NFC News Archives

Two games into the season, the Dallas Cowboys defense had allowed nearly 900 yards and 54 points while creating plenty of concern.

Catcher Jason LaRue has agreed to a $950,000, one-year contract to remain with the St.

Despite the New York Giants' recent slump and his own mediocre performances, quarterback Eli Manning says a stress reaction in his right foot is not affecting his play.

PHILADELPHIA -- At the end of their latest game in which they simply were not good enough, the Washington Redskins again watched in disappointment as another NFC East opponent, this time the Philadelphia Eagles, rallied late for a victory. Philadelphia made the key plays in the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon in a 27-24 win at Lincoln Financial Field that included many familiar scenes for the Redskins, who would prefer better endings for themselves.

'We have these games until, like, the end of the third, the fourth quarter, and then you see what happens,' free safety LaRon Landry said. 'You keep seeing the same thing, we keep talking about, but I don't know what it is. Just finish it up.'

No, Frank Wycheck and Kevin Dyson weren't on the field. And there probably won't be a Miller Lite commercial commemorating this game fifteen years from now.

Brett Favre and Jay Cutler provided more evidence that Minnesota's new quarterback experiment is working out much better than Chicago's. Favre passed for a season-high 392 yards and three touchdowns, and the Vikings intercepted Cutler twice in a 36-10 victory over the Bears on Sunday.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith threw short touchdown passes to Frank Gore and Vernon Davis for a solid outing in a 20-3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, running back Clinton Portis, cornerback DeAngelo Hall and tight end Chris Cooley are all inactive for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

One week after nearly pulling off a huge upset on the road against a division opponent, the Washington Redskins get to try again.

Roddy White and the Falcons will try to end a nasty losing streak today against 1-9 Tampa Bay.

One week after taking on the juggernaut that is the Minnesota Vikings, the Seahawks head to St.

Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are among 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

SAN FRANCISCO - Back in his dominant high school days, Maurice Jones-Drew didn't let himself think too far ahead about his football future, or what he might be able to do in the NFL despite being undersized.

Seahawks running back Julius Jones will be a game-time decision for their game against the St.

NEW ORLEANS - Bill Belichick and Bill Gates have more in common than their first name, the way Saints coach Sean Payton sees it.

Some in St. Louis wonder if Marc Bulger has played his last game with the Rams. The quarterback says it's too early to speculate about his future.

New Cleveland linebacker Matt Roth is happy to be out of Miami after what he termed a falling out with the Dolphins.

The New York Giants have reached a crossroads in their season after losing five of six games.

Forgive Aaron Curry if he sits back and savors the unexpected breather the Seahawks are about to give him.

The Denver Broncos have lost four in a row and blown their division lead. The Giants know all about such slumps.

Kyle Boller made two starts earlier in the season for the St. Louis Rams, filling in for injured quarterback Marc Bulger.

The Arizona Cardinals were flying high a year ago, 7-3 and running away in the NFC West.

Tennessee running back Chris Johnson just keeps running onto some rare NFL ground in his second season.

Spikes missed last week's 30-24 loss at Green Bay and was replaced by Matt Wilhelm .

The Dallas Cowboys have played some decidedly unspectacular football over the past two weeks.

Thanksgiving weekend arrives just as I've given you little to be thankful for. I went 7-7 last week and haven't done better than two games over .500 in several weeks.

Games aren't the only thing Jim Mora is losing. The Seahawks' coach just lost his workout buddy.

The New York Giants just escaped their own month of misery. So they understand the seething frustration and loss of poise in Denver, where sideline shoves, the head coach's cockiness and players-only meetings are all the buzz.

Josh Freeman spoke bluntly, refusing to make excuses for an error-filled performance.

The NFL shield logo on the goal post during play between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium on November 9, 2008 in Houston, Texas.

The story of outside linebacker Anthony Spencer's season has been the near miss, as in all those sacks the Cowboys' new starter opposite DeMarcus Ware was close to getting but didn't. So when a victory-sealing interception was coming his way in the final minutes of the last game, and teammate Jay Ratliff reached for it, Spencer feared he was going ...

