Category: Football

After a breakout second season featuring several clutch moments that will go down in Bears all-time lore, Caleb Williams is the cover athlete for “Madden 27.” He became the first Bears player to earn the honor.

It might not be an honor many Chicago fans wanted him to earn, though, because the first thing that comes to mind regarding the Madden cover athlete, of course, is the “Madden Curse.” Though the curse has seemingly been lifted in the past decade or so, it will quickly become the supposed reason for a player’s down year, according to the superstitious.

Several factors work in Williams’

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The Buccaneers’ run of four straight division titles came to an end in 2025 due to the Panthers sweeping the Falcons and winning the tiebreaker between the three 8-9 teams, but Tampa Bay has no one to blame but itself after losing seven of its nine games after the bye. That included a loss to each of its division rivals by four points or fewer from Weeks 14-16. On top of wondering what might have been, the Bucs have had to navigate the loss of longtime stars on both sides of the ball as Mike Evans and Lavonte David are

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The Titans reset once again this offseason after a third straight finish in the basement of the AFC South. 2024 coaching hire Brian Callahan went 4-19 with the team before getting jettisoned after Week 6 last season, and interim coach Mike McCoy didn’t fare much better. Enter Robert Saleh, who had similar issues as the Jets head coach for three-plus seasons before a successful stint as 49ers defensive coordinator last year. With a No. 1 overall pick at quarterback in Cam Ward and a top-five pick at receiver in Carnell Tate, it’s time for the Titans to find a way

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The 2026 Canadian Football League season begins on Thursday, June 4 with a rematch of last year’s division semifinal with the Montreal Alouettes visiting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Montreal prevailed in that contest 19-16 but was unable to defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Grey Cup. Week 1 action will also feature the Edmonton Elks battling the Ottawa Redblacks and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers taking on the Calgary Stampeders. Before you make your wagers for Week 1 of the 2026 CFL season, you should see what SportsLine expert Emory Hunt is playing for his best bets.

Born and raised in New Orleans,

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Optimism brews for the Saints despite being the one NFC South team to not finish 8-9 last year, as a four-game winning streak late in the season was still only enough to get New Orleans to 6-11. Perhaps that optimism is tied to second-year quarterback Tyler Shough, who went 5-4 as a starter and helped the Saints sweep the division-winning Panthers. Shough was the runner-up in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race, and he enters his sophomore season with two key additions on offense in free-agent running back Travis Etienne and top 10 draft pick Jordyn Tyson. Will those

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While the meteoric rise of teams like the Seahawks, Patriots and Bears defined the 2025 NFL season, the Jaguars shouldn’t be overlooked. An inexperienced coaching staff with Liam Coen at the helm quickly figured out the secret to success and rattled off eight straight wins to close the regular season before losing a nail-biter to the Bills in the wild card round. After posting the second best record in franchise history behind 1999’s Jaguars team that went 14-2, Coen and Co. will now have to prove it wasn’t a fluke while playing a first-place schedule.

We’re taking a look at everything

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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been selected as the cover athlete for “Madden NFL 27,” making him the first Bear to ever grace the cover of the world-famous football game. 

In his second NFL season, Williams completed 58.1% of his passes for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions while helping Chicago improve from 5-12 to 11-6. Those 3,942 passing yards set a franchise single-season record, and the Bears’ No. 6 ranking in total offense was Chicago’s highest since the 1983 season, according to CBS Sports Research. Under new head coach Ben Johnson, the Bears clinched the NFC North

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🏀 Five things to know Wednesday The NBA Finals tip off tonight. We made it to the final series of the season. The Spurs and Knicks open the Finals tonight in San Antonio, and we identified the 10 most important storylines that will determine which squad takes home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Taking things further than the X’s and O’s, we also took a

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The Panthers went from two wins in Bryce Young’s rookie season to a division title two years later, although the latter was tightly contested and may not have been fully supported by the team’s 27th-ranked scoring offense. Even with those scoring struggles, the biggest additions this offseason came on defense, where Carolina added two of the biggest defensive names on the market in edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. If that pair gives the defense a boost, then success this season may hinge on whether Young can play well enough to earn a big-money extension from the team.

We’re

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