USATSI The Minnesota Vikings have designated star wide receiver Justin Jefferson to return from injured reserve, the team announced on Wednesday. This now opens up the All-Pro’s practice window and he can resume working on the field with his teammates this week. Minnesota will now have 21 days to activate Jefferson onto the 53-man roster or else he will revert to …

Montez Sweat records highest pass rush win rate of his season against Saints originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago One of the risks the Bears took on when they signed Montez Sweat to a long-term extension is his ability to play without All-Star talent across from him. With the Commanders, he played all but one season without Chase Young — …

The Ohio State football team is headed back home after a couple of physical tests on the road vs. Wisconsin and Rutgers. The team that will meet the Buckeyes there is a Michigan State team that’s having a season to forget. Not only are there some off the field things the school is trying to move on from, but the …

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens says he can get frustrated when he’s not heavily involved in the offense but his recent move to briefly erase any Steelers content from his Instagram page was unrelated to football. Pickens raised eyebrows when he didn’t seem interested in joining the celebration when Diontae Johnson scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter …

USATSI The Houston Texans are riding high following their 39-37 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud led a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with just 46 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Stroud set an NFL record for the most passing yards in NFL history for a rookie (470), and became just the third player …

Former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer offered some high praise for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe this week, comparing him to two of the most electric college football players in recent memory. “Right now, the Reggie Bush, Percy Harvin of college football is playing quarterback at Alabama, and they’re running him,” Meyer said on “Urban’s Take with Tim May” …

Dick Butkus, a Chicago Bears legend who is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in league history, died last month at the age of 80. According to the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, the Hall of Fame linebacker died as a result of a “cerebrovascular accident,” which is commonly known as a stroke. In addition, secondary causes …

You look at Washington — the football team, not the city, though this applies there too — and you see nothing but dysfunction, years of underperforming and incompetence and empty promises. But you look a little closer, and Washington has in its hands the most precious of all NFL treasures: a good quarterback on a rookie contract. Commanders head coach …

The firing of Alex Grinch is the main item of interest for USC football fans this week. We wrote after the Washington game that “The Trojans’ 52-42 loss makes it a near certainty they will not play in the Pac-12 Championship game on Dec. 1 in Las Vegas. This means the Nov. 18 game versus UCLA will be USC’s last …

Despite falling to No. 5 Washington on Saturday, USC quarterback Caleb Williams played an excellent game. He finished the emotional affair with 312 yards passing (27-of-35) and three TDs, while the Trojans offense put up 42 points. The only problem? Their defense gave up 52. The loss was USC’s third of the season and pushed the Trojans out of the …

The Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears meet this Thursday night for the first time since the monster trade between the teams that moved the Panthers up from No. 9 to No. 1 in last April’s draft — earning the rights to select Bryce Young at No. 1 overall.  In the massive deal, the Panthers relinquished the No. 9 overall selection …

We are now officially halfway through the 2023 NFL season, and all 32 clubs are dealing with notable injuries. The New York Giants are down to their third quarterback, the New York Jets are banged up on the offensive line and a couple of wide receivers such as Christian Watson and Drake London are dealing with issues.  Let’s take a …

The firing of Alex Grinch as USC’s defensive coordinator is a time for a lot of reflection. We are trying to provide context, perspective, an assessment of Lincoln Riley’s handling of this situation, and a lot more in the wake of this big news story. We’re busy here at our site writing articles. We have also recorded our new Trojans …

Greg Wyshynski, ESPNNov 8, 2023, 05:08 PM ET CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the four-game suspension given to Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy for an illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Oct. 30. Since the suspension is less than six games and did not involve an in-person …

Shanahan states Wilks will coach from 49ers’ sideline vs. Jaguars originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area SANTA CLARA — The 49ers’ defense will have a noticeably different look on Sunday. During the bye week, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks discussed whether to change Wilks’ vantage point during games. And when the team returns to action …