Football

LANDOVER, Md. — Giants Coach Pat Shurmur thought about scolding quarterback Daniel Jones for a fumble, but then looked down at the score sheet. “Five touchdowns, and certainly the touchdown in overtime,” Shurmur said. “Maybe I won’t holler at him. I’ll just talk to him.” Jones put together one of the best performances by a […] More

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Le’Veon Bell helped deal his former team’s playoff hopes a big blow, leading the Jets to a 16-10 victory over the banged-up Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon. “Not a lot to say, and appropriately so,” Coach Mike Tomlin said. “This time of year is put up or shut up time and […] More

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — An instant after a violent collision on Saturday evening in the pivotal, hard-fought game between New England and Buffalo, Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman lay motionless on the turf as if unconscious. It was, Edelman said hours later, a ruse. When he slammed into Bills defensive back Jordan Poyer while running a […] More

For the last eight weeks, our N.F.L. playoff simulator has explored every possible scenario, letting fans daydream about improbable outcomes like the Browns making the playoffs or the Buffalo Bills getting a bye week. Normally, there are so many ways a season can end that we use very large numbers to describe them. But now, […] More

As with any great American endeavor, women have been in football from the very beginning. As far back as 1926, women were playing the sport, albeit as halftime entertainment during home games of the Frankford (Penn.) Yellow Jackets. Since then, women have populated bandstands, infiltrated sidelines, officiated games, coached and owned teams in the National […] More

The explosion of young black quarterbacks with phenomenal athletic ability and passing acumen has become the rage of the N.F.L. As defenses in the league have become more athletic, offenses have made an adjustment at the sport’s most important position. Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award last […] More

With the N.F.L. schedule shifting from one game on Thursday to three games on Saturday, the shape of Week 16 is a bit different from the rest of the season, and the stakes are awfully high for the teams still trying to make the playoffs. Eight of the 12 postseason teams are already known, but […] More

CARSON, Calif. — It is the second quarter of the Los Angeles Chargers’ home game with the Minnesota Vikings and the fans are a cheering, chanting, delirious mass. One of their defenders has just scooped up a fumble and rumbled into the end zone for a touchdown. The defender runs to the stands and jumps […] More