MICAH PARSONS

The Dallas Cowboys are off on the wrong foot before their playoff opener against the San Francisco 49ers. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch's name was misspelled on the back of his No. 55 jersey during pregame warmups. Vander Esch was still wearing the botched jersey in the game.

Dallas star rookie linebacker Micah Parsons and Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon were the latest big-name players added to the COVID-19 reserve list.

Micah Parsons is likely to miss the Cowboys’ regular-season finale on Saturday night.

The Dallas Cowboys made good on coach Mike McCarthy’s guarantee by holding on to beat Washington 27-20 and snap their rival’s winning streak at four.

CeeDee Lamb had 122 yards from scrimmage, Tony Pollard had a 58-yard touchdown run and the Dallas defense produced timely sacks and turnovers in the Cowboys' 27-17 win over the New Orleans Saints.

Months after the Dixie Fire tore through Greenville, California, incinerating most of the historic town, aerial video shows the entire area as a scorched wasteland.

Lofty expectations don’t faze Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers followed a stumbling first half with a strong final 30 minutes to beat Dallas 16-3 in the first NFL preseason game in two years.

Dan Campbell kicked off his tenure as Detroit Lions coach with some questionable decisions, including not having a quarterback during rookie minicamp.

Thirteen prospects will attend next week’s NFL draft in person.

Caleb Farley was the first top prospect to make the decision that has added a whole new layer of uncertainty to the annual crapshoot that is the NFL draft.

Minnesota is getting its star wide receiver back for an abbreviated Big Ten season. Minnesota announced Wednesday that Rashod Bateman was cleared to play this season by the NCAA and Big Ten after opting out in August. At Penn State, coach James Franklin closed the door on All-America linebacker Micah Parsons returning to the Nittany Lions. Both Bateman and Parsons opted out of the 2020 season before the Big Ten postponed amid concerns about the pandemic. Purdue All-America receiver Rondale Moore, who opted out early like Parsons and Bateman, was cleared to play for the Boilermakers last week.

Parsons and Oregon tackle Penei Sewell are among 11 players selected who are not slated to play this fall. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger, File)Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons and Oregon tackle Penei Sewell are among 11 players selected to The Associated Press preseason All-America first team who are not slated to play this fall. Tackles x-Penei Sewell, junior, Oregon; Alex Leatherwood, senior, Alabama. Linebackers y-Micah Parsons, junior, Penn State; x-Hamilcar Rashed Jr., senior, Oregon State; Dylan Moses, senior, Alabama. Safeties x-Jevon Holland, junior, Oregon; Trevon Moehrig, junior, TCU.

Viewing the loss of the 2020 schedule in a vacuum, however, is never the perspective that Fleck and his staff and players would take. The more time we have to build this football team, the better were going to be, Fleck said. The pandemic already cost the Gophers one star player, with NFL-bound wide receiver Rashod Bateman opting out for health reasons. The original 2020 slate had plenty of advantages for the Gophers, with no Ohio State or Penn State on the schedule and no road games until October. Now were going to do it our way, Fleck said, adding: There will be another season.

Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said before a spring football season is planned, there has to be a discussion about fall 2021. He said conversations about a spring football season have been minimal, but there has been a theme. If the NFL does nothing to accommodate spring college football some of the sure-things are almost certain to leave. There is so much to sort out, including the NCAA signing off on a spring football season. At this point in time, we'll see.__Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott met with representatives from the #WeAreUnited college player group, with much of the discussion focused on the conferences health and safety protocols. The players have demanded the Pac-12 address a list of concerns about COVID-19 protocols, racial injustice in college sports and economic rights for college athletes. Players around the country are already opting out of the coming season, with some saying goodbye to college football for good. Maryland coach Mike Locksley announced six players, including starting quarterback Josh Jackson and two starting offensive linemen, were opting out. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25