The paper, written as part of the Football Players Study at Harvard University, tracked deaths among former players in the three leagues dating back to 1979. From that point until 2010, suicide rates between the three leagues were statistically similar and below the national average. Beginning in 2011 through 2019, however, the rate for former NFL players was 2.6 times higher than for the NBA and MLB, according to the study.
The Washington Commanders aren't a part of the NFL playoffs this year, but the teams that did qualify provided no shortage of entertainment on Wild Card weekend. The highlight was a rivalry clash between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. It featured a massive second-half comeback, highlight plays left and right, and a heartbreaking loss for a team that's become more than used to playoff disappointment. For the Packers and former Washington assistant Matt LaFleur, it could force a difficult decision.
The defending Super Bowl Champions will play at least one home game in front of the rowdy fans in Philly after claiming a weak NFC East division which marks the first time in over two decades there has been a repeat champion in the division. It's been a turbulent season for the Eagles with injuries going so far as to force Philly to reach out Brandon Graham to unretire during the middle of the season.
If you want to understand why the Washington Commanders named 30-year-old David Blough as their new offensive coordinator, look no further than Declan Doyle. Doyle was hired by Chicago Bears' head coach Ben Johnson to serve as his offensive coordinator when he took over last year. He was 28 years old at the time. Or look down to the Carolina Panthers, where head coach Dave Canales brought in Brad Idzik as his offensive coordinator in 2024, who was 32. Clearly, there has been a recent shift toward younger coordinators.
Cunningham has received an interview request from the Falcons for their GM vacancy, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports. This marks the first known target for Atlanta as the team looks for a Terry Fontenot replacement. Both Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris were fired immediately after the regular season ended. That move has left the Falcons with a pair notable vacancies in the organization.
Are they as good as their record?" Olsen questioned, referencing an oft-cited critique that the Patriots' schedule has been on the easier side. He replied by offering a comparison to college football conferences. "My answer to that is this is pro ball," Olsen said. "Someone's not playing in the SEC and someone's in the Sun Belt. [These are] all NFL rosters.
New players who redeem this offer can start with a $5 pick on the NFL or any other available market. This will unlock a $75 bonus no matter the outcome of the original pick. Setting up a new account on Underdog is the only way to activate this offer. New players can start with a $75 bonus to use on the NFL, NBA, NHL, college basketball, college football, boxing, UFC, soccer and more. Let's take a deeper dive into the details of this exclusive offer.
Ward suffered his injury on the team's first drive of the game when he landed awkwardly on his right shoulder as he dove into the end zone to cap off a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Titans an early 7-0 lead over the Jaguars. The rookie quarterback's season is over after playing all 951 snaps on offense for the Titans up to that point.
The 49ers offense, which had taken the Kyle Shanahan attack to new heights since their bye week, was limited to a 48-yard field goal by Eddy Pineiro with 1:06 left in the first half. It's kind of hard to expect to really win the game if we're not going to score more than a field goal, tight end George Kittle said in the aftermath. Shout out to Eddy, though. Thank you for making it.
Week 18 is primed to be a weekend to remember. Saturday features potential division-clinching matchups, and Sunday night will conclude the regular season with one of the league's best rivalries. There are two remaining playoff spots up for grabs, along with four divisions that have yet to be decided: the AFC North, AFC South, NFC West and NFC South. The AFC North is down to the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) in a win-or-go-home matchup.
Ben Solak, Seth Walder and Matt Bowen bring different perspectives into how they approach sports betting. Solak leans on his expertise in player evaluation and the X's and O's to find edges, while Walder relies on statistical models to pick out plus-expected value bets. Bowen, a former NFL safety, predicts positive matchups and game winners from tape study and his understanding of the league.
The San Francisco 49ers are taking on the Seattle Seahawks in a Saturday night showdown at 5 p.m. PDT on Jan. 3 at Levi's Stadium. The winner of Saturday night's game will take the NFC West crown and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, earning a bye next week in the wild-card round. The 49ers will need to slow down the NFL's leading receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, to keep the Seahawks from piling up the points.
"I'm not trying to plateau, I'm not trying to break even. I'm not trying to peak. I'm just trying to get better," Davis said. "And like when I'm getting better, it's like an indicator that I'm on the right track. And so, because I've done that, I think that gives me a lot of confidence that I'm looking forward to returning."
Sewell suffered a torn Achilles in Sunday night's loss to the 49ers, ending his 2025 season and starting a length rehab process for the third-year linebacker. Teller aggravated a calf injury on Sunday against the Steelers. He will miss the Browns' last game of the season and is set to hit free agency this offseason. After seven years in Cleveland, Teller may need to find a new home this offseason.
In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, the Rams had the ball while trailing the Falcons 27-24. On the first play of the drive, quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a pass to a wide-open Xavier Smith that was just out of his reach. Had the throw been more accurate, Smith likely would have scored the game-winning touchdown. On the next play, Stafford again tried to go deep.
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.
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.
