American Football

An indifference to running? Now that’s the kind of team mascot we can all get behind

It has been a long, tough year, but in the middle of it all, a lone hero stretches and yawns in a Colorado barn

Sat Dec 27 2025 - 06:00

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t a punchline anymore – they’re a problem

Once loose, erratic and reliably unreliable, Jacksonville have hardened into something far more serious, with Trevor Lawrence’s control and confidence turning a hot streak into a genuine AFC threat

Mon Dec 22 2025 - 16:12

Down’s Charlie Smyth kicks fantastic five in Saints win over Jets

Former Down footballer kicks joint record of five field goals in 29-6 win at the Superdome

Sun Dec 21 2025 - 21:43

‘I just went and got some pizzas’: Charlie Smyth still on a high after game-winning kick for Saints

24-year-old hit match-clinching score with just two seconds remaining in New Orleans Saints’ clash with Carolina Panthers

Wed Dec 17 2025 - 06:00

Philip Rivers: how a 44-year-old grandpa nearly pulled off one of the NFL’s greatest comebacks

Colts quarterback was coaching high school football before his surprise return

Mon Dec 15 2025 - 12:17

‘This team loves that guy’: Co Down man Charlie Smyth the hero for New Orleans Saints in NFL

Former Down footballer hailed for last-gasp kick to earn three-point win

Mon Dec 15 2025 - 11:34

‘Dadgummit, let’s freaking go’: 44-year-old grandfather Philip Rivers could start for Indianapolis Colts

Rivers last played in the NFL in 2020

Wed Dec 10 2025 - 20:06

Ciarán Murphy: Charlie Smyth has earned his shot at securing NFL’s most unforgiving role

For the former Down goalkeeper to get where he is right now is one of the stories of the Irish sporting year

Thu Dec 04 2025 - 06:00

Dave Hannigan: Pay, and payoffs, for college gridiron coaches is obscene

Cost of firing coaches almost $200m for the current campaign, even before end-of-season sacking spree

Thu Nov 27 2025 - 06:00

Tom Brady’s part-time side hustle with the Raiders is an unholy mess

The most successful quarterback of all-time approached his playing career with ruthless focus - his retirement project could do with the same intensity

Mon Nov 24 2025 - 11:22

Déjà boo: Sam Darnold didn’t think he’d see ghosts on the field again. Then he faced the Rams

The Seahawks quarterback has looked like an MVP this season. But his old failings returned in Los Angeles on Sunday

Mon Nov 17 2025 - 14:15

Donald Trump may yet make his mark on the NFL after decades out in the cold

American football is another strand of elite American society that has refused to permit Trump into its inner circle

Sat Nov 15 2025 - 05:00

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland dies aged 24

Kneeland scored his first career touchdown on Monday

Thu Nov 06 2025 - 17:01

The Chiefs-Bills rivalry is incapable of producing a bad game

Buffalo extend regular season domination over Kansas City

Mon Nov 03 2025 - 10:20

David Gillick’s terrific book reminds us of how little we know about sportspeople

Malachy Clerkin: We think we can read the minds of sportspeople. What a dopey conceit

Fri Oct 24 2025 - 14:04

Derry’s Jude McAtamney cut from New York Giants after narrow Denver Broncos defeat

McAtamney missed two extra-point kicks in Sunday’s 33-32 loss

Wed Oct 22 2025 - 14:46

With his top weapon sidelined, Sean McVay proves the ultimate chameleon

Missing star receiver Puka Nacua, the coach reinvented the Rams’ offense as Matthew Stafford threw five TDs in a Wembley rout

Mon Oct 20 2025 - 12:26

Croke Park should learn from its American visitors - make a song and dance of Gaelic games

Making better in-match use of the big screen would go a long way for paying fans

Thu Oct 02 2025 - 06:00

The usually excellent Ravens are in a hole, and it could get a lot deeper

While Kansas City got their season back on track with an excellent offensive performance, their AFC rivals are 1-3

Mon Sept 29 2025 - 13:13

‘Whole experience was fantastic’: NFL and Croke Park deliver history-making clash

First regular season game here a winner with players and fans – and unlikely to be the last

Mon Sept 29 2025 - 06:00

American football’s quest for global domination rolls into Dublin

‘We’re not about bringing the circus to town. This is a deep partnership,’ says NFL executive Peter O’Reilly

Sat Sept 27 2025 - 06:00

Coming to Croke Park: Aaron Rodgers, US sporting great and castigated ‘critical thinker’

The Pittsburgh Steelers player is among the best quarterbacks of all time but has attracted attention in recent years for leftfield pronouncements on a variety of subjects

Sat Sept 27 2025 - 06:00

Croke Park gets NFL makeover ahead of Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings clash

GAA HQ has undergone quite the temporary makeover for NFL clash between Pittsburgh and Minnesota Vikings

Fri Sept 26 2025 - 06:00

NFL bending over backwards to make room for Tom Brady’s dull punditry

A row about potential conflicts of interest conflict has highlighted the retired quarterback’s enduring influence

Wed Sept 24 2025 - 18:57

The New York Giants are 0-2 again. But are they finally ... watchable?

Russell Wilson’s team looked as disappointing as always in their season opener. But in their loss to the Cowboys, they produced sloppy mistakes and offensive fireworks in equal measure

Mon Sept 15 2025 - 10:31