NFL

7:15 AM ET ESPN staff The Week 8 NFL schedule for the 2021 season is stacked with great matchups, and we got 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,

2:07 AM ET GLENDALE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury didn’t want wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to continue playing after aggravating the hamstring injury that kept him out of practice all week in the first quarter Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers. Hopkins had other plans. After sitting out more than two quarters

2:47 AM ET GLENDALE, Ariz. — If not for a rash of injuries to the Green Bay Packers, Rasul Douglas might have still been on the Arizona Cardinals‘ practice squad instead of intercepting a pass in the end zone of their own stadium to beat them. Yes, the game-saving hero in the Packers’ 24-21 victory

11:58 PM ET GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Arizona Cardinals learned what life is like with an injured DeAndre Hopkins. And it wasn’t pretty. The wide receiver left Thursday night’s game midway through the first quarter because of a hamstring injury and didn’t return until midway through the third quarter. When he returned, Hopkins was little

10:52 PM ET GLENDALE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Ward and Green Bay Packers running back Kylin Hill were both carted off the field after a violent collision on a kickoff in the third quarter of Thursday night’s game at State Farm Stadium. Ward suffered a neck injury and was being evaluated for

11:36 PM ET NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made a total of nearly $128 million via a combination of salary, bonuses and other benefits over the past two fiscal years, The New York Times reported Thursday night. According to the newspaper, the total was divulged at the just-concluded owners meetings this week in New York City.

9:20 PM ET Tory BarronESPN Editor Close Tory Barron is a Bristol-based writer and editor for ESPN.com. After retiring from playing lacrosse at UConn, the DC native decided to try her hand at writing about people playing sports. NFL Week 8 is making its presence known from the jump with a powerhouse of a Thursday

6:00 AM ET GREEN BAY, Wis. — How can something be such a windfall and such a calamity all at once? Randall and Aiyda Cobb know the answer. It happened in July, when their dream of returning to Green Bay — Randall’s to play for the Packers again and Aiyda’s to be reunited with their

6:18 PM ET METAIRIE, La. — Jameis Winston initially tried to downplay the significance of making his first start against his former team Sunday when the New Orleans Saints host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — calling them “the next opponent.” But the former No. 1 overall draft pick went on to explain that the main

4:17 PM ET ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In a season when the Denver Broncos haven’t gotten much good news on the injury front, consider their collective fingers crossed for having linebacker Von Miller and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in the lineup against Washington on Sunday. Miller, who suffered a left ankle injury last Thursday and has

4:51 PM ET FRISCO, Texas — If it were solely up to Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback would play Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings despite a calf strain that has kept him limited the last two days of practice. “Knowing this is a long journey and a long season, I don’t necessarily know if

4:18 PM ET The Cincinnati Bengals are soaring up oddsboards, regularly attracting half-a-million-dollar bets in Las Vegas and causing oddsmakers to hang point spreads that haven’t been seen since the early 1980s. The Bengals kicked off the season at the bottom of the odds to win the Super Bowl, as long as 200-1. Only the

3:11 PM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Days after the worst statistical game of his NFL career, Patrick Mahomes said he got up in front of his Kansas City Chiefs teammates and essentially said the team’s recent offensive struggles were on him. “You can just watch the tape and know that I need to play

2:06 PM ET GLENDALE, Ariz. — No Davante Adams, no Allen Lazard and now no Marquez Valdes-Scantling for the Green Bay Packers on Thursday against the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals. Valdes-Scantling was their last chance to have one of their top three receivers for the game, but the Packers (6-1) are not expected to activate him,

12:43 PM ET Associated Press The NFL has instituted some policy changes to the Rooney Rule designed to further enhance diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring practices. The rule has been expanded to require teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for general manager/executive of football operations positions and all coordinator roles. Beforehand,

6:04 PM ET METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints have reunited their dynamic running back duo of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram by acquiring Ingram in a trade with the Houston Texans, sources confirmed to ESPN. The deal includes a swap of late-round picks, the source said. NFL Network first reported the trade, the

6:00 AM ET TEMPE, Ariz. — A few hours after quarterback Kyler Murray led the Arizona Cardinals to a Week 5 win over the San Francisco 49ers, he went home, sat down in front of his dual monitor setup, put a headset on over his Phoenix Suns hat and started playing one of his favorite

10:48 PM ET TEMPE, Ariz. — On the eve of their biggest game of the season to date, the Arizona Cardinals lost one of their most important defensive pieces. Defensive end J.J. Watt will undergo what is likely to be season-ending shoulder surgery, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday night. No date has been