The last two teams standing in the 2025 season will kick off their 2026 training camps on Friday. Veteran players for the Seahawks and Patriots will report to camp and both teams will hold their first practices of the summer on Saturday. The Cardinals and Panthers, who play in the Hall of Fame Game, became the first two teams to open camp earlier this week. The Seahawks and Patriots are reporting ahead of other teams because they will play the first game of the regular season on September 9 in Seattle . The Seahawks are hosting the game because they beat New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX. The Rams and 49ers will have their full squads in camp on Saturday and the remaining 26 teams will get things going on July 28
A quality NFL backup quarterback doesn't exactly garner the headlines of an All-Pro-caliber starter. It shouldn't. That said, the value cannot be overlooked. If a franchise's starter goes down for a game, or two, or six, the season could go in the toilet in an instant if they don't have someone who can come in and keep things afloat momentarily. So, while the last thing anyone wants to think about is the established starter missing time, it's good to have a quality insurance plan. Take last season, for example. A number of backup quarterbacks rose to the occasion, and their successes drove the playoff picture. A key reason why the Houston Texans overcame C.J. Stroud's absence after a concussion in Week 9 was due to backup Davis Mills thriving when his number was called. Mills went 3-0 over his stretch as the starter, which helped Houston mount a playoff berth. In the NFC, Mac Jones led the San Francisco 49ers to a 5-3 record as the starter while Brock Purdy was sidelined, and that helped them stay in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the conference until Week 18. Of course, maybe the greatest recent example of having a top backup is Nick Foles in 2017, as he stepped in for an injured Carson Wentz and led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl LII title. With all that in mind, we're going to look at a slew of contenders and size up what their backup quarterback situation looks like and rank them. To draw a line in the sand for what "contender" actually means, we're looking at clubs that have odds to win Super Bowl LXI of +2500 or shorter at DraftKings Sportsbook, which gives us 16 teams in total. Starter : Josh Allen Backups : Kyle Allen , Shane Buechele Kyle Allen inked a two-year, $4.1 million deal to be the primary backup to Josh Allen, while 2021 undrafted free agent Shane Buechele is the third-stringer. Allen, who has been in the NFL since 2018, has starting experience (19 total starts), but hasn't started a game since Week 13 of the 2022 season while a member of the Houston Texans. In that game, he completed just 51.3% of his passes, tossed two interceptions, and recorded two fumbles (one lost). For his career, the 30-year-old is 7-12 as a starter, while completing 62.5% of his passes with an 82.1 passer rating. While maybe no quarterback can compare to Josh Allen, it would be a Grand Canyon-sized difference in the event they need to hand the keys over to Kyle Allen. Starter : Jared Goff Backups : Teddy Bridgewater , Luke Altmyer (UDFA) Not that long ago, Teddy Bridgewater was coaching high school football. After resigning from his post at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in August of last year, he signed on to be a backup for the Buccaneers and did see some action in Week 12 last season against the Rams . There, Bridgewater completed 53.3% of his throws for just 62 yards. The last time he started a game came back in Week 17 of the 2022 season as a member of the Dolphins . Now, Bridgewater is back in Detroit (where he served as a backup from 2023 to 2024) with the Lions and will likely serve as the top option behind Jared Goff, with undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer also in the fold. While Bridgewater has 65 regular-season starts under his belt and is above .500 (33-32) over that run, it's fair to wonder how much he truly has in the tank as he'll turn 34 during the 2026 season. Starter : Justin Herbert Backups : Trey Lance , DJ Uiagalelei Justin Herbert has been remarkably durable over the course of his career, considering the volume of hits he takes. Since entering the NFL in 2020, Herbert has taken the most hits (615) and the most sacks (225) in the league. That includes 129 quarterback hits last season, which was tied for the second-most in the last 20 years. While L.A. has invested in the offensive line and was simply dealt a bad hand with injuries to Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt last season, you'd think they'd pursue a better backup than they currently have in Trey Lance. Lance does have the pedigree of being a
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The New England Patriots added Alijah Vera-Tucker to bolster their offensive line, particularly on the left side, after struggles in pass protection during the 2025 playoffs. Vera-Tucker, a former first-round pick by the New York Jets, brings experience and upside to the guard position
