back” on Darnold’s injury and do not believe the quarterback’s hip is fractured.

[InThe313]

Bill Barnwell put out his picks for who will make the postseason.

Division winners:  Buccaneers, Chiefs, Eagles, Lions, Patriots, Ravens, Seahawks, Texans
Wild cards:  Bills, Broncos, Cowboys, Giants, Rams, Steelers
Super Bowl pick:  Chiefs over Eagles, 27-24

[InThe313]

It may not be great news, but it is far better than it could have been.  According to Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to miss Week 2 against the Cardinals on Sept. 20 in Glendale, Ariz.

[InThe313]

Good, keep him there.  Packers running back Josh Jacobs remains on the commissioner’s exempt list after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges.

[InThe313]

I am glad to see he is the one being caged up.  Ex-NFL running back LeShon Johnson was sentenced to five years in federal prison for operating a large-scale dogfighting ring.

[InThe313]

When you have high expectations for the season, this is the last thing you want.  According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Patriots wide receiver A. J. Brown is expected to be out at least four weeks due to a high ankle sprain.

[InThe313]

I can see why people may turn to the bottle in this league, especially when you are a top star.  The Rams’ Puka Nacua told Netflix that he was “kind of drowning myself” in alcohol as he dealt with off-the-field stresses.  Updates to come.

UPDATE:  Throw some lamb on the barby next to the shrimp.  The 49ers’ Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes in a 27-7 win to snap the Rams’ streak of 42 straight games scoring in double digits.

[InThe313]

With today marking 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks and not getting too political, I remember when the NFL came back and helped bring a sense of normalcy back to the world.  I cannot imagine how difficult it was for them to return to the field under those circumstances.

[InThe313]

What could have been.  According to Ian Rapoport, the Rams pushed for a trade after the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby’s failed move to the Ravens, but pivoted to Myles Garrett after Crosby nixed talks.  Updates to come.

UPDATE:  Put that on his career highlight reel.  The Ravens’ Zay Flowers put the Colts’ D in a blender on an electrifying 54-yard touchdown.

UPDATE 2:  Three touchdowns and 144 yards from the Ravens’ Derrick Henry seems par for the course.  The Ravens beat the Colts, 41-23.

The Raiders beat the Dolphins, 27-13.

UPDATE 3:  People are already going crazy with their overreactions.  I’m seeing the the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson could get $70 million, the Bears need to set a scoring record and both Los Angeles teams are flopping after the Chargers lost to the Cardinals, 26-14.

[InThe313]

The potential MVP favorite is already building his case.  The Bills’ Josh Allen finished a 21-yard touchdown run by plowing into the end zone.  Updates to come.

UPDATE:  This was a thriller of a game.  The Bills beat the Texans, 36-31, as they were among nine teams to surpass 30 or more points so far.

[InThe313]

Defense, what is that?  The Bears beat the Panthers, 59-37, as the teams combined for 96 points and 1,030 combined yards.  The Bears had six rushing touchdowns.

[InThe313]

Sorry, Cade, but that was such an exciting game.  The Saints mounted a huge rally against the Lions but came up short in overtime, 31-30, when their two-point conversion failed.

[InThe313]

If only this game ended in a tie.  The Vikings stormed back from a double-digit deficit and scored 29 unanswered points to beat the Packers, 39-22.

[InThe313]

How in the world did that happen?  The Cowboys’ Quinnen Williams’ forced fumble flew a couple of yards in the air and somehow landed into his teammate’s hands.  Updates to come.

The Cowboys lost to the Giants, 28-20.