NFL HONOURS NOMINEES REVEALED

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The NFL and The Associated Press have announced the finalists for their annual awards, with winners to be revealed at the NFL Honours ceremony in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl LIX. This year’s awards, are to be hosted by Snoop Dogg, will also feature the presenttion of the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year accolade along with …

GRIDIRON POWER RANKINGS: THE FULL 32

Nicholas McGee NFL

Welcome to Gridiron’s final power ranking of the 2024 NFL regular season, featuring — for the first time — all 32 teams. Who comes out on top after 18 weeks of competition? Is the worst team in the league the one that will be picking first in April’s Draft? And how are the 14 playoff teams stacking up?   GRIDIRON POWER …

Walter Payton Award nominees unveiled

Gridiron

The NFL has announced the 32 nominees for this year’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide, reflecting the off-the-field endeavours of those better known for their performances between the lines. The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award has become the league’s most revered honour, recognising players who excel on the field and demonstrate …

Rooney Award nominees out as Pro Bowl vote opens

Gridiron NFL

Thirty-two players have been nominated for the eleventh annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, the winner of which will be determined in the build-up to this year’s NFL Pro Bowl. Created in 2014, the award honours the late Art Rooney Sr., founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers and now resident in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Each NFL team nominates a …

NFL Weekend Preview: Week 11

Craig Llewellyn NFL

Week 10 was one of the worst weeks of the 2024 season in terms of offensive output. Teams averaged 1.86 points per drive and threw interceptions at a 2.9% rate, both “good” for the second-worst weeks of the season. But while Week 11 can’t guarantee more explosive play on offense, it promises to be a fascinating week with several key …

NFL Weekend Preview: Week 10

Craig Llewellyn NFL

With nine of 18 weeks — and 138 of 272 games completed — the 2024 NFL regular season has edged past its halfway point with the Kansas City Chiefs still clinging the league’s last unbeaten record, having moved to 8-0 with a hard-fought overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. With the win, the Chiefs became …

This Given Sunday: The League’s Best Pull Away

Thomas Ritchie NFL

The NFL season has been characterised by tight games, nip-and-tuck affairs that are decided in the dying embers. While there were a number of such games again in Week 9, the league’s best are starting to pull away from the competition. All but one of this Sunday’s games were won by the bookies’ favourites. While the Ravens and Lions solidified …

NFL Weekend Preview: Week 9

Gridiron NFL

Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season was a riot of scoring, with 777 points scored across the 16 games. But the theme of the season, namely close games, continued, with 13 of the games within eight points heading into the fourth quarter. Through the first eight weeks of the season, 67 games have been decided by seven points or …

Mayo: ‘Soft’ Patriots can’t sit and pout

Gridiron NFL

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo admitted that he was disappointed with what he called a ‘soft’ performance from his team after they fell to defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley. Mayo was quick to bemoan failings on both sides of the run game, but refused to dwell on the shortcomings after the Patriots watched a 10-0 first …

Maye happy with fast start at Wembley

Craig Llewellyn NFL

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye praised his New England Patriots teammates for getting out of the blocks quickly in their International Series game against Jacksonville at Wembley, but lamented the fact that the early momentum could not be sustained in a game that got away before half-time. Maye, making only his second NFL start, was encouraged by the way his team …

THE GLOBAL GAME

Neil Reynolds NFL

“This is a unique time in our history to advance our growth, particularly internationally. It may be the single-most important growth moment in our history.” Those were the comments made to me when I sat down with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in Frankfurt last November. The league has certainly backed up that bold statement by announcing that five regular season …

2024 International Series Match-Ups Confirmed

Gridiron NFL

The National Football League has announced the schedule of the 2024 International Games that will be played across London, Munich and São Paulo as the league’s global footprint continues to expand. The Minnesota Vikings will kick off the league’s return to Europe on Sunday, October 6th, as they play the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The following — …

NFL expands Global Markets Programme

Gridiron NFL

The National Football League has further expanded its Global Markets Programme, with four new clubs and five new markets set to participate in 2024, following approval from the International Committee at the league’s annual meeting in Orlando. First launched in 2022, the Global Markets Programme awards NFL clubs international marketing rights to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the U.S., …

Franchise and Transition Players Named

Gridiron NFL

Eight NFL franchises opted to make use of the franchise tag — and one more the lesser-used transition tag — as the league hurtles towards the start of another new year. Player designations had to be confirmed by Tuesday, ahead of the 2024 NFL free agency signing period, which begins at 4pm ET next Wednesday (March 13). Each club can …

Shocks to the system

Gridiron NFL

The 2021-22 NFL season was a great one, especially the playoffs. We got to watch two underdog teams battle their way to the top and then duke it out in a nail-bitingly close Super Bowl for the finale. While the 2022 Draft wasn’t as exciting as fans had hoped, there are still some intriguing prospects that people are excited to …

BIG MAC

Gridiron NFL

Mac Jones’ swagger as he made his way to the main stage at April’s NFL Draft in Cleveland was taken by many as a sign that he felt he had lucked in to the franchise he wanted to join. Two games into his rookie season, however, those same observers are believing that New England might be the lucky ones. Despite …

THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY

Liam Blackburn NFL

This article originally appeared in Issue 12 of Gridiron Weekly, back in 2020 – for individual editions or subscriptions, click HERE Cam Newton just wants “respect”. And who can blame him. He’s 31, a former NFL MVP, the Carolina Panthers’ franchise leader in every major passing category and — with the most rushing touchdowns for a quarterback in league history …

The Incredible Sulk

Neil Reynolds NFL

This article, from Issue XXI of Gridiron, originally appeared in 2016. For individual editions or subscriptions, click HERE The Super Bowl quite rightly holds a very special place in the hearts of NFL fans. And it takes up permanent residence in our memory banks with iconic images living with us for decades. Think about it for a moment — which …

Best of Enemies

Gridiron NFL

What constitutes a great sporting rivalry? I’d define it as a situation where games between the teams involved are so important that winning can mitigate against an otherwise unsuccessful season. Those kinds of rivalries are defined by tradition, competitiveness and longevity. The NFL is full of great short-term rivalries, but many peter out when teams decline; think Raiders/Steelers in the …

Draft Analysis 2020: AFC

Simon Clancy NFL

As the smoke clears on the first ever virtual NFL Player Selection Meeting, we grade each American Football Conference team on the strength of their acquisitions. AFC EAST Buffalo Bills: Given that they gave up their first pick for Stefon Diggs, Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane did an outstanding job across all three days. AJ Epenesa should contribute immediately, and …

Six Appeal

Neil Reynolds NFL

“Hopefully, I can win it every year. If I’m going to ask for something, I’m going to be really greedy and ask for that.” Those words come from an interview we conducted with Tom Brady more than five years ago, but are equally – if not more – pertinent now. At that stage, the New England Patriots quarterback had already …