Broncos - Chargers on Thursday Night Football

The NFL kicks off Week 8 on Thursday night when the DENVER BRONCOS (5-1) host the SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (5-2) at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver (CBS/NFLN, 8:25 PM ET). The Broncos and Chargers have met 10 times during the regular season since 2009, splitting the series with five wins apiece.

The Broncos head into Thursday night aiming for their fourth consecutive victory following a 42-17 win over San Francisco on Sunday Night Football. During the game, quarterback PEYTON MANNING passed for 318 yards and four touchdowns for a 157.2 passer rating. At the 3:09 mark of the second quarter, Manning threw his third touchdown of the game (eight yards to DEMARYIUS THOMAS), and the 509th of his career, surpassing BRETT FAVRE (508) for the most career touchdown passes in NFL history.

New NFL award to recognize outstanding sportsmanship

The National Football League will introduce this year an annual award to recognize NFL players who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field, Commissioner ROGER GOODELL announced today.

The winner of the NFL Sportsmanship Award will be determined by a vote of the NFL players. The award will be presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.

Russell Wilson leads NFL in merchandise sales

Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks stands atop the NFL Players Inc. (NFLPI) Top 50 Player Sales list for the second fiscal quarter, representing total sales of all officially licensed products June 1 – August 31, 2014. Wilson reclaimed the retail crown from Johnny Manziel of the Cleveland Browns, who topped the list at the end of the first quarter.

Wilson’s overall sales numbers topped quarterbacks Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos (No. 2), Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers (No. 3), Tom Brady of the New England Patriots (No. 4) and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers (No. 5). Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (No. 6), Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (No. 7), New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (No. 8), Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (No. 9) and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (No. 10) rounded out the top 10.

NFL players to join "Temple Run 2"

Imangi Studios and NFL Players Inc. (NFLPI), the marketing and licensing arm of the NFL Players Association, today announced their partnership to bring some of the NFL’s top players to Temple Run 2, one of the most popular mobile games in history.

The first two members of the exciting lineup -- quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson -- are now available for download within Temple Run 2 for a limited time only. New NFL players will be chosen weekly by Imangi and released through the Fall season.

NFL Week 5 previews - almost 1/2 the teams in the league are 2-2

As the NFL enters Week 5 of the 2014 season, the league's parity is showing up at ridiculous levels.

Of the 26 teams who have played four games, 12 of them are playing .500 ball (2 wins, 2 losses).

Only two teams (Arizona and Cincinnati) are undefeated, and both of them have only played three games. The only two teams who are winless are the Raiders and the Jaguars.

And all 32 teams know there’s room for improvement. And, while not every club has gotten off to a hot start, nothing is a given in the NFL.

An early look at Sunday's ‘NFL GameDay First’ & ‘NFL GameDay Morning’ on NFL Network

Sunday is ‘GameDay’ and every week NFL Network provides more than 15 hours of live coverage, beginning at 7:00 AM ET with NFL GameDay First. NFL Network’s coverage continues at 9:00 AM ET with NFL GameDay Morning leading viewers into the early games.

Bears/Packers spotlighted on tonight's "NFL Turning Point" (9 P.M. CT, NBC-SN)

Wednesday night’s all new edition of NFL Turning Point, NBCSN’s Emmy Award-nominated weekly NFL show co-produced by NFL Films, will analyze Sunday’s 49ers’ second-half comeback against the Eagles. Airing at 10 p.m. ET, the episode will review the key moments that defined the game, and examine how the 49ers executed a second-half comeback.

In addition, this week’s installment will include spotlight features on Packers – Bears, a film study with San Diego Chargers WR Keenan Allen, and wired-for-sound segments with Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant and 49ers SS AntoineBethea.