Josh Allen is hopeful that he and the Buffalo Bills will finally get over the hump and win a Super Bowl one of these days. However, with each passing season, FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd believes that Allen is inching closer to becoming the guy who played second fiddle to an all-time great. 

In a recent interview with ESPN, Allen iterated that “You knock enough at the door, it’s going to open at some point, and that’s what we have to keep doing.” But Cowherd is skeptical about that belief. 

“Phil Mickelson’s prime was Tiger Woods’ prime. Well, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes entered the league one year apart. Mahomes got the better owner, arguably, GM, coach and weapon, Travis Kelce,” Colin Cowherd said on Wednesday’s edition of “The Herd.” “In an offensive league, the weapon matters. Offensive coach in Andy Reid, so a lot of advantages just didn’t go Josh Allen’s way. … I tend to think the Los Angeles Rams are going to win the NFC, the better conference, and I like Buffalo in the AFC.

“I think the DJ Moore pickup and the offensive coach [promotion of Joe Brady] all works [for the Bills], but Josh Allen, this is the inevitable question: ‘Bro, when are you going to win one [a Super Bowl]?’”

Allen had another standout season in 2025. The four-time Pro Bowler and the 2024 NFL MVP totaled 3,668 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 102.2 passer rating, while completing 69.3% of his passes. He also rushed for 579 yards and 14 touchdowns.

But after Buffalo defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC wild-card round, Allen threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles in an overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round. Through the first eight seasons of Allen’s NFL career (2018-25), the Bills haven’t advanced past the AFC Championship Game, which includes going 0-4 against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason; the Chiefs have won three Super Bowls with Mahomes under center (2019, 2022 and 2023 seasons).

On that note, the Bills’ five-year run of winning the AFC East (2020-24) ended last season (2025) with the New England Patriots winning the division at 14-3 in their first year with Mike Vrabel as head coach, while then-second-year quarterback Drake Maye was the runner-up for the NFL MVP Award and the team reached Super Bowl LX.

“Are you going to be playing road playoff games? Ask Tom Brady about playing road playoff games at Denver: It never worked out well. A lot of those San Francisco 49ers playoff highlights with Joe Montana, they were at home. A lot of Brady’s highlights, they were at home, so that’s what worries me,” Cowherd said about the Bills. “Not that the window’s closed. Rather, New England now has the better coach, an elite quarterback, a great owner [Robert Kraft], lots of historic momentum and success. That and a lot more good, young players.

“You can blame the GM, but some of it becomes the Patriots have Drake Maye on a rookie deal and the Bills are paying Josh Allen a lot, and you got to move off really good players.”

The 30-year-old Allen is entering the second season of a six-year, $330 million contract, with the $55 million average annual value tied for third among NFL quarterbacks.

The Bills split the 2025 regular-season series with the Patriots, who loaded up their wide receiver room this offseason, acquiring three-time Pro Bowler A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles and signing former Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs (four-year, $68 million deal), among other moves. Granted, New England released 2025 leading receiver Stefon Diggs.

While they won AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965, the Bills are one of 12 NFL franchises that haven’t won a Super Bowl. And, of course, Buffalo lost four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990-93, and it hasn’t made it back there since.

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Two years after walking away from the game, Aaron Donald might be ready to put the pads back on. The former Los Angeles Rams All-Pro defensive tackle officially worked out with the team on Wednesday, per the NFL Wire. 

Aaron Donald wanted to do a workout in a football helmet, even though he did not wear pads during it, according to ESPN. He ended up using the Rams’ team equipment at their facility during training camp, requiring them to report his activity to the NFL.

It’s the latest development in Donald’s long-rumored comeback. His workout came less than a week after Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters that Donald was trending toward a return to the team. 

A league source recently told our Erc D. Williams that Donald was leaning toward returning. However, Los Angeles hasn’t given Donald a date he has to make a decision. 

When McVay told reporters last week that Donald could be returning to the Rams, he indicated that the star defensive tackle likely wouldn’t rejoin the team until later in August. 

If the 32-year-old Donald opts to return, he’ll join arguably the league’s top defense. The Rams acquired reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in June after adding former Kansas City Chiefs standouts Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson at cornerback. Those names join a talented Los Angeles defensive line that includes Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford. 

