4:48 PM ET FRISCO, Texas — When Cooper Rush made the first start of his career last October against the Minnesota Vikings, replacing an injured Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys were 5-1 and rolling. On Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, Rush will make the second start of his career with Prescott out following thumb surgery,

4:26 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift missed his second consecutive practice Thursday because of an ankle issue, but he told ESPN that he’ll “most definitely” be ready to play against the Washington Commanders on Sunday. “I’m all right,” Swift said. Swift, who rushed for a career-best

11:32 AM ET PITTSBURGH — The Steelers won’t have T.J. Watt for four games, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to scrap their entire defensive plan to get by without him. “It’s gonna change because he’s not there,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Thursday. “Obviously, everybody knows what he does really well, which is a

1:48 PM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones didn’t practice on Thursday because of an illness, according to the team. Jones’ illness currently isn’t expected to impact his availability for Sunday’s road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to sources. But it also isn’t ideal on a day the Patriots generally

11:42 AM ET The National Football League and the German Bundesliga (DFL) announced an agreement on Thursday that will see two of the world’s most successful sporting operations collaborate to help grow business in their respective markets. Having been informally sharing expertise in various areas since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL and

7:00 AM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brett Veach thought he had come to peace last spring with the Kansas City Chiefs‘ decision to trade one of the NFL’s premier wide receivers, Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs general manager had talked for days about a potential deal involving Hill with other team officials, including coach Andy

7:00 AM ET Lindsey ThiryESPN Close Covered Rams for two years for Los Angeles Times Previously covered the Falcons Has covered the NBA and college football and basketball COSTA MESA, Calif. — It was the day after a surreal evening. As they navigated south on the 101 and then 405 on July 22, Sebastian Joseph-Day

6:00 AM ET TEMPE, Ariz. — When Will Hernandez returns to Las Vegas during the offseason to see his family, he can’t leave without making one stop. The Arizona Cardinals‘ guard makes sure to swing by Lety Villarreal’s house for some tacos or horchata — a traditional Mexican drink made with rice, milk and cinnamon

5:23 PM ET ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As if the Denver Broncos didn’t leave Seattle with enough disappointment packed in their luggage, safety Justin Simmons suffered a thigh injury in the Week 1 loss that will keep him out at least a month. Simmons, who played every defensive snap Monday night in the Broncos’ 17-16 loss

3:24 PM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker will not play in Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers because of an ankle injury. The Chargers, meanwhile, will be without starting wide receiver Keenan Allen, who suffered a hamstring injury in Los Angeles’ Week 1 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.