NEW ORLEANS – The 49ers are 2-0 for the fourth time in seven seasons, and although this undermanned version doesn’t look like world beaters, they outlasted the New Orleans Saints 26-21 Sunday.

It was a wild ride with Mac Jones debuting in place of an injured Brock Purdy, but Jones threw three touchdown passes, the final one being a 42-yard ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — To a player, they’re all saying it’s just another game that happens to fall on Monday night. That they consider all matchups to be of equal quality.

Nothing different than any other game.

But it is for the Raiders.

It’s a definite step up in competition.

We’ll learn a whole lot more about them this week.

The Raiders ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — In one key area, nothing’s changed since the Super Bowl.

The Eagles, compared to the Chiefs, still have more high-end talent, raising the question why oddmakers now favor Philadelphia by just 1 1/2 points in Sunday’s rematch.

The answer begins with Patrick Mahomes. He’s worth a touchdown on betting lines. Last week, in his ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Turnovers, injuries, officiating and disqualifying unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

That’s the list of the most likely variables that would lead to an Eagles loss on Sunday. Are there others? Sure. Even the greatest of teams can get beat by Patrick Mahomes when he goes full Superman. Andy Reid has watched the Super Bowl ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The plan, like so many plans in life, was fanciful, intricate, and doomed.

The 49ers had it all mapped out. Their young defense, littered with baby faces, would undergo a baptism by fire. It would take its lumps, learn on the fly, and hopefully find its rhythm somewhere along the way. Meanwhile, the big four of the ...Read more

Last week was about not knowing what we didn’t know. This week is about not overreacting.

This week boils down to a simple choice.

Fade what happened in Week 1 or treat it like an opening salvo of what will eventually become our new normal (or whatever resembles normal in the NFL).

Is Daniel Jones and the Colts’ offense really that good? ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Kicker Younghoe Koo will not travel with the team for the Falcons’ game against the Vikings at 8:20 p.m. Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Falcons announced Saturday.

The team elevated kicker Parker Romo to the active roster from the practice squad as a standard practice-squad elevation to replace Koo.

Koo missed a 44-yard ...Read more

The Patriots are trading wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Saints for a 2027 sixth-rounder, a source confirmed to the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.

Polk was placed on season-ending injured reserve this summer after he sustained a shoulder injury in the Patriots’ preseason opener.

The former second-round pick ...Read more

CHICAGO — The phone rang in the days after Ben Johnson left the Detroit Lions to take the Chicago Bears head coaching job.

Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown documented it with his brother Equanimeous on their podcast. The episode aired days after the Lions’ shocking loss to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round of the NFC ...Read more

Jim Harbaugh didn’t know if he was coming or going.

Exhausted to the point of collapse and parked in the driveway of his Oakland Hills home, he briefly allowed himself to close his eyes — was it for a minute? An hour? — before jolting awake at 4 a.m. in a foggy panic. Had he just returned from his round-the-clock job with the Oakland ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Mac Jones came to the 49ers to back up Brock Purdy after washing out in both New England and Jacksonville, working his hardest to be ready when called upon.

It happened sooner than anyone imagined when Purdy came out of a season-opening 17-13 win over Seattle with toe and left shoulder injuries, which could sideline him ...Read more

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — A few short weeks ago, it was easy to believe that Ben Johnson's return to Ford Field would be a high-intensity slugfest between teams looking to establish dominance as the division's top dog.

Instead, both teams are simply hoping to avoid starting 0-2 on the season and in the NFC North. The Lions lost at Green Bay, 27-13,...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The 49ers knew they would be without Brock Purdy and George Kittle.

Now the status of left tackle Trent Williams is up in the air as the 49ers depart for their Week 2 road assignment in New Orleans.

Williams and wide receiver Jauan Jennings were officially listed as questionable by coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday ...Read more

Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill on Friday declined to comment on his estranged wife’s allegations of domestic abuse but said the NFL has not contacted him, as the league begins to investigate the matter.

Amid trade speculation, Hill also reiterated that he’s happy playing for the Dolphins. The team has not been trying to trade him.

Hill ...Read more

After sitting out Wednesday’s practice, Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy returned Thursday and Friday. The team officially listed Worthy as a “limited” participant in both workouts.

While Worthy continues to progress, it still seems unlikely that he will be healthy enough to take the field Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at GEHA ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Jamel Dean said he changed his diet, and although he still stands 6 feet 1 and weighs 205 pounds, he feels faster and leaner to start the season.

At the very least, his wallet is significantly lighter.

Dean, 28, agreed to a massive pay cut three weeks ago to remain with the Bucs.

He was scheduled to earn $12.5 million this ...Read more

The Miami Dolphins pass rush was supposed to be a game-changer.

With Zach Sieler rewarded with a hefty extension, the star defensive tackle would lead a unit bolstered by the “Big Dawgz,” the edge rusher’s self-proclaimed nickname. The issue, however, was that the pass rush lacked bite in Week 1 as the unit only finished with a single ...Read more