Wherever you place Joe Burrow among the best QBs in the NFL, there’s no denying he’s in the top five. Meanwhile, you can make a strong argument that his backup, Joe Flacco, is the best thrower of footballs coming off the bench. So it’s no surprise that CBS’ Jordan Dajani has the Bengals QB room as the second best in the NFL in his ranking of the five best and five worst QB situations . Here’s some of what he wrote about Burrow: When he remained healthy in 2024, the former No. 1 overall pick led the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns while throwing just nine interceptions… Burrow is actually the only quarterback in NFL history to register a 100+ passer rating while making zero playoff starts in a three-season span. He’s also been the most-sacked quarterback (242) since entering the league in 2020, if we include sacks taken in the playoffs. Dajani then explained the value of Flacco, writing: The Bengals also have a former Super Bowl MVP and Comeback Player of the Year in their quarterback room, Joe Flacco — who made the Pro Bowl as an alternate last year. The 40-year-old was starting to look his age with the Browns at the start of 2025, but was rejuvenated by the trade to Cincinnati in October. In his second start with the Bengals, Flacco threw for 342 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions and registered his 30th career game-winning drive in an upset of the rival Pittsburgh Steelers . In Week 9, Flacco became the fifth player in NFL history to throw for 470 yards and four touchdowns while scoring 40 points … in a loss. The San Francisco 49ers won the top spot for QB rooms on account of starter Brock Purdy and backup Mac Jones . Third place went to the Kansas City Chiefs , fourth place to the Los Angeles Rams , and fifth place to the Baltimore Ravens. Meanwhile, Dajani named the Cleveland Browns’ QB room the worst in the NFL on account of the “confusion and chaos” of having the $230 million man ( Deshaun Watson ) on the same roster as the somehow-Pro Bowler Shedeur Sanders . The New York Jets were second worst, the Arizona Cardinals third worst, the Miami Dolphins fourth worst, and the Atlanta Falcons fifth worst
July will shortly turn into August, and soon the San Francisco 49ers will be playing preseason games. But while the season is nearing, the 49ers aren’t without questions going into 2026. Over the next few weeks, we will look at each position group and post three questions, whether they are questions that will be answered in August or during the season. First, we start with the quarterback position: Can Brock Purdy stay healthy? I wouldn’t say Brock Purdy has been injury-prone over his career; instead, he’s more prone to be dinged up. While the 26-year-old has suffered a wide variety of injuries, either the timing or the severity has prevented Purdy from missing too many games up until the 2025 season. An oblique injury in 2022 caused some concern entering a Thursday night game in Seattle, but Purdy toughed it out to help the 49ers beat the Seahawks. Several weeks later, he’d suffer the elbow injury that would knock him and the 49ers out of the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia . Still, he wouldn’t miss any games the following season, with the offseason being used to recover. 2023 was relatively clean for Purdy, with the exception of a concussion finding him on the injury report prior to a Week 8 loss to the Bengals , capping a three-game losing streak. 2024 was the same as the year before, with a right shoulder injury being the only blip, causing Purdy to miss a drubbing at the hands of the Packers . Despite that wide range of injuries, Purdy had only missed three games due to injury entering the 2025 season. But then a turf toe injury cost Purdy half of the 2025 season, where Mac Jones entered and kept the 49ers afloat until Purdy returned in Week 11 and finished the season, nearly leading San Francisco to an NFC West crown. But can Purdy stay healthy for an entire season? He’s been able to mostly avoid serious injury, but can he keep the dings and damage that’s common in an NFL season to prevent his name from hitting the injury report? If Purdy stays healthy, can he take that next step? What does the next step even look like for Purdy? It feels as if he’s been floating around that middle tier of quarterback rankings that are oh so popular around this time of year. But how can Purdy find himself inside that top-10 quarterback list? The first step would be to keep the interceptions at a minimum. Purdy has thrown double-digit picks in each of his last three seasons, which is a concern considering he played just nine games last season. With his 10 interceptions in nine games, Purdy had a career-high 3.5 interception rate, the first time he’s been over three percent in his career. Since he made his debut in 2022, Purdy has the second-highest interception rate in the league (minimum 1,000 pass attempts): Mac Jones – 2.8 Purdy – 2.7 Joe Flacco – 2.6 Tua Tagovailoa – 2.5 Sam Darnold – 2.5 Geno Smith – 2.5 That list is a who’s who of interception-prone quarterbacks, but Purdy is likely the best quarterback on that list. If the interception rate can drop, Purdy can find himself in the very-good-to-potentially-elite tier of quarterbacks. Maybe a fully-healthy season will help Purdy take that