Donald retired from the Rams following their wild-card loss against the Detroit Lions in the 2023 season. At the time of his retirement, Donald was already one of the most decorated defensive players in NFL history. The Super Bowl champion has won Defensive Player of the Year three times, recording 542 tackles, 111 sacks and 24 forced fumbles in three seasons.  

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The 2026-27 NFL season is upon us, and while the clock ticks down, you can earn up to $500 in bonuses on Kalshi while trading on 2026 NFL futures, from Super Bowl odds to MVP, Player of the Year awards and more.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua put up some of the craziest stats by a receiver in recent years, but it was Smith-Njigba who took home Offensive Player of the Year.

Myles Garrett won the Defensive Player of the Year award as he set the NFL single-season sack record. Can Garrett win his third with his new team?

Micah Parsons and Patrick Mahomes both suffered season-ending injuries last season. Now, both superstars look to return to All-Pro form. Will one of them win Comeback Player of the Year, or will someone else rise from the pack?

The defending champions, the Seattle Seahawks, will be looking to go back-to-back, but their divisional foe, the Los Angeles Rams, will make the road tough. Will the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens finally get over the hump, or will another AFC contender make it to the Super Bowl?

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Before the new NFL season kicks off, it’s time to call your shot on any futures for Super Bowl champs, MVP, Comeback Player of the Year and more. 

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It’s always fun to call your shot on the Super Bowl champion. Will the Seattle Seahawks repeat as champions, or will another contender take the crown? The Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams all have their eyes on lifting the trophy at the end of the season. You can’t count out the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes returning.

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Tarik Skubal is a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the Dodgers are reeling.

Following a 7-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers have now lost six consecutive games. They also lost Skubal’s debut in Dodger blue on Tuesday night and are going through their longest losing streak of the season.

Furthermore, the Dodgers (69-46) have lost 15 of their last 25 games and have been knocked off the pedestal by the Milwaukee Brewers (70-43) for the best record in both the National League and MLB altogether.

What gives?

Colin Cowherd, for one, thinks this dry spell is exposing the Dodgers as a flawed club.

“Stop staring at the paint job. Look under the hood: the Dodgers are a mess,” Cowherd asserted on Wednesday’s edition of “The Herd.” “The Skubal acquisition was much more life-raft than adding a helipad to the yacht. … The Dodgers have bullpen issues and age issues.”

As for some of the struggling bats, star shortstop Mookie Betts is having arguably the worst offensive year of his MLB career. He entered the team’s Wednesday afternoon game against the Cubs with a .223/.280/.390 slash line.

Right fielder Kyle Tucker, who the Dodgers signed to a four-year, $240 million deal in the offseason, entered Wednesday with a career-low in batting average (.243), slugging percentage (.381) and OPS+ (101); center fielder Andy Pages — who blasted 10 home runs, drove in 39 runs and boasted a .304/.357/.530 slash line over his first 46 games this season — entered the day with a .245/.318/.405 slash line over his last 67 games.

Over the last 30 days, the Dodgers are 20th in MLB in runs (93), tied for 21st in on-base percentage (.306), tied for 17th in home runs (26), tied for 15th in slugging percentage (.399) and 12th outright in hits (196).

Meanwhile, on the rotation front, left-hander Blake Snell has made one start this season due to shoulder and elbow injuries; right-hander Tyler Glasnow has been limited to seven starts due to a back injury; second-year starter Roki Sasaki has struggled to turn a corner, finding difficulty in finishing off hitters and sporting a 4.64 ERA and an 89 ERA+.

Dodgers Related Stories

In the bullpen, closer Edwin Díaz, whom the Dodgers signed to a three-year, $69 million deal in the offseason, recently returned from a roughly three-month absence due to elbow surgery; as a collective, Los Angeles is 16th in the sport in bullpen ERA (4.08) and has blown 16 save opportunities.

“This team is winning on the margins the last two years, and now they’re broken,” Cowherd said.

As for their championship success in recent memory, the Dodgers were just the third seed in the NL playoffs last season. They trailed the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 in the World Series and 4-2 in the eighth inning of Game Seven before pulling off the series comeback. 

Still, Los Angeles is seeking to become the first MLB team to three-peat as World Series champions since the New York Yankees did so from 1998-2000.

