The Latest: Writer gets kick out of old story with Hanson

The Latest on Week 8 of the NFL regular season (all times EDT):

12:45 p.m.

Jason Hanson has paid off a debt and gotten a good laugh.

The former Detroit kicking great handed a $25 check to reporter Kyle Meinke on Sunday at Ford Field and shared a true tale involving one of the writers who covers the Lions.

Hanson, with reporters gathered around in the Ford Field press box, read aloud from a letter Meinke mailed him 25 years ago.

Meinke, who penned the note when he was 8, asked Hanson to send him a $25 check to make up for money he cost him in a squares pool after the two-time Pro Bowl kicker missed a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter of a loss to Green Bay in a wild-card game in 1994.

Hanson made the connection that the young boy who wrote him a letter, which he has kept laminated, became a sports writer after reading a story Meinke wrote about Lions long snapper Don Muhlbach.

“The check is the coolest piece of memorabilia I’ve gotten doing this job,” the 33-year-old Meinke said 30 minutes before reporting on the New York Giants-Lions game. “The full circle part of this is blowing my mind right now.”

— Larry Lage reporting from Detroit

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11:15 a.m.

Drew Brees is back for New Orleans while Atlanta’s Matt Ryan will miss a game for the first time in 10 years in Week 8 of the NFL’s regular season.

The star quarterback of the Saints has missed five games with a right thumb injury that required surgery. New Orleans won all five games without him with Teddy Bridgewater as the starter. The Saints are playing Arizona and rookie No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray at home.

Ryan has a sprained right ankle that will end his streak of 154 consecutive regular-season starts. Matt Shaub is starting for the Falcons, who are taking a five-game losing streak into a home game against Seattle.

San Francisco is going for its first 7-0 start since 1990 after getting receiver Emmanuel Sanders in a trade with Denver. The 49ers have lacked a No. 1 receiver for Jimmy Garappolo.

New England is the league’s only other unbeaten team at 7-0. The Patriots are home against Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns. Winless Cincinnati is playing the Los Angeles Rams in London.

Kansas City will be without Patrick Mahomes because of a knee injury when facing Aaron Rodgers and NFC North-leading Green Bay.

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