step. Maybe even the 49ers revamped receiver room will help as well. But it feels like there’s room for improvement for Purdy, and ideally 2026 will be the year it all comes together for the quarterback. How will the 49ers handle Mac Jones? Let’s look at this question through a hypothetical lens. The trade deadline for the 2026 season lands on November 10. Let’s say the 49ers are 6-2 by the time the Week 10 deadline comes around and Purdy is not only healthy but playing the best ball of his career with no signs of stopping. Now let’s look around the league. The Vikings are 4-4, staying afloat in the NFC North behind their defense but with subpar quarterback play from either Kyler Murray or JJ McCarthy. Maybe the Falcons or Colts are playing well, but they are less than thrilled with their quarterback situations. Let’s j
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TEAM TALK Patriots Unfiltered: Training camp competition , offseason topics, FIFA World Cup. (2 hours) LOCAL LINKS Phil Perry ’s Numbers to Know: Why Maye-Brown connection could be lethal, and more. /Interesting . Hector Longo focuses on 5-foot-8 speedster Demario Douglas , who will be battling for a roster spot in one of the NFL’s bigger wide receiver rooms. Khari Thompson ’s 2026 position preview: Running backs edition. Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson headline a group that finished sixth in the NFL in rushing yards per game last season. Bill Heyen explains why this year will be different for TreVeyon Henderson in the Pats’ RB room. Ethan Hurwitz mentions how using Pro Scout Insights is helping Drake Maye improve in 2026. Hector Longo spotlights kicker Andy Borregales , who enters Year 2 with no competition and a big kick behind him. Stephen Sheehan relays Zak Kuhr on Christian Barmore and what he needs from the Pats star DT. Sara Marshall discusses a recent prediction that sees safety Kevin Byard III regressing in 2026. “ He’s getting older. He has nowhere to go but down after leading the NFL in picks. He’s going to have to adjust to a new team… and there’s a player behind him on the depth chart who might … challenge him for snaps.” Sara Marshall picks up on TE Eli Raridon hype as an overlooked Patriots rookie who hit the NFLs radar. NESN looks at the Patriots offseason losses in 2026: Who Replaces Stefon Diggs , K’Lavon Chaisson and other key departures? Lauren Campbell relays Tom Brady on realizing how important Rob Gronkowski was. Khari Thompson highlights Mac Jones opening up about his tumultuous time with the Patriots. “Brian Hoyer was the backup … but we were like, this is not going to be good.” Sara Marshall is thankful Eliot Wolf never pulled the trigger on the rumored trade offer on the table for WR Brandon Aiyuk . Aiyuk’s uncertain future and recent social media shenanigans underline that non-move. Patriots Daily podcast: Taylor Kyles and Mike Kadlick discuss the AFC East landscape , who are the kings of the division, if Drake Maye closed the gap on Josh Allen , and more. (49 min.) NATIONAL NEWS NFL Nation (ESPN) AFC East: Can Bills, Jets or Dolphins unseat the Patriots? Video (ESPN) What to watch for in the AFC East ? (1 min. video) Jeremy Fowler (ESPN) Execs, coaches, scouts rank top NFL tight ends for 2026. No Pats. Matt Okada (NFL.com) 2026 NFL season’s most highly anticipated Week 1 debuts: Newly acquired players spice up all 16 games. Patriots included. Justin Melo (NFL Draft on SI) The most overlooked NFL Draft pick at every position group (And why they’ll be steals). TE Eli Rarido included. /Click for commentary . Bobby Kownack (NFL.com) AFC West training camp preview: Top storylines for Broncos, Chargers , Chiefs, Raiders. /Patriots play the AFC West this season
Mac Jones on 49ers choosing Lance over him, why he was meant to join Shanahan “And I felt like I had really good interviews,” Jones said. “Kyle really liked what I was doing on Zoom. My Zoom setup was incredible. I had the whiteboard and all the right s–t. I’m like, I’m gonna do this right . So, I had it all, and I would go in there and show tape and try and show them what my superpower is, which is my ability to process and be smart, and also like rip it, and show them that I have that side of me too.” He entered draft night believing he had a legitimate chance to land in San Francisco. “So I think I had good interviews, and leading up to it, I was like feeling good about it,” Jones said. “And I met with a bunch of teams, and a lot of teams thought I was going to be gone, so they didn’t even meet with me. Anyways, so like the day comes, and I ended up not getting picked by them, and I didn’t really know. It was 50/50. We really didn’t [know]. And they went with Trey, which is just fine. And Trey, I know Trey. He’s a good dude. And I think, Kyle, he really wanted me to get back there somehow, like when I went to New England . You could have just picked me at 12,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t know if I’m worth three first-round picks, but s–t, sign me up.” 49ers sign 4th-round pick Gracen Halton to 4-yr, $5.6M deal “ With the move, the 49ers have signed their entire 2026 draft class.” Watch: 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey’s offseason workout routine “As anticipation builds for the 2026 season, new video has surfaced showcasing McCaffrey’s offseason training routine as the star running back prepares for his 10th NFL campaign.” 