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Aaron Judge has been cleared to begin light workout activity, and the New York Yankees captain said he will return this season from the rib injury that’s sidelined him since May 31.

“Oh, I’ll be back this season. I don’t know why I wouldn’t be,” the three-time AL MVP said Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. “That was always the plan to come back — sooner than later, definitely. But I never had a thought of not playing this year.”

Judge was on the field in baseball gear Wednesday afternoon, stretching, jogging and doing shuffle slides with a resistance band. He was given the green light to take a step forward in his recovery progression after undergoing his latest scan Tuesday.

“Better news. Healing up. So, you get a chance to progress a little bit, do some running, do some more upper-body stuff, and kind of progress towards getting back out on the field and swinging it,” he said. “I wish it was completely healed and the fracture was gone and start playing tomorrow, but that’s not the case. But, great step forward.”

It will still be a while before Judge is back in the lineup. He must first advance to taking swings, and it remains unclear when that could occur.

“I think that’s going to be the ultimate test, is hitting,” Judge said. “That’s the most violent of it all, I think, more than running or lifting and stuff like that. So, once we keep progressing, everything’s feeling great, then we take another scan, see where it’s at and hopefully add in hitting and throwing and all that down the road.”

Neither he nor Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered a target date for the outfielder’s return.

“I’ve got nothing for you on that yet. I just got the scan yesterday and the minute they said all right, we’re going to start running, I said, ‘OK, I’ll see you outside.’ So, I kind of forced them on that one,” Judge said.

“But, no, hopefully whenever we get a game plan, you guys will be somewhere on the list,” the slugger added, drawing laughs from reporters. “Not the top.”

Judge is on the 60-day injured list with a stress fracture of his right rib. He is hitting .248 with 17 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .907 OPS this year, but he had just one homer in his last 18 games before going on the IL.

“It was great being on the field, great being back out there,” he said. “I’ve been with the guys as much as I can, especially on the road or here in the dugout. But to actually feel like a little bit of a player felt great.”

Going into Wednesday night’s series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Yankees (64-50) were 28-27 since Judge last played — although their offense has been one of the worst in the majors during that stretch.

New York also has been without designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton since April 25 because of a right calf strain and All-Star left fielder Cody Bellinger since July 26 due to a left hamstring strain.

Looking to boost their lineup, the Yankees acquired first baseman Luis García Jr. and outfielder Heliot Ramos ahead of Monday’s trade deadline. They entered Wednesday night trailing first-place Tampa Bay by four games in the AL East and holding the league’s top wild card.

“I’ve got a broken rib, so you’re going to feel it. But it’s healing up. So that’s the progress we want see so we can start doing some more and kind of testing and see where we’re at,” Judge said. “Because we’re running out of days. I know we’ve got 52 days left, 53 days left, so, got to get back out there.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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The pads are on at training camp for all 32 teams across the NFL, but transactions continue to dominate the headlines early on in practice season. 

Wednesday gave us another update in Aaron Donald’s potential return to football, with the most recent bit of news suggesting that he might be on the precipice of rejoining the Los Angeles Rams. Elsewhere, Stefon Diggs found his next professional home after being a free agent for the last few months, and the Detroit Lions general manager provided some insight on extension negotiations with star running back Jahmyr Gibbs. 

Here are all the headlines you need to know from Wednesday around the NFL. 

Two years after walking away from the game, Aaron Donald might be ready to put the pads back on. The former All-Pro defensive tackle officially worked out with the Los Angeles Rams Wednesday, per the NFL Wire. 

Donald wanted to do a workout in a football helmet, even though he did not wear pads during it, according to ESPN. He ended up using the Rams’ team equipment at their facility during training camp, requiring them to report his activity to the NFL.

A league source recently told our Erc D. Williams that Donald was leaning toward returning. However, Los Angeles hasn’t given Donald a date he has to make a decision. 

If Donald unretires, he’ll join arguably the most talented defense in the NFL. The defensive line already features two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Myles Garrett, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford to go with a secondary that has cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs reportedly agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $12 million with the Washington Commanders. 

Diggs spent last season with the New England Patriots, recording 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns across 17 games during their Super Bowl run. 