Green Bay Packers cornerback Al Harris and linebacker Aaron Kampman will both have season-ending knee surgery.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris has made yet another change at the top of the coaching staff.

The NFL has moved the Minnesota at Arizona game to the night slot on Dec. 6 under its flexible scheduling policy.

Until now, Pierre Thomas could not recall playing for a football team at any level that was 10-0, or averaged 36.9 points per game, or had 18 different players score touchdowns.

Of all the alarms going off while another Seahawks season crumbles, the one sounded by quarterback Matt Hasselbeck rings loudest.

LeSean McCoy scored the winning touchdown with a 10-yard run. One of the most interesting parts of training camp in August was watching rookie LeSean McCoy .

During a news conference in which he discussed three more season-ending injuries and revealed discouraging news about three other players, Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn was hit with a coughing fit.

Before the playoff window slams shut, some 49ers hope they open up the offense. An aggressive approach in the second half was the only thing that saved the 49ers from utter embarrassment during a 30-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

It just might be possible that the New Orleans Saints are the most unhappy undefeated team in football right now.

When Donovan McNabb applied "must-win game" to tonight's game at Soldier Field in Chicago, the quarterback created a bit of a stir.

Josh Freeman finally had the type of game Sunday that everyone tried to warn you about.

Favre completed a career-high 88 percent of his passes for 213 yards and four touchdown passes and the Vikings delivered their most complete performance of the season in a 35-9 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

The Seattle Seahawks' two starting cornerbacks have been diagnosed with concussions.

Reggie Bush has missed two practices this week as the New Orleans Saints try to rest their running back's left knee.

Associated Press Seattle running back Justin Forsett makes his first NFL start Sunday against Minnesota.

Donovan McNabb called it a 'must win,' and just to be clear, he was only referring to his Philadelphia Eagles.

The New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons looked like powerhouse teams through five games.

The Arizona Cardinals have a chance to accomplish a feat the franchise hasn't achieved in 61 years when the NFC West front-runners visit the Edward Jones Dome this Sunday to take on a St.

Using the most basic fact, the argument could be made that Washington is playing better than any other team in the NFC East right now.

From Jake Delhomme's struggles to suspect tackling to key injuries and just plain bad luck, there are plenty of reasons for Carolina's 4-6 record.

Last month, a blurry photo featuring Minnesota coach Brad Childress dressed as a flight attendant with a black wig and a pink apron appeared on one of his player's Twitter pages.

The NFL has fined Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett $7,500 for his elbow to the throat of Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

Friendship goes out the window Sunday when the St. Louis Rams' Leonard Little tries to sack his friend, Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner.

Without Brian Westbrook, the Philadelphia Eagles will likely have to rely heavily on Donovan McNabb as they try to get their season back on track this weekend.

In Week 9, the Dallas Cowboys took control of first place in the NFC East with a 20-16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

Well, almost everything. Owner Zygi Wilf cut short a vacation and presented a competitive offer.

The National League Cy Young Award winner will be announced Thursday at 2 p.m. ET.

Clinton Portis #26 of the Washington Redskins runs the ball against the New York Giants on September 13, 2009 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The surgeons have gotten their hacks at Rob Johnson the past month. Now the Seattle Mariners' catcher is eager to spend the rest of this offseason getting his body back in shape for the 2010 season.

The Week 11 NFL schedule will kick off with what could effectively be called a playoff elimination game, as the Carolina Panthers welcome the Miami Dolphins to Bank of America Stadium on Thursday night.The Panthers, left for dead by many pundits after a listless home loss to the Buffalo Bills dropped them to 2-4 on Oct.

Kurt Warner knows how to come back from adversity. That's the recurring theme in his remarkable career.

IRVING, Texas _ Plastic surgery fixed the physical scars on Dallas Cowboys centre Andre Gurode's forehead after he was cleated in the face by Albert Haynesworth three years ago.

Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett says he has talked to Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck and "everything's cool" between him and the Seahawks quarterback.

Cardinals running back Beanie Wells lowers his shoulder as he tries to run through Seahawks defender Deon Grant during action at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

For a division that perennially defines tough, power football, this year's version of the NFC East is softer than a feather pillow.

