There’s a high-profile Super Bowl-winning coach who thinks we all need to slow down on the Khalil Mack hype. With the New England Patriots preparing to play the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Bill Belichick was asked if Mack ranks up there with Lawrence Taylor as “one of the better” pass rushers he’s seen. Belichick, the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants through Taylor’s ’80s prime, took the question as a personal affront.

Pardon us, but there's no deflating the focus whenever Andrew Luck and the Colts head to Gillette Stadium. Like everyone else, Pro Picks would be leaving its readers flat if it didn't mention the saga of footballs without enough air that penetrated the

The Dolphins can get an early grip on the AFC East with a win against Tom Brady in New England on Sunday. (AP) Here’s a look at the Week 4 matchups, including the broadcasting TV network for each game. You can also livestream games within your market

It wasn’t a blowout, but the Detroit Lions won comfortably 26-10 over the New England Patriots on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. That translated into a 13.6 rating/23 share in the metered market households (excluding live streaming). That was off by a fraction

NFL footballs (Getty Images) Notable injuries: Jared Veldheer is OUT with a concussion. Meanwhile, Justin Simmons and Chris Harris Jr. are both back to start this defensive series. — Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) September 16, 2018 Slay has a concussion

Myles Jack squeezed into his locker stall, his leather chair pushed to one side, his sweaty clothes scattered across the floor. With the Patriots (1-0) and Jaguars (1-0) meeting again Sunday in Jacksonville, it's sure to be a topic of conversation outside - maybe even inside - the locker rooms. The Jags allowed a third-and-18 conversion in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game at New England in late January, a lapse that was instrumental in the Patriots overcoming a 10-point deficit and one that still haunts Jacksonville's players and coaches more than 250 days later.

The NFL preseason came to a close and New England Patriots rookie quarterback Danny Etling made sure to bust out one last highlight on Thursday night. Etling ran a read-option play late in the fourth quarter in the Patriots’ final preseason game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Thursday, and decided to keep the ball and run out to the right side. Etling ran the ball 86 yards into the end zone for a touchdown, putting up critical points that led the Patriots to a 17-12 win.

Programming note: NFL free agency is underway! Check out Matt Maiocco's 49ers free agent tracker and watch SportsNet Central nightly at 6 and 10:30 p.m. for all the latest football news. Wide receiver Julian Edelman, a Bay Area native, is scheduled to visit the 49ers on Friday, a source confirmed. The 49ers will meet with Edelman at the team's Santa Clara facility, and the club also has interest in New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, ESPN reported. Edelman, a five-year veteran from Kent State, caught 105 passes for 1,056 yards and four touchdowns with the New England Patriots last season.

The Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots have the second and third most expensive tickets in the NFL. But who's No. 1?

There are plenty of familiar story lines heading into Week 4 of the NFL season. The Denver Broncos are looking like a championship team. New Orleans is back on top in the NFC South. Miami appears to be one of those “surprise” teams that could make the playoffs. Oakland is struggling once again. And New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin is on the hot seat. [ Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football is open for business ] Coughlin’s teams seemingly start slow every year before sneaking into the playoffs, but that appears very unlikely right now. New York was embarrassed by the Carolina Panthers, 38-0, this past Sunday, and appear to be spiraling out of control. The Giants are averaging only 44.3 rushing yards per game (last in the NFL), their defense has produced three sacks (tied for worst in the NFL) and allowed 38.3 points per game (worst in the league). Meanwhile, Giants quarterback Eli Manning has thrown five touchdowns and eight interceptions and owns a 70.5 passer rating. While the first day of fall indicates September for most people, rumors about Coughlin’s job security is the needle for NFL fans. THIS WEEK'S THREE HOTTEST SEATS 1. Greg Schiano, Tampa Bay After two straight close losses, the Bucs decided to end all suspense and lose 23-3 against the New England Patriots. Former Bucs coach Raheem Morris probably believes he could do more this team than the lackluster squads he was given – and is probably correct. 2. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants New York’s next three opponents are Kansas City, Philadelphia and Chicago. Unless the Giants can pull off an upset, this could be a 0-6 team. 3. Ron Rivera, Carolina Carolina had a strong win heading into its bye week, but this team still has plenty of issues. The Charlotte Observer reported Rivera will not lose his job during the season. That does not mean it will not occur after this year. GETTING WARMER Mike Shanahan, Washington Fred Smoot recently ripped Shanahan , and it is hard to blame him after Washington’s 0-3 start. Shanahan has led Washington to only one winning season in the past four years. It is just a matter of time before Washington general manager Bruce Allen begs Jon Gruden to come out of retirement and coach his team (both men worked together in Tampa Bay). GETTING COLDER Rex Ryan, New York Jets The Jets are 2-1 and Coughlin’s team is 0-3? Now that is something most NFL observers did not foresee prior to this season. - - - Hit us up on Twitter @YShutdownCorner , email us at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com and "Like" Shutdown Corner on Facebook for NFL conversation 365 days a year, the way it should be.