The four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, who was a key contributor during New England’s run to the Super Bowl last season, provides Daniels and the Commanders with another target out wide along with Terry McLaurin.

Prior to the signing, Washington needed another receiver following the departure of Deebo Samuel, who recently rejoined the San Francisco 49ers. There was some speculation that the team could go after 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk if he became available. 

Now, Washington has some stability after McLaurin in a wide receiver room that includes Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks and third-round rookie Antonio Williams. 

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell returned to the practice field in a limited capacity Wednesday, participating in padded practice drills for the first time since December 2024. 

Dell missed the entire 2025 season after sustaining multiple torn knee ligaments and a dislocated kneecap in late 2024. He ran routes and caught passes from quarterback C.J. Stroud during individual work Wednesday.

Jordan Love vs. Jared Goff, How much pressure is on C.J. Stroud and the Texans this season? | FTF

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Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said his recovery plan is unchanged and he expects Dell to continue his program as scheduled.

Dell has totals of 1,376 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over 25 career games as he formed a strong connection with Stroud in their rookie seasons back in 2023. 

When Atlanta Falcons star Bijan Robinson reset the running back market with his historic extension, he didn’t just secure his own future, but he started a ticking clock in Detroit. Now, all eyes turn to Jahmyr Gibbs and his potential extension with the Lions.

Speaking with SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday, Lions general manager Brad Holmes gave an update on where negotiations stand with Gibbs.

“We love Jahmyr,” Holmes said. “Me and Dan [Quinn] have always been believers in that one-two punch. I just think that’s kind of how the league is going now and we’re having dialogue. We’ll see where it goes.”

Gibbs has been one of the NFL’s premier playmakers since coming into the league. Despite sharing a workload in Detroit’s backfield, he has compiled 3,580 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns, while adding 181 receptions for 1,449 yards and another 10 scores through the air.

Robinson’s three-year, $75 million deal gives both sides a baseline for negotiations. That contract made Robinson the highest-paid running back in NFL history, a title Gibbs could soon claim. 

Whether Gibbs receives a similar payout remains to be seen, but as long as his camp hold-in continues, all pressure rests on the Lions front office.

49ers Injury Bug Continues During Training Camp

The San Francisco 49ers’ injury bug continues to bite during training camp this year. On Wednesday, the team was missing over 20% of its roster, with plenty of key faces not suiting up for practice, per The Athletic.

Several key players have been added to the injury report, according to ESPN. Nick Bosa and Dre Greenlaw are dealing with soreness, Kyle Juszczyk has a broken finger, Jacob Cowing is managing a hip flexor strain and Carver Willis is in concussion protocol.

Brett Toth is dealing with an undisclosed injury, while head coach Kyle Shanahan remains limited as he works his way back to the sidelines full-time.

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Aaron Donald formally worked out with the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday, presumably taking one of the final steps before the superstar defensive tackle decides whether to end his 2 1/2-year retirement.

The 35-year-old Donald participated in a hosted workout with the Rams, according to the league’s official transaction wire, which records such workouts with free agents before their possible signings to NFL rosters.

Donald has been working out at the Rams’ Woodland Hills training complex and at home for several weeks in his attempt to return to NFL shape. While the Rams have emphasized their willingness to wait indefinitely for Donald to decide, coach Sean McVay has expressed cautious optimism in the past week about the prospect of lining up Donald and Myles Garrett together this season on a remarkable defensive line.

“If there’s an arrow, it’s trending upwards,” McVay said last Friday.

McVay indicated that the Rams didn’t expect a decision until after they wrap up training camp at Loyola Marymount University this week. The Rams are planning to reconvene in Woodland Hills on Saturday for their first post-camp practice.

Donald retired somewhat abruptly in March 2024 following a decorated 10-year career spent entirely with the Rams. He won the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award three times along with eight All-Pro selections, 10 Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl championship ring.

Donald apparently began to entertain the idea of a comeback early last month after the Rams traded for Garrett, one of Donald’s few contemporary peers. The 30-year-old Garrett won two of the last three Defensive Player of the Year awards in Cleveland, where he received five All-Pro nods and seven Pro Bowl selections, along with setting the NFL’s single-season sacks record last year.