PHILADELPHIA -- At 5-4, the Eagles aren't where they or their fans had hoped they would be right now.

With their season potentially hanging in the balance, the San Francisco 49ers were finally able to come out on the right side of a close game in last Thursday's narrow victory over the Chicago Bears.

The St. Louis Rams lost again and are down another wide receiver, but they're feeling a lot better about themselves after nearly upsetting the unbeaten New Orleans Saints.

If there is one thing that a quarterback needs to run the no-huddle offense, it is confidence.

The Dallas Cowboys returned to work Monday, a day after their 17-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers, trying to rehab as well as regroup.

A losing season is now out of the equation for the 2009 Minnesota Vikings, not that such a notion had ever really entered this talented team's scope.

Frustrated over what's become a lost season for his Seahawks, Jim Mora used sarcasm to make a point he hopes gets heard throughout league headquarters.

Dallas and Philadelphia, the Giants' primary competition for the NFC East title, both lost yesterday.

The St. Louis Rams have lost leading wide receiver Keenan Burton for the rest of the season, the result of a right knee injury in Sunday's 28-23 loss to New Orleans.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden has agreed to a multi-year extension with ESPN to remain an analyst with Monday Night Football.

For one week, at least , they don't embarrass. It helps that Chris Simms played the second half for the Broncos after Kyle Orton got hurt, but this season the Redskins have lost to teams far worse than Denver.

Michael Lewis kept the ball from his game-saving interception in the end zone as a gift for his nearly 2-week-old baby girl, Sydney.

Drew Brees threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns, and the New Orleans Saints remained perfect by holding off the feisty St.

A week after one of their worst losses in the last decade, the Green Bay Packers bounced back on Sunday, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 17-7 at Lambeau Field.

Brett Favre passed for a season-high 344 yards, 201 to Sidney Rice, and the Minnesota Vikings beat the Detroit Lions 27-10 on Sunday.

Sweeping the Ravens and the Steelers in the same season? It's certainly possible for the upstart Bengals, who are unbeaten on the road and in the division .

Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams missed practice Friday for the second time in three days with a sore knee and is questionable for Sunday's game against NFC South foe Atlanta.

AP File Photo Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald presents a tough matchup for the Seahawks' secondary today.

A year ago, the Green Bay Packers reached the halfway point of the season with a 4-4 record and their season at a crossroads.

After a slow start to the season, Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner has found his stride over the last two weeks.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo can't like the "Mr. November" tag, a back-handed moniker related to his ability to win games at the time of the year when they are less meaningful.

If it seems like the Green Bay Packers have gotten away from the precision short-passing game that made their offense nearly unstoppable two seasons ago, that's because they have.

Sean Locklear will start at left tackle for the Seahawks in Sunday's key divisional game at Arizona.

The way that they were playing in the first month-plus of the season, it looked like the Dallas Cowboys would be lucky to be a .500 team at seasona TMs end, that Wade Phillips would be lucky to have his job come Jan.

A bad season for the Chicago Bears just got worse. The NFL said Friday that quarterback Jay Cutler had been fined $20,000 for abusive conduct toward a game official during a 41-21 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield says his injured right foot still isn't quite ready and he will not play against Detroit on Sunday.

His ribs aren't fully healed. He couldn't throw deep passes last week, and he often threw almost sidearm because his shoulder ached.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings acknowledges that a bad loss can linger into the next week and damage a team's confidence.

Frank Gore ran for 104 yards and a touchdown, Jay Cutler threw a career-high five interceptions with his last coming in the end zone on the game's final play and the San Francisco 49ers snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Chicago Bears 10-6 on Thursday night.

Brett Favre is on pace for a career-low in interceptions. That's right. The NFL's all-time leader in interceptions has thrown only three through the first eight games of this season.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh created a stir last week with his quote about the Cowboys standing "for everything that is wrong with the NFL" in an excerpt from the book Game Changers: The 50 Greatest Plays in Philadelphia Eagles Football History.

Ita TMs a bit of an odd week for ranking defenses, with the Colts and Patriots squaring off on Sunday Night.

Greg Knapp was having a San Francisco flashback. The former assistant to Steve Mariucci and George Seifert thought he was coaching another one of Steve Young's aerial circuses with the old 49ers.

