Football Injuries Lead to Steady Stream of High School Forfeitures

By JOHN BRANCH and BILLY WITZ

Stuart Palley for The New York Times

Arlington High School football players before the first game of the season in Riverside, Calif. A player's death from a contact injury last year led to a severe drop in participation.

Football games and seasons have been canceled over the dwindling number of healthy players before, but the flow of examples makes this year stand out.

Ben Roethlisberger totaled 522 passing yards and six touchdowns for 56 standard fantasy points in Week 8

Fantasy Football: Week 9 Matchup Breakdown

By JASON SABLICH and JUSTIN SABLICH

Colin Kaepernick, Nick Foles and Ronnie Hillman are among the recommended fantasy football players in Week 9.

N.F.L. Roundup

Tony Romo on the sideline after being helped off the field following a hit by Redskins linebacker Keenan Robinson on Monday.

Cowboys Awaiting Tests on Tony Romo’s Back Injury

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Romo sustained what Coach Jason Garrett called a back contusion during Monday’s loss, with Garrett saying the injury was unrelated to the herniated disk Romo sustained last season.

Analysis

The Bills' Sammy Watkins had three receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown against the Jets on Sunday.

Rookie Receivers Emerge in a Class of Their Own

By CHASE STUART

Rookie receivers have caught 38 touchdown passes through eight weeks and, to put it simply, are tearing up the N.F.L.

TV Sports

From left, Jeane Coakley, Ray Lucas and Brian Custer of “Jets Post Game Live.”

Jets’ Worst Brings Out a Postgame Show’s Best

By RICHARD SANDOMIR

There is no better way to grieve over a Jets loss than to switch right to “Jets Post Game Live” on SNY.

On Pro Football

General Manager John Idzik at a news conference Monday. The Jets are 9-15 in his tenure.

Jets and John Idzik Have Plan to Succeed, Just Not a Roster to Do So

By BEN SHPIGEL

At times during his midseason news conference, Idzik, the general manager of a 1-7 Jets team, sounded more like a politician campaigning for re-election.

N.F.L. Roundup

Redskins End Cowboys’ Six-Game Winning Streak

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Colt McCoy led Washington to a 20-17 overtime victory in Dallas, and Kai Forbath kicked a 40-yard field goal to provide the difference.

Eli Manning has thrown only five interceptions in seven games, but the Giants have only 18 pass plays of more than 20 yards.

Jerry Reese Wants Tom Coughlin and Giants to Be More Aggressive on Offense

By BILL PENNINGTON

Eli Manning has drastically reduced his interception rate this season, but Reese, the team’s general manager, is pushing the Giants to put up more yards and points.

Bills 43, Jets 23

Michael Vick, dropping the ball in the second quarter, was brought in to replace Geno Smith for the second time in four games. The Jets had six turnovers Sunday, the team’s most since 2009.

Somehow, the Jets Take a Turn for the Worse

By BEN SHPIGEL

After Geno Smith threw three early interceptions, Michael Vick helped the Jets trim their deficit to 24-17. But Vick ended up committing three turnovers himself, and the Jets lost their seventh straight.

Roundup

The Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski, center, on a touchdown reception against the Bears. He caught three scoring passes from Tom Brady.

Rookie’s Late Touchdown Sends Cardinals Past Eagles

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Carson Palmer threw a 75-yard scoring pass to the rookie John Brown with 1 minute 21 seconds left, and Arizona (6-1) earned a 24-20 victory over Philadelphia.

Terry Abler, a Packers fan, listened to team news through a radio receiver during a game.

At Lambeau Field, Green Bay Packers Fans Still Appreciate Radio, Mounted on Ears

By KEN BELSON

Fans at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., have a new, old way to enjoy Packers games: Half-dollar-size radio receivers.

More Pro Football News

Fantasy Football

Graphic: 2014 Fantasy Football Weekly Player Rankings

Jason and Justin Sablich provide weekly player rankings for standard and PPR scoring formats. They will be updated throughout the season.

Preseason Player Rankings

Carson Palmer has been the 12th best fantasy quarterback over the past three weeks.

Fantasy Football: Week 9 Waiver Wire Picks

By NICK RADUCANU

Entering a stretch of the season with several bye weeks, the focus of fantasy owners should be to simply stay afloat until the fantasy playoffs.

The chart shows the top 4 tiers of the defense/special teams rankings for Week 6. To view the charts for all positions, click here.

Graphic: Fantasy Football: Tiered Player Ranking Charts

By BORIS CHEN

Charts resulting from a statistical algorithm find natural tiers and clusters within fantasy football player ranking data.

Graphic: Fantasy Football: 2014 Matchup Analysis, Wide Receiver (WR1)

This chart indicates what kind of fantasy matchup a team’s top receiver, or WR1, will have.

Editors' Picks

The Brooklyn Bolts, who played Wednesday, are part of the Fall Experimental Football League.

Latest Fledgling League Gives Players Another Run at the N.F.L.

By MATT KRUPNICK

The Brooklyn Bolts are one of four teams in the Fall Experimental Football League, which hopes to avoid mistakes of past minor league football leagues by keeping costs down while avoiding serious injuries.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, and running back Rashad Jennings at their lockers, next to those of linebacker Jon Beason and safety Antrel Rolle.

In the Giants’ Locker Room, Leadership Sits All in a Row

By BILL PENNINGTON

Four side-by-side lockers in one corner of the Giants’ locker room have emerged as a distinct power corridor, a kind of leadership command center for a team with more than 20 new players.

TV Sports

Jon Gruden, at Browns camp last month, is in his sixth season with “Monday Night Football.”

As an Analyst, Jon Gruden Needs a Lot of Coaching

By RICHARD SANDOMIR

Gruden, in his sixth season with “Monday Night Football” on ESPN, had a head-scratching performance during the Jets-Bears game.

Heartsick City Imports Hope

By KEN BELSON

Johnny Manziel has spurred ticket and merchandise sales as well as hopes that the Browns may someday win a championship, something that hasn’t happened since 1964.

Jets’ Big-Time Receiver Nourished by Small-Town Roots 12:44 PMNYT Now
Giants Embarking on a New Path 1:52 PMNYT Now

Retro Report

Manning or Leaf? A Lesson in Intangibles

By CLYDE HABERMAN

The wildly divergent paths of the top two picks in the 1998 N.F.L. draft have become shorthand for the frustrating process of identifying character traits that lead to success.