“If he’s here, I’m going to be excited to be his teammate, his partner in crime,” Garrett said last week. “I think we’re going to do great things.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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The National Women’s Soccer League will kick off its season earlier than ever before next year to work around the Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman gave a wide-ranging midseason State of the League address Wednesday during which she discussed next season’s schedule, the impact of the men’s World Cup and other topics impacting the league.

The league’s 15th season will open on Feb. 11, more than a month earlier than this season. The annual Challenge Cup match will be played on Feb. 6. The NWSL will pause from June 24 to July 25 during the Women’s World Cup as many of the league’s players will be on national teams that qualify for the tournament. The playoffs will start on Nov. 5 and the league championship will be played on Nov. 20.

“We know that major tournaments inspire millions of people to follow the sport, and our schedule allows us to be part of the lead-in and the lead-out of that big moment,” Berman said.

The league is intentionally launching the season during Super Bowl weekend and will be “working closely with ESPN to make sure that the NWSL is woven into the weekend stories, and we’re very excited about that,” Berman said. ABC/ESPN is a broadcast partner of the NWSL, and ABC is broadcasting the 2027 Super Bowl.

Photo by Zhu Wei/Xinhua via Getty Images

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There has been speculation the NWSL may at some point shift to a season that would align with its international counterparts, although the players’ union has objected to such a move and the league will remain on a spring to fall schedule through at least 2030.

The men’s domestic league, Major League Soccer, will shift its season to a summer to spring calendar next year. Berman said the MLS move presents both benefits and challenges because many teams share stadiums.

“Right now, being on a spring to fall footprint with MLS, we both have our playoffs at the same time, and what that means is that there are holds across lots of dates with uncertainty,” she said. “With us being on different calendars, that’s no longer going to be the case. We’re going to have visibility into weeks that might otherwise have been reserved but not confirmed, and that will be helpful.”

Berman said the league appears to be benefiting from the so-called World Cup bump, with increased viewership and engagement following the men’s tournament this summer. The league’s “Summer of Soccer” event tour and marketing campaign aimed to capitalize on the men’s tournament to boost the NWSL’s profile.

Berman touted the campaign for growth on social media platforms Instagram and YouTube. The league had nearly 40 million impressions on social media with the Summer of Soccer tour hashtag, #NWSLOnTour.”

Average attendance to date is 11,174 per game, the second-highest behind 2024, which had an average of 11,249.

“We’re close to beating that, and we hope we’ll have a strong second half of the season, where we can celebrate this being our highest-attended year on an average basis,” Berman said.

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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Does Texas quarterback Arch Manning have what it takes to be college football’s top signal-caller this season, especially after his performance last year? 

Manning committed to Texas as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class and sat behind former starting quarterback Quinn Ewers for a year in 2024, with a few starts early in the season. When Manning was handed the keys as their starter last season, the expectations didn’t seem to be met right away. 

FOX Sports’ Matt Leinart joined First Things First to talk about Manning’s future with the Longhorns and why he’s capable of being one of the sport’s top quarterbacks. 

“He started off pretty slow last year, but as the season went on, he was really good,” Leinart said. “He’s built the right way. I actually kind of feel like there’s less pressure on him this year … He has all of what you want in a quarterback, and it’s not just the last name and the pedigree.”

Manning threw an interception in each of his first three starts last season and had under a 60% completion rate in three of his first four starts. However, things seemed to click for him after the Longhorns’ convincing 26-3 win over then-No. 6 Oklahoma in Week 6.

The Longhorns finished 7-1 in their final eight games of the season with Manning throwing 14 touchdown passes, two interceptions and rushing for five touchdowns down the stretch. Now the expectations are back for Manning as he heads into his second full season as the starter, especially after being tabbed as a Heisman frontrunner early. 

In a college football season that features returning quarterbacks like Oregon’s Dante Moore, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, the playing field to be the best is nothing but competitive. 

The Longhorns also face a strong SEC slate, which includes road contests at LSU, Texas A&M and Tennessee, with Ole Miss and Ohio State at home. After missing the College Football Playoff last season, Manning and the Longhorns are looking to make a return with a talented roster featuring edge rusher Colin Simmons, transfer wide receiver Cam Coleman, and transfer running back Hollywood Smothers.

Texas opens the 2026 season against Texas State at home on Sept. 5. 

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