NFL

5:18 PM ET NFL NationESPN Rejoice, football fans! The first Sunday of the NFL regular season is here! The 2021 season got off to a great start thanks to the thrilling game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The other 30 teams are making the final adjustments to their roster before Week 1,

6:30 AM ET William Ricks There’s been a lot of change in the NFL as the 2021 season gets underway. The league added a 17th game to their regular-season schedule, permitted alternate uniforms for the 2022 season and gave players more freedom in picking their jersey numbers. The league has relaxed its once-stringent rule on

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff The Week 1 NFL schedule for the 2021 season is stacked with great matchups, and we have you covered with what you need to know heading into the weekend. Our NFL Nation reporters bring us the biggest keys to every game, a bold prediction for each matchup and, of course,

12:14 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The “Tommy and Gronky” show with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski picked up right where it left off a mere seven months and two days ago: with two touchdowns, or “tuddies,” as they call them, matching their two “tuddies” from Super Bowl LV,

7:14 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — At around 8:30 on the morning after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV, Bucs quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen was enjoying a visit with his grandchildren when his phone rang. It was a FaceTime call from none other than Tom Brady, who

11:43 AM ET Before they have played a regular-season down, New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields already have jerseys that are among the most popular in the NFL. According to sports apparel site Fanatics, which is an apparel partner for the NFL, Jones and Fields have two of the

6:43 PM ET GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers had high expectations entering last season because of their appearance in the NFC Championship Game. That feeling hasn’t changed after a second straight loss with a Super Bowl spot on the line. What has changed is Aaron Rodgers‘ situation, and given all the uncertainty

4:47 PM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes recalled thinking he would be ready for whatever the opposing defense threw his way during his first season opener as the Kansas City Chiefs‘ starting quarterback in 2018. “At the time I felt very prepared but looking back on it I feel like I wasn’t prepared

11:21 AM ET PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger sent a clear message to the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ brass Wednesday morning: Pay T.J. Watt, and pay him now. “I think T.J. should get whatever the heck he wants,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s arguably the best football player in the game right now, not just on defense, just in general.

5:39 PM ET The New Orleans Saints have released veteran running back Latavius Murray, the team announced Tuesday. The Saints on Monday asked Murray to take a reduction in pay and he refused, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Murray, 31, was due to make $3.15 million in salary and bonuses this season. That, combined with

7:00 AM ET ESPN Stats & Information The benchmark for a great season depends on era. Being a 4,000-yard passer meant something quite different in 1980, 2000 and 2020. The meaning of our standard benchmarks — like a 1,000-yard rusher or, in fantasy football, a 300-point quarterback — have shifted over time, but they’re also

12:04 PM ET HOUSTON — Tyrod Taylor was officially named the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans and will make his debut for the franchise on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. “Tyrod Taylor will start for us at quarterback, for sure,” head coach David Culley said Monday. The announcement was not a surprise, but Culley

6:00 PM ET NFL NationESPN The 2021 NFL season is nearly here, with teams taking on a 17-week slate of games for the first time in history. The season opener is Thursday night, when the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys. Our NFL Nation reporters have you covered with intel

7:15 AM ET Heading into the 2021 NFL season, ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) simulated the entire 285-game slate 20,000 times to create our projections. Having a sample size that large allows us to have the most accurate projections possible, which is, of course, what we want most of the time. But today, we’re only

6:45 AM ET Mike Tannenbaum With only a few days to go before the start of the 2021 NFL season, we’re taking an early look at how the new 17-game schedule will play out, projecting stats leaders and making predictions. Which quarterback will lead the league in touchdown passes? What about interceptions? Which rookie wide

4:19 PM ET Brady HendersonESPN RENTON, Wash. — Continuing their reshuffling at cornerback, the Seattle Seahawks are expected to sign former New York Jets starter Bless Austin, a source confirmed to ESPN on Sunday. The Jets waived the 25-year-old Austin on Wednesday, a surprise move given that he was projected to remain one of their

12:35 PM ET Dallas Cowboys Pro-Bowl guard Zack Martin has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus and is out for Thursday night’s regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coach Mike McCarthy said. Connor McGovern will replace Martin in the starting lineup at right guard. Tackle Brandon Knight also

2:23 PM ET PITTSBURGH — Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle and longtime broadcaster Tunch Ilkin died Saturday, the team confirmed. He was 63. Ilkin, who revealed that he had been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in October 2020, was hospitalized recently with pneumonia. He announced in June that