49ers 90-in-90: Jordan Watkins reminds us of a pair of former Kyle Shanahan receivers “I imagine Watkins will be the Skyy Moore of 2026, but a more complete version. During OTAs, Watkins and Jacob Cowing were the primary kick and punt returners. Rookie wideout Will Pauling mixed in here and there, but the former two are the starters. Watkins was the only one who didn’t muff a punt. Watkins can have the same kind of splash returns as Moore without fielding the ball inside the five-yard line and driving everybody in the stadium crazy in the process. They have similar body types; Watkins ran a 4.37 40, compared to Moore’s 4.41. Moore reaches his top speed quicker, and that’s what made him a successful punt returner. Watkins’ 10-yard split was in the 65th percentile, compared to Moore’s 98th percentile 10-yard split. The team tried to use Moore on offense, but to no avail. He couldn’t shake free, no matter where Kyle Shanahan lined him up. Interestingly enough, Watkins played most of his snaps at “X” as the isolated receiver. He only ran 15 routes, so there’s not much film to go off of Watkins as a rookie. Still, his usage stood out. The first target of the season went from Watkins’ hands on a sail concept, 15 yards downfield from Mac Jones. It’s a pass he should’ve caught, but those are the kind of routes you can run with a 4.3 wideout….Ultimately, Watkins proved he can be used as a blocker and perhaps be the Travis Benjamin-esque type of receiver in Shanahan’s offenses over the years. The wideout that runs the long developing routes down the field when the offense wants to hit the home run. But Watkins must work on his intermediate route running if he’s ever going to be a consistent threat.”
Mac Jones, originally drafted by the Patriots, is now a backup for the 49ers, the team he believed might draft him in 2021. Jones expressed that everything happens for a reason and joked about saving the 49ers draft picks. He will remain Brock Purdy's backup this season, the final year of his contract
In 2021, Trey Lance went third overall to the 49ers , and Mac Jones followed 12 picks later to the Patriots. Lance is a backup with the Chargers, his third team, and Jones is a backup with the 49ers, his third team. It took Jones four years to end up with the team he thought he should have joined on his draft day. "I remember like all the hype leading up to it, but yeah, I think everything happens for a reason ," Jones said on Bussin' with the Boys, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. "Like I'm here where I'm at now, and I did think [they might draft me]. They traded up for somebody, and I knew it was one of two people, and I was one of the people. So, I guess if you're a gambling man, it's a 50/50 shot at the start." It was unclear who the 49ers wanted to draft that year as they kept their choice under wraps. Jones had no indication what San Francisco was doing until the team selected Lance after trading the 12th overall pick, first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 and a 2022 third-round pick to the Dolphins. Jones joked that he could have saved the 49ers the draft picks if they had stood pat and selected him. "You could have just picked me at 12," Jones said. "I don't know if I'm worth three first-round picks, but shit, sign me up." No one traded for Jones this offseason, so he will remain Brock Purdy 's backup this season in the final year of his contract
Insider: If a QB goes down, the first call could be to the 49ers “If a starting quarterback goes down, you would have to believe that their first call is to the San Francisco 49ers for Mac Jones ,” Palmer said this week. “You would have to think that would be the first call that they make. This is a guy who played very well in the most popular system used around the NFL, which is the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay system. And he operated very well when Brock Purdy was out.” NFL free agency rumors swirl with 49ers in the mix for big names “Among teams making the most buzz in these projections are the San Francisco 49ers. Despite reshaping parts of their roster this offseason, the Niners are still being linked with two notable free agents in edge rusher Joey Bosa and veteran guard Kevin Zeitler. Both players address areas where San Francisco could use experienced depth before the regular season begins.” 49ers named best landing spot for veteran pass rusher Kyle Van Noy “Over the past three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens , he’s morphed into a very productive rotational edge-rusher,” Knox wrote. “In three seasons with Baltimore, Van Noy recorded 23.5 sacks and 54 quarterback pressures. Adding Van Noy would be a sensible move for the San Francisco 49ers.” The 3 defensive players under the most pressure for the 49ers in 2026 “Posting four tackles for loss in his debut season, Williams’ average depth of tackle against the run was minus 0.1 yards, per PFF, illustrating his ability to win the leverage battle with opposing offensive linemen and make plays at or behind the line of scrimmage.”