Jay Ratliff was still a backup player for the Dallas Cowboys, a defensive end and former seventh-round draft pick with only a handful of tackles when coach Wade Phillips arrived.

With half the season in the books, the NFL's series of Thursday night games begins with two struggling teams trying to stay in the playoff race.The 49ers, who are 3-point favorites over the Bears, have lost four in a row.

That travel team back in Virginia a decade ago must have played great defense on the left side of the infield.

Running back Pierre Thomas #23 of the New Orleans Saints runs the ball against Jon Beason #52 of the Carolina Panthers at Louisiana Superdome on November 8, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

It was supposed to be an intriguing battle between a pair of 4-3 playoff hopefuls, two of the past three NFC champions.

Philip Rivers doesn't give much credence to the New York Giants' losing streak, which he helped extend to four games.

No longer winless, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are feeling pretty good about themselves.

This is a Sept. 20, 2009, file photo showing Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson on the sidelines during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders, in Kansas City, Mo.

The Eagles-Bears matchup Nov. 22 will remain the Sunday night game even though NBC had the option of picking another contest.

Just when the Seahawks were feeling good about one of their few positive Sundays this shaky season, Monday arrived.

Only a month ago, the San Francisco 49ers sat alone in first place atop the NFC West standings and were thinking playoffs.

The last time the Dallas Cowboys felt this good, Tony Romo and friends went to Mexico to celebrate.

The Minnesota Vikings are back from their bye week with an even bigger lead in the NFC North.

Eli Manning's 8-yard touchdown pass to give Giants a 17-14 lead was just not enough to get Big Blue a win over the Chargers on Sunday.

Six plays after his 81-yard touchdown run was overturned, Chris Johnson took a pitch from Vince Young and ran 2 yards for a go-ahead score in Tennessee's 34-27 win over San Francisco.

TAMPA, Fla. - Bad losses don't come much worse than this. Favored by 10 points against a winless team that had a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start, the Green Bay Packers looked assured of heading into the second half of the 2009 season with a winning record.

In the past two weeks, the Eagles had scored touchdowns of 40, 50 and 60 yards. On Sunday night, they had had trouble just getting one yard.

San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Alex Smith heads off the field after their 34-27 loss against the Tennessee Titans in the fourth quarter in San Francisco, Calif.

Running back Brian Westbrook #36 of the Philadelphia Eagles rushes with the ball during the NFL season opener against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on September 13, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Kurt Warner envisioned doing this on a regular basis at Soldier Field. Good thing for the Arizona Cardinals, the Chicago Bears took a pass on him.

MATCHUP TIME TV COMMENT NEW ENGLAND 10 1/2 over Miami 1:00 CBS When the Dolphins and Patriots met last year in Foxborough, the Pats' defense gave up 461 yards in a 38-13 loss.

Maybe it's just a different way of saying it, but rather than a "must-win" situation facing the Seattle Seahawks Sunday afternoon at Qwest Field, this one feels more like a "can't-lose" game.

The Arizona Cardinals have yet to lose on the road this season, while the Chicago Bears have won every one of their home games thus far in 2009.

Better play over their last four games has the Carolina Panthers thinking they can get back into the playoff mix.

NFL Preview Look up, way up Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers readies to throw against the Minnesota Vikings at Heinz Fielddies to on October 25, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In the 100th meeting of the Cowboys and Eagles, a group of rookies - a few barely 21 years old - will experience their first taste of a rivalry that incites the primal urges of Philadelphia fans.

's unfathomable season in Minnesota could be analyzed like a corporate earnings report.

DETROIT At SEATTLE OPENING LINE - Seahawks by 9 1/2 RECORD VS. SPREAD - Detroit 2-5; Seattle 2-5 SERIES RECORD - Seahawks lead 6-4 LAST MEETING - Seahawks beat Lions 9-6, Sept.

Regulators on Friday shut banks in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and California, bringing the number of bank failures this year to 120 amid the struggling economy and a cascade of defaults on loans.

If you're a New York City sports fan close your eyes and envision the following: High-priced, smiling athletes standing on floats, cradling a championship trophy as millions of adoring fans shower them in a blizzard of confetti and paper.

