Mark Maske

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2015, file photo, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) takes the field before an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, in Houston. Watt is expected to start camp at full strength after spending much of the offseason recovering from groin surgery. (AP Photo/George Bridges, File)

Can J.J. Watt regain his dominance as he rejoins the Texans’ top-ranked defense?

August 16, 2017 at 2:55 p.m.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. - It is, in theory, a formula for absolute defensive domination. The Houston Texans are spending this training camp reincorporating J.J. Watt, their three-time NFL defensive...

Ezekiel Elliott faces long – but not impossible – odds in appealing NFL suspension

August 16, 2017 at 10:14 a.m.

Ezekiel Elliott, the standout second-year running back for the Dallas Cowboys, has become the latest NFL player to challenge a disciplinary measure taken against him by the league. Like those...

NFL’s chief medical officer calls marijuana research “really important”

August 3, 2017 at 10:48 a.m.

The NFL's chief medical officer says it is "really important" for the league and the NFL Players Association to determine whether marijuana can be used as an effective and safe...

NFL offers to work with players’ union to study marijuana for pain management

July 31, 2017 at 11:10 p.m.

The NFL has written to the NFL Players Association offering to work in tandem to study the potential use of marijuana as a pain management tool for players, according to...

The NFL never wanted to be the No Fun League. It just happened that way – until now.

July 20, 2017 at 11:43 a.m.

There never was a mandate, those who made the NFL's rules over the years recall, to suck the joy out of whatever Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson or Joe Horn might...

Can the Buccaneers or Saints be this season’s NFC South success story?

July 10, 2017 at 9:51 a.m.

Each week, The Washington Post's Mark Maske provides in-depth NFL analysis with "First and 10," a dissection of the league's most important developments.

Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch ...

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the Raiders are prospering in Oakland

June 26, 2017 at 3:17 p.m.

Season tickets are sold out for this coming season. The team is coming off a playoff season and has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. The quarterback has a new $25 million-a-year...

What does Derek Carr’s new contract mean for Matthew Stafford and Kirk Cousins?

June 22, 2017 at 11:12 a.m.

The Oakland Raiders appear poised to reward Derek Carr with the next mega-contract for an NFL quarterback. That is significant for Carr and the Raiders as they prepare to challenge...

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson ...

It would be something if Brock Osweiler ends up the Browns’ starting quarterback

June 19, 2017 at 7:09 p.m.

How totally crazy would it be if Brock Osweiler ends up as the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns?

Whatever happened to the expanded NFL playoffs?

June 5, 2017 at 12:09 p.m.