#nfl

#nfl

The Washington Commanders are struggling to find positives from a season that quickly went down the road to disaster. However, one NFL analyst believes the flashes displayed by wide receiver Treylon Burks since joining the club are worth another go-around in 2026. Burks had plenty of interest after his abrupt departure from the Tennessee Titans. They set him up to fail. Injuries didn't help his cause, either.

Sunday delivered football fans the Number One Overall Pick Bowl in Sin City as the Giants visited the Las Vegas Raiders with the loser of the game "winning" the number one overall pick. Tanking (losing on purpose) is a practice that many frown upon, but when your team has been as moribund as the Giants and Raiders both have been for some time, the number one overall pick can represent a lot of hope and promise.

Elsewhere, we have a battle with playoff dreams on the line between the Seahawks and Panthers. The Seahawks need to win to stay ahead of the 49ers at the top of the NFC while the Panthers can clinch the NFC South with a win and a Buccaneers loss to the Dolphins. If Miami's horrific 45-21 loss to Cincinnati last week is anything to go by then Tampa Bay should return to winning ways and force a title decider against Carolina next week

Herbert certainly felt the thunder against the Texans. The NFL's top defense recorded 26 pressures as it swarmed through the Chargers' offensive line en route to a 20-16 win Saturday. And Herbert saw the lightning, best represented by second-string defensive end Derek Barnett's back-to-back sacks to halt the Chargers' first drive of the second half. The latter of Barnett's takedowns - part of the Texans' five sacks and eight tackles for loss - came when he spun past Bobby Hart and brought down Herbert for a seven-yard loss.

The Commanders have experienced quite the return to reality, with their offense looking especially putrid all year. Losing Jayden Daniels multiple times to injuries will do that, but nothing has looked right. And now Daniels' backup, Marcus Mariota, won't even be suiting up on Christmas, which means 39-year old Josh Johnson will be making his first start since 2021, when he led the Ravens to a loss to the Bengals.

Backup Malik Willis, who took over in the second quarter after Love sustained a concussion, injured his right shoulder late in the game. He appeared to get hurt on the final play of regulation when Chicago's Montez Sweat sacked him. Willis grabbed his throwing shoulder after the play but was able to finish the game. "I'd say he's pretty sore," LaFleur said Sunday.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason was ruled out of Sunday's game against the New York Giants because of an ankle injury. Mason, the Vikings' leading rusher this season, suffered the injury during the team's opening drive of the game. He was on the field because starter Aaron Jones Sr. had departed because of his own ankle injury on his first carry. Mason carried twice for five yards on the drive, and the injury occurred at the end of a six-yard reception.

Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 2, 2025. Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images Three more games remain in the New York Giants season, including two more matchups at MetLife Stadium in Northern New Jersey. Big Blue has earned their only two wins this season on home turf, but New York enters the contest embroiled in an eight-game losing skid dating back to early October.

President Donald Trump signed a bill into law Thursday that allows local and state law enforcement officials to disable drones during sporting events, a change long sought by the the NFL and other major leagues. "We thank President Trump and our Congressional champions from both political parties who took decisive action to keep fans safe," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "With a rising number of drones flying in restricted airspace, it is critical that state and local law enforcement have the tools to prevent harm. This important step will help protect fans at stadiums across the country."

"Just doing my job. Playing fast. Playing hard. Simple as that," Carter said. "Nothing too much."

Seattle and Los Angeles are each 11-3, tied for the second-best record in the NFL, with the Rams holding the tiebreaker in the fight for the NFC West title and top spot in the conference following their narrow victory over the Seahawks in Week 11. However, a win for the Seahawks would see them take control of the race for the lone first-round bye in the NFC and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

"It's a tough injury, but I know one thing about Patrick," Brady said. "He's very tough and he's very resilient. He's going to work extremely hard to get back. You see these ACL tears happen a lot in the NFL and it's tough to see it happen because you have these incredible athletes at the top of their game. You get hit the wrong way, or contorted a certain way and all the force goes to these knees or in some cases the ankles ... it's the nature of the sport."

How the rules are set up, it's hard to get better as a tackler being in the NFL, I'll say that," Gannon said.

I hate the situation. I hate that I couldn't deliver the win and keep our hopes alive," Minshew said.

Coaches: The Dolphins' Mike McDaniel is 34-32, including the playoffs, in his fourth season as a head coach; the Steelers' Mike Tomlin is 198-124-2 in his 19 th season. The Steelers lead the all-time series, 15-14, including 2-2 in the postseason. Series:The Dolphins have won four of the past five regular-season meetings. These teams last met in the regular season in 2022, a 16-10 Miami victory at Hard Rock Stadium.