NFL

7:10 AM ET ESPN staff The Week 17 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,

1:00 PM ET Ryan Hockensmith ON CHRISTMAS DAY, John Madden gathered his close family members and friends around his TV at 2 p.m. A documentary about him and his tall-tale life, “All Madden,” was airing on Fox, and he wanted to watch it with the people he loved the most. Many of the people in

8:30 PM ET HENDERSON, Nev. — Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden died Tuesday at the age of 85, leaving behind an influential legacy that stretched from the sidelines as a decadelong coach of the Oakland Raiders to three decades in the broadcast booth to a transcendent video game bearing his name. Madden, an

7:15 AM ET There are just 32 remaining games in the 2021 NFL season, and only six playoff spots are clinched. Amazingly, 24 teams’ postseason hopes are still mathematically alive. And even with all of two weeks left, there are endless permutations of how the rest of the regular season could play out and how

6:45 AM ET NFL NationESPN Selecting Most Valuable Players is something the NFL Power Rankings takes seriously. But at the same time, we realize how easy it is to pick a quarterback, write a few words about him and declare him the MVP of a team. So we’re not going to do that in 2021.

12:11 PM ET OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will return to practice Wednesday as Baltimore heads into what is essentially a must-win game against the Los Angeles Rams. Jackson, who is dealing with a right ankle injury, is expected to have limited participation, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said before Wednesday’s practice. Sidelined

7:01 AM ET Editor’s note: The list of professional athletes and team personnel entering COVID-19 protocols has increased in recent weeks, causing games to be rescheduled across multiple sports. Some unvaccinated NFL players have had to miss a game while being quarantined for 10 days, while others who have been vaccinated have had to produce

7:30 PM ET Ryan Hockensmith This story originally published in April. In memory of John Madden, who died on Dec. 28 at the age of 85, we are republishing this piece from those who knew him best, talking about how Madden changed the sports we watch, how we watch them and how our kids —

7:17 PM ET ESPN News Services John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, the NFL said. He was 85. The league said he died unexpectedly and did not detail a cause. Madden gained

1:25 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady not only went viral when he threw his Microsoft Surface tablet in Tampa Bay’s Week 15 shutout loss to the New Orleans Saints — he also got a warning from the NFL. “I did get a warning from the NFL,” Brady said with chuckle on

6:12 PM ET Brady HendersonESPN SEATTLE — As the Seattle Seahawks wind down their worst season in more than a decade, coach Pete Carroll doesn’t believe a “restart” is in order. “Not for one reason at all am I thinking that we have to restart this whole thing and create a new philosophy and a

5:52 PM ET SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers resumed practice Monday after a long holiday weekend without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. That’s because Garoppolo suffered at least a right thumb sprain early in Thursday’s 20-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans. However, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Garoppolo is dealing

11:30 PM ET Now we’re getting somewhere. Four more NFL teams clinched playoff spots Sunday, bringing the grand total to six with 33 games remaining in the season. The Chiefs, Buccaneers, Rams and Cardinals have joined the Packers and Cowboys in the 14-team field. The Seahawks, Giants and Panthers, on the other hand, joined a

8:00 PM ET NFL NationESPN Week 16 of the 2021 NFL season should give some clarity to the playoff races in both conferences. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made history in the early game on Saturday, throwing his franchise-record 443rd career touchdown pass. Green Bay, which clinched a playoff spot last week, beat the Browns, dimming

first Quarter WSH DAL TD 7:47 Ezekiel Elliott Pass From Dak Prescott for 5 Yrds Greg Zuerlein Made Ex. Pt 9 plays, 71 yards, 3:45 0 7 TD 3:08 Dalton Schultz Pass From Dak Prescott for 9 Yrds, G.Zuerlein extra point is GOOD, Center-J.McQuaide, Holder-B.Anger. 8 plays, 74 yards, 3:00 0 14 TD 2:27 DeMarcus

4:54 AM ET The New York Giants are planning to bring back head coach Joe Judge and quarterback Daniel Jones for the 2022 season, league sources tell ESPN. The Giants believe both Judge and Jones deserve the opportunity to demonstrate their talents next season, even though New York already has been eliminated from the playoffs

1:49 AM ET GLENDALE, Ariz. — Despite being on the verge of potentially clinching a playoff spot Sunday, frustration began boiling over for the Arizona Cardinals after Saturday night’s 22-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. A series of penalties and missed kicks led to the Cardinals’ third-straight loss and fifth in their last eight games.

5:18 PM ET GREEN BAY, Wis. — They all wanted to catch it, and they all wanted to be the one to present the ball to Aaron Rodgers, but it was Allen Lazard who had the honor of catching the Green Bay Packers quarterback’s franchise-record setting 443rd career touchdown pass. It happened in the first