It's time for another week of trying to figure out American pro football. Two weeks into our charity underdog pool, we have 11 players with points -- more than half the participants.

By Bob Brookover Even though the Eagles have dominated the NFC East for most of this decade, whenever the subject turned to the division's best tight ends, they had to be counted out of the conversation.

On Wednesdays, wide receiver Roy E. Williams talks. On Thursdays, quarterback Tony Romo talks.

Lions running back Kevin Smith was back at practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's workout because of a shoulder injury he suffered in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to St.

To the point where the NFL's active rushing leader, Edgerrin James, was sent away earlier this week to see if Rankin could provide a missing jolt for Seattle's struggling run game.

By Scott Garbarini, Associate NFL Editor -- - Although the careers of Eli Manning and Philip Rivers will be forever intertwined, the two quarterbacks have never gone head-to-head on the playing field.

Published: Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. It's proving time for the Bengals.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck #8 of the Seattle Seahawks is sacked by Bobby Carpenter #54 of the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on November 1, 2009 in Arlington, Texas.

Detroit running back Kevin Smith missed practice after aggravating a shoulder injury in the Lions' loss to St.

The job of turning around the New York Giants belongs to Eli Manning, Antonio Pierce and the other leaders on the defending NFC East champions.

Matt Hasselbeck watched most of Wednesday's practice to rest his broken ribs, though the Seahawks expect the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback to start again Sunday against Detroit.

The Bears still are a month away from playing the Minnesota Vikings for the first time this season, but they have a sense of what the NFC North leaders are all about.

CHICAGO If there are any suggestions on how to slow down Brett Favre and the 7-1 Vikings before they run away with the NFC North, Bears defensive end Alex Brown is open to them.

On Sunday, Missouri became the only state to enforce a sales tax on what many see as a spiritual pursuit - the practice of yoga.

In five days, the Cowboys return to the site of the most gutless performance in franchise history.

The Edgerrin James experiment in Seattle is over. The struggling Seahawks cut ties with James on Tuesday, releasing the backup running back who never provided the pop Seattle hoped to get when it signed the 31-year-old in late August.

This is a Sept. 21, 2008, file photo showing Buffalo Bills' Lee Evans eluding a tackle by Oakland Raiders' DeAngelo Hall during the second half of an NFL football game at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. Ever wonder why there are so many missed tackles in the NFL? Maybe it's because the players don't practice it much.

Coach Jim Mora has put his skidding Seahawks on notice. NFC West blog ESPN.com's Mike Sando writes about all things NFC West in his division blog .

Jim Schwartz knows that the Detroit Lions need to find some big plays in what has become a moribund offense.

Walking through the locker room after the Giants went over corrections from another embarrassing loss, it was hard to tell that they were coming off a third straight setback and were no longer in first place in the NFC East.

The Houston Texans ' offense lost Owen Daniels on Sunday, and the star tight end feared his season might be over after hurting his right knee on Sunday.

Left tackle Joe Staley limped through the 49ers locker room with a bulky brace on his sprained right knee.

At last, the Dallas Cowboys are showing the consistency they sought. Miles Austin caught a touchdown pass for the third straight game and Patrick Crayton returned a punt for a score for the second consecutive week, sending Dallas past the Seattle Seahawks 38-17 and into a share of first place in the NFC East on Sunday.

Sean Payton would welcome a little deja vu. About three years and one month ago, the Saints played one of the most memorable games in franchise history at home on a Monday night against the Atlanta Falcons.

Score the first round of the New York-Philly twinbill in favor of the Eagles by brutal knockout.

Carolina earned a measure of revenge in Arizona, even if the stakes weren't quite as high.

Steven Jackson #39 of the St. Louis Rams runs looks for running room during a fourth quarter run while playing the Detroit Lions on November 1, 2009 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

The last thing the struggling 2-4 Seahawks need is to head on the road, where they have yet to win a game this season, against a resurgent team.

Contrary to popular opinion around Chicago, that cringe-inducing beating last week didn't crush the Bears.

Brett Favre threw three touchdown passes and was not intercepted when the Vikings beat the Packers last month at the Metrodome.