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It’s official: The Dolphins are going to the Super Bowl. In its NFL preview issue out this week, Sports Illustrated picked the Dolphins to win the AFC East, plow through the Steelers, Ravens and Colts in the playoffs and make it to Dolphin Stadium for Super Bowl XLI in February.

The idea of the Dolphins being good this year — no, very good — that used to be our little secret. It was a strictly parochial supposition, standing on a local tripod of confidence in coach Nick Saban, the six-game winning streak that ended last season, and the arrival of a marquee quarterback in Daunte [...]

Tonight’s preseason finale against St. Louis could be the last extended playing time most of the Dolphins rookies get for a while because the regular season starts next week with a Thursday night game at Pittsburgh.

Giants tight end Wade Fletcher is caught in the same awkward position as countless others, with one foot in the N.F.L. and the other stepping toward the real world….

Thursday night’s preseason finale against St. Louis could be the last extended playing time most of the Dolphins’ rookies get for a while because the regular season starts next week with a Thursday night game at Pittsburgh.

Terrell Owens practiced Tuesday for the first time in 10 days, an indication he’s getting over his hamstring injury and is heading toward his debut with the Dallas Cowboys.

Seth McKinney isn’t able to play yet and probably won’t be for as long as three months, but he was still hoping to return to the Dolphins this year and make the playoffs for the first time in his career.

J. P. Losman was named the Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback yesterday, after a preseason competition to reclaim the job he lost last year to Kelly Holcomb. Coach Dick Jauron made the announcement after practice in Orchard Park, N.Y., saying Losman had clearly performed better during training camp in a three-way competition [...]

Rookie cornerback E. J. Underwood was placed on the season-ending injured-reserve list as the Giants pared their roster to 75 players Tuesday….

St. Louis Rams coach Scott Linehan knows the Dolphins and they know him. But familiarity definitely doesn’t breed contempt in this instance.

The Dolphins must make 16 roster moves by 4 p.m. today, which means nearly a dozen Miami careers soon will be over. But at least Michael Lehan and Kelly Campbell still will be around.

With a brace protecting his rebuilt knee, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer threw three touchdown in his first preseason game of the year….

With the Giants hoping to conserve Tiki Barber’ s energy, Brandon Jacobs is getting consideration as something more than a situational bulldozer….

Exactly two weeks from the first regular-season game, the Giants’ locker room displayed the highs and lows of a roster and depth chart taking shape….

Jared Lorenzen has never thrown a regular-season pass, but he is being discussed as Eli Manning’ s backup — one injury away from the most important position on the field….

Penalties, turnovers and mental lapses littered the Jets in their 13-7 loss to the Giants on Friday night….