NFL Player News

Fairbairn went 4-for-5 on field-goal attempts and made all four of his point-after tries during the Texans' 40-20 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

It was a busy day for Fairbairn as the Texans' offense moved down the field with ease. His longest field goal came from 55 yards in the second quarter, and his lone blemish came late in the same frame, when his 52-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by Calais Campbell. Fairbairn has made two or more field goals in 11 of 12 regular-season games and has made four or more in three of those contests. He is now 33-for-37 on field-goal attempts (with all four misses coming from 50-plus yards) and 22-for-22 on extra-point tries on the year.

New Orleans elevated Smyth from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Smyth will serve as the Saints' kicker for the third week in a row. The 24-year-old went 2-for-3 on field-goal tries while knocking through all three of his PATs across the last two games. Since this is Smyth's third practice-squad elevation with the Saints, he'll now have to be signed to the active roster if he's going to play for the team beyond Sunday's contest against the Panthers.

Gonzalez made his only field-goal attempt and both of his extra-point tries Thursday in a 29-28 Week 15 win over Tampa Bay.

Gonzalez didn't attempt a field goal in the first half but made both of his extra-point tries. The Falcons attempted a two-point conversion on each of their second-half touchdowns, so Gonzalez went almost the entire third and fourth quarters without taking the field. However, Atlanta drove down the field in the final two minutes of game time and called upon Gonzalez for a 43-yard field-goal try with four seconds left on the clock. The veteran kicker converted to give the Falcons the win. Since taking over as the team's kicker Week 10 against Indianapolis, Gonzalez has made 11 of 13 field-goal tries and 10 of 10 PATs.

McLaughlin made both of his field-goal attempts and both of his extra-point tries in Thursday's Week 15 loss to Atlanta.

McLaughlin got called upon twice for field-goal tries in the second quarter, converting from 49 and 52 yards out. It was his third straight game making two field goals, and McLaughlin hasn't missed a kick since Week 6 against San Francisco. He's been very accurate overall this season, going 26-for-30 on FG attempts and 27-of-28 on PATs through 14 contests.

Sanders (hip) will not be designated to return from IR in Week 15, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Sanders has spent the entire regular season on IR due to a hip injury suffered during the preseason, and the Dolphins have yet to provide a clear timetable for his return. Meanwhile, Riley Patterson has been outstanding across 13 regular-season appearances, converting 23 of 25 field-goal attempts (92 percent) and 28 of 29 extra-point tries. The team will have little incentive to open Sanders' practice window unless Patterson begins struggling.

Pineiro (right hamstring) practiced in full Wednesday.

Pineiro sat out the 49ers' last two games before a Week 14 bye due to a right hamstring injury, but when the team cut Matt Gay from its practice squad Tuesday, it signaled that the former was in line to return Week 15. With an uncapped practice under his belt, he'll resume placekicking duties Sunday against the Titans.

The Colts signed Grupe to the active roster from the practice squad Wednesday.

Grupe was elevated to make his Colts debut during the team's Week 14 loss to the Jaguars, in which he converted both of his field-goal tries and his only extra-point attempt. With the team having cut Michael Badgley and with Spencer Shrader (knee) out for the year, Grupe figures to operate as Indianapolis' kicker for the remainder of the 2025 campaign, assuming he's able to keep up his consistency. Next on deck for Grupe and the Colts is a road matchup against Seattle on Sunday.

The 49ers released Gay from their practice squad Tuesday.

Gay stepped in as the 49ers' kicker for the team's last two games while Eddy Pineiro (hamstring) was sidelined and went a perfect 8-for-8 on kicks (four field goals, four extra points). The 49ers' decision to part ways with Gay signals that Pineiro is healthy coming out of the team's Week 14 bye and ready to handle kicking duties Sunday versus the Titans.

Elliott connected on 4-of-5 field goals and made his sole extra point attempt in Monday night's 22-19 loss to the Chargers.

Elliott's longest kick of the night was a 54-yarder that cut the Eagles' deficit to four points late in the third quarter. The kicker overall had a good night, with the only stain on his stat line being a 48-yard miss before halftime. The nine-year veteran has had a rough stretch, missing a field goal in his last three games. Elliott moves to 16-for-21 on FG tries and 31-for-32 on extra-point attempts this season.

Dicker made all five field-goal attempts and converted his sole PAT in Monday night's 22-19 overtime win over the Eagles.

Dicker's longest kick of the day was a 54-yard field goal in overtime that ended up being the game-winner. The kicker accounted for 16 of the Chargers' 22 points and extended his lead as the NFL's leader in career field goal percentage (with more than 100 attempts), sitting at a 93.8 percent conversion rate.