Rams quarterback Ty Simpson didn’t slide far enough in the first round to make that into a legitimate source of motivation. If he’s looking for it elsewhere, he’s in luck. Former two-time NFL General Manager Scot McCloughan recently directed sharp criticism at the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. “I think the quarterback from Alabama is overdrafted,” McCloughan said on the Team 980 in D.C., via Valentina Martinez of the New York Post . “But it’s the position alone, you know. I think, not being a guru, but he’s like J.J. McCarthy. He’s like Mac Jones. He’s a career backup .” (It’s been a week of catching strays for McCarthy. First, Dianna Russini says he “ sucks ” in the footage from her January traffic stop. Now this.) “Ideally, he might start, but that’s because of where his pick was and they want to prove everybody right, you know, type of thing,” McCloughan said. “And that’s not the way you should build a roster. Not at all.” McCloughan knows a thing or two about scouting; he served as G.M. of the 49ers from 2008 to 2009, a personnel executive in Seattle from 2010 to 2013 (when they built a Super Bowl champion), and Washington G.M. from 2015 to 2016. Then again, Sean McVay knows a thing or two about quarterbacks. And this is the first potential starter the Rams have drafted since McVay arrived in 2017. (He inherited Jared Goff, and in 2021 the Rams traded for Matthew Stafford.) Time will tell what Simpson will become. With Stafford talking about playing into his 40s , it could be a while before McCloughan is proven right, or wrong
Rams quarterback Ty Simpson didn't slide far enough in the first round to make that into a legitimate source of motivation. If he's looking for it elsewhere, he's in luck. Former two-time NFL General Manager Scot McCloughan recently directed sharp criticism at the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. “I think the quarterback from Alabama is overdrafted,” McCloughan said on the Team 980 in D.C., via Valentina Martinez of the New York Post . “But it’s the position alone, you know. I think, not being a guru, but he’s like J.J. McCarthy . He’s like Mac Jones . He’s a career backup .” (It's been a week of catching strays for McCarthy. First, Dianna Russini says he " sucks " in the footage from her January traffic stop. Now this.) “Ideally, he might start, but that’s because of where his pick was and they want to prove everybody right, you know, type of thing,” McCloughan said. “And that’s not the way you should build a roster. Not at all.” McCloughan knows a thing or two about scouting; he served as G.M. of the 49ers from 2008 to 2009, a personnel executive in Seattle from 2010 to 2013 (when they built a Super Bowl champion), and Washington G.M. from 2015 to 2016. Then again, Sean McVay knows a thing or two about quarterbacks. And this is the first potential starter the Rams have drafted since McVay arrived in 2017. (He inherited Jared Goff , and in 2021 the Rams traded for Matthew Stafford.) Time will tell what Simpson will become. With Stafford talking about playing into his 40s , it could be a while before McCloughan is proven right, or wrong
Former NFL GM Scot McCloughan criticized the Los Angeles Rams' decision to draft quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall, calling him a career backup and suggesting he is overdrafted. Despite this criticism, the Rams, who also traded for Myles Garrett, appear committed to winning a Super Bowl next season, potentially with veteran Matthew Stafford leading the way
With training camp for the San Francisco 49ers beginning next month, the race for a spot on the 53-man roster will begin. For the 49ers, aside from a few spots, their starting defense and offense are set with multiple players returning from injury. Left guard and one spot on the defensive line in base downs come right to mind as available spots with the chance of a change at safety. With that in mind, which are the deepest and thinnest position groups for the 49ers? Deepest: Quarterback This answer feels like a cop out; however, the combination of Brock Purdy and Mac Jones helped the 49ers finish with 13 wins. It’s fair to wonder where the 49ers would have ended up in 2025 without Jones. Even with the impactful injuries, Jones kept the 49ers winning. Purdy played some of the best football of his career in 2025, but he has been injured during his time as the 49ers’ starter. Having someone like Jones is a huge safety net. Ideally, Jones would never have to take a snap unless the 49ers are involved in a blowout. Either way, the combination of Purdy and Jones is as good as it gets in the NFL. Honorable mention: Wide Receiver The addition of Mike Evans , De’Zhaun Stribling, and Christian Kirk has completely reshaped the receiver room. The reason the receiver group isn’t the deepest position group is the question mark behind Ricky Pearsall on the depth chart. Jordan Watkins ? Demarcus Robinson ? Jacob Cowing ? Thinnest: Linebacker Fred Warner is back and is the best linebacker in the NFL. Dre Greenlaw returned on a one-year deal, and the 49ers shipped Dee Winters to Dallas . The reason this group is ranked as the thinnest is the injury concerns for Greenlaw and the potential replacements. Tatum Bethune filled in as best as he could before his season ended. The 49ers had to turn to Garrett Wallow and Eric Kendricks in a pinch. If Greenlaw misses extended time, Nick Martin will likely fill in, but he has very little NFL experience. The issue with linebacker is much like many spots on the team for the 49ers. Unfortunately, you have to start any statement with “if they stay healthy.” For a longer and more detailed discussion around each position group, check out the video below with Niners Nation’s Andrew Pasquini
It is Day 77 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed. We bring you to Day 77 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, where we revisit one of the best regular-season thrillers of the Dak Prescott era. The Cowboys went to Foxborough in Week 6 of the 2021 season looking to validate their hot start against one of the NFL’s true legacy opponents. The Patriots were no longer the Tom Brady Patriots, but they were still Bill Belichick’s Patriots, and Dallas had not won in New England since 1987. The game started badly for Dallas. New England scored first on a four-yard Damien Harris touchdown run, and after Prescott answered with a one-yard touchdown pass to Blake Jarwin , rookie quarterback Mac Jones hit Hunter Henry for a 20-yard score. The Cowboys trailed 14-7 after the first quarter, and the frustration kept building because Dallas repeatedly moved the ball without finishing drives. The second quarter summed up the messy part of the day. Greg Zuerlein hit a 30-yard field goal, but Dallas wasted multiple red-zone chances. Prescott threw an interception in the end zone, and later, after Luke Gifford blocked a Patriots punt, Prescott lost a goal-line fumble while trying to dive over the pile. The Cowboys had outplayed New England in many ways, but they still trailed 14-10 at halftime. Dallas finally took its first lead in the third quarter when Prescott found CeeDee Lamb for a one-yard touchdown. From there, the fourth quarter turned into chaos. Zuerlein made a 45-yard field goal to put Dallas up 20-14, but New England answered with a Rhamondre Stevenson one-yard touchdown to retake the lead. Then Trevon Diggs did what Trevon Diggs did throughout 2021, jumped a Mac Jones throw and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. Dallas led 26-21, and it felt like the knockout punch. Things, however, were far from over. On New England’s very next offensive snap, Jones attacked Diggs on a double move and hit Kendrick Bourne for a 75-yard touchdown. The Patriots converted the two-point try, and suddenly Dallas was trailing 29-26 with just over two minutes left. Prescott calmly moved the Cowboys into range, helped by a 24-yard completion to Lamb, and Zuerlein’s 49-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining forced overtime. In overtime, the defense gave Dallas the opening by forcing a New England punt. Prescott then led an 80-yard drive, and Lamb finished it in style. On the final play, Prescott hit Lamb crossing the field, Lamb turned upfield, outran the defense, and scored from 35 yards out. He waved goodbye as he crossed the goal line, and the Cowboys walked out of Foxborough with a win that felt like a national statement. Prescott was pure class, completing 36 of 51 passes for 445 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Lamb had the best game of his young career to that point, catching nine passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Dallas finished with 567 total yards, 32 first downs, and nearly 40 minutes of possession, which made the game closer than it should have been, but also made the final result feel earned after all the self-inflicted damage. This game belongs on the countdown because it had everything, Cowboys-Patriots history, Belichick mystique, red-zone drama, a blocked punt, Diggs’ pick-six, an immediate Patriots counterpunch, a tying kick in the final seconds, and a walk-off touchdown [... truncated ...]
49ers tight end George Kittle is on the mend after suffering a torn Achilles during San Francisco’s postseason victory over Philadelphia in January. He noted over the weekend that he went over 16 miles per hour during a recent run, which is an indication of his progress. But there’s no guarantee Kittle will be back for the start of the season. Kittle’s teammate, quarterback Mac Jones, is in Nashville to help out at the Tight End University event, which Kittle helped found several years ago. Jones said in an interview with Andrew Siciliano on the Rich Eisen Show that Kittle has looked solid as he continues his rehab. “ Kittle always looks good ,” Jones said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “He’s always training hard and doing everything he can on his body. He’s a wizard when it comes to that stuff. He spends a lot of money on his body and takes care of it, and I think it’s going along well. “I’m not in his body, but he knows where he’s at. He knows how he feels, and I’m sure he’s going to be ready at some point to go out there and rip it. So, that’s Kittle’s mindset.” Kittle has said that he’s pushing to be able to play Week 1 when the 49ers begin the season against the Rams in Australia. But he’s also acknowledged that could be a challenge, given that he’s the extensive travel component required for the game
Watch: 49ers TE George Kittle moving well at TEU amid recovery “Early signs from Nashville suggest Kittle is making strong progress toward that goal. Multiple videos circulating on social media Tuesday showed the 49ers star moving fluidly during on-field sessions.” 49ers considering moving practice site from current Levi’s Stadium location (paywall) “Such a change does not appear imminent. Any move is being considered as a long-term possibility.” 49ers 90-in-90: Will Kurtis Rourke show he has enough to be QB2 down the line? “On the field, Rourke is the definition of a Kyle Shanahan quarterback. He has clean mechanics, knows where to go with the ball, and can quickly decipher what the defense is doing underneath to get the ball out on time. Rourke won’t wow you with a big arm. The velocity goes down on deeper passes. As you’d expect from a quarterback with two serious knee injuries, Rourke also isn’t the most fleet of foot. He’s closer to Mac Jones than Brock Purdy when it comes to pocket movement and manipulation.”
Before Sam Darnold starred at quarterback for the Vikings and won Super Bowl LX with the Seahawks, he spent a year as the 49ers’ backup to Brock Purdy. That 2023 season spent with San Francisco was critical for Darnold’s development. Darnold went into that season having spent his first three seasons with the Jets before two seasons with the Panthers. And while Darnold did not play much — he started an inconsequential Week 18 game against the Carson Wentz-led Rams — he said in a recent interview that he picked up a lot from his time in the Bay Area. “I think for me, it was … looking at myself in the mirror and just being like, ‘alright, this is what I need to do this year. I’m not going to get an opportunity to get a starter,’” Darnold said during an appearance in Tuesday’s episode of Bussin’ with the Boys . “And I think going to San Francisco, I mean, shoot, you guys saw what Mac Jones did this year. I understood that quarterbacks in that system, quarterbacks with Kyle [Shanahan] — you look at Brock [Purdy] and all the success he’s had there — quarterbacks just thrive in that system. It’s also because they have really good players. “But, just getting to know that system and getting to know those coaches, like that’s really why I decided to be a backup in San Francisco. I thought that would be the best place to just go. And people say it all the time, and I’ve heard it, but I feel like I got my PhD in football when I went to San Francisco.” Darnold credited the 49ers’ coaching staff, led by Shanahan, for part of his growth. But he also noted that watching the high-caliber players around him made a significant difference. “I’ve talked about learning from Brock quite a bit,” Darnold said. “But all the great players that are over there. — friend of the program George Kittle, Fred Warner, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams of course — you just have all these studs who are over there. And to just learn their habits and stuff that they do in the offseason, how they get better, it was just such a great opportunity for me to just go there and be a sponge, and just learn so much football. Learn how to take care of my body off the field.” But it was Purdy who really made a difference, in large part due to the way he presented alternative preparation methods. “I can’t mention Brock enough,” Darnold said. “But just the way that he prepared really showed me how to really prepare, because you don’t know what you don’t know. And I think for me, being able to go there and see how efficient he was — because you can put a ton of time in, but you can be doing it the wrong way. And he was so efficient with his time. And he would cut out three or four hours of studying throughout the night because our game plans were crazy. …The system is so intricate. “But that was so fun. It was so fun to go learn football there. And I’m so thankful for that opportunity that I got in San Francisco.” Since that time with the 49ers, Darnold has won 14 games in each of the last two seasons for Minnesota and Seattle. In 2025, he completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 4,048 yards with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In the postseason, he completed 61.5 percent of his throws for 672 yard with five TDs and no picks to earn his first Super Bowl ring
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