NFL Player News

Garoppolo (thumb) remains listed as questionable but is expected to start Sunday's game against the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area report.

Adam Schefter of ESPN previously relayed that the 49ers were leaning toward going with Garoppolo, who was inactive Week 17, in Sunday's game. The quarterback practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday through Friday, and though he wasn't cleared ahead of the weekend, the 49ers' decision not to promote another signal-caller from the practice squad in advance of the Week 18 contest points to Garoppolo getting the nod over Trey Lance. Rapoport adds that players who saw Garoppolo throw in practice this week indicated that he looked normal when passing the ball.

Minshew completed 19 of 33 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Saturday's 51-26 loss to the Cowboys.

Minshew got off to a decent start, capping the Eagles' opening drive with a three-yard shovel pass to Tyree Jackson for a touchdown. He later had a deep, would-be touchdown dropped by J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who also couldn't haul in a pass that floated on Minshew before being intercepted in the second half. Fortunately, though, the signal-caller closed on a high note, hitting Quez Watkins for a 36-yard score with under two minutes remaining. Although usual starter Jalen Hurts (coach's decision) should reclaim his job for next weekend's playoff game after resting Saturday, Minshew at least embodies a serviceable backup if needed.

Lance is expected to move into a backup role for Sunday's game against the Rams with Jimmy Garoppolo (thumb) -- who is listed as questionable -- viewed as a better bet to be the 49ers' starting quarterback this weekend, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Lance stepped in for Garoppolo in Week 17 when the latter was held out due to a sprained right thumb en route to 16-for-23 passing for 249 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while turning eight carries into 31 yards. Garoppolo returned to the practice field Wednesday and proceeded to put together three consecutive limited practices, splitting reps with Lance. Head coach Kyle Shanahan likely wants the experienced hand to be under center with the 49ers requiring a win to reach the postseason. Ultimately, if Garoppolo gets the nod, Lance could be relegated to clipboard duty, as he was in nine of 11 games following the team's Week 6 bye.

Prescott completed 21 of 27 passes for 295 yards and five touchdowns in Saturday's 51-26 win over the Eagles.

Prescott was excellent in the first half, throwing for four touchdowns for the second time in his last three games. With another passing score to begin the fourth quarter -- his last play of the night -- Prescott set a career high in the category Saturday. The signal-caller did so while continuing to incorporate Cedrick Wilson in Michael Gallup's (knee) absence, boding well for the Cowboys' offensive options in the playoffs. While Prescott now enters the postseason on a high note, he finishes the regular season with a personal-best 37 passing touchdowns in 16 appearances as well.

The 49ers are leaning toward starting Garoppolo (thumb) on Sunday at the Rams, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Garoppolo split reps with rookie first-rounder Trey Lance while working as a limited practice participant all week. The 49ers need to win Sunday in order to guarantee a spot in the playoffs, so it appears Garoppolo showed enough progress with the Grade 3 sprain in his right thumb to be available to the offense. When he faced the Rams back in Week 10, he completed 15 of 19 passes for 182 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 31-10 victory.

Mahomes completed 27 of 44 pass attempts for 270 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Saturday's 28-24 win over the Broncos. He also rushed the ball nine time for 54 yards.

Mahomes played the majority of the game without Tyreek Hill (heel), though he still managed to move the ball effectively. He showed particular rapport with Mecole Hardman, as the duo connected on gains of 44 and 21 yards. Meanwhile, Mahomes threw for multiple touchdowns for the fifth consecutive game, finding Travis Kelce for a three-yard score and Jerick McKinnon from 14 yards away. To round out his line, Mahomes topped 50 yards on the ground for only the second time this season. Though Mahomes hasn't surpassed 300 passing yards in six of his last seven starts, he will lead Kansas City into the playoffs with plenty of confidence after his solid showing.

Lock completed 12 of 24 passes for 162 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the Broncos' 28-24 loss to the Chiefs on Saturday. He also rushed four times for 35 yards and two scores.

Lock authored a pair of impressive first-half scoring drives of 67 and 80 yards, finishing off the marches with rushing touchdowns of five and 23 yards, respectively. Those would prove to be the highlight of what was an otherwise pedestrian performance, one that saw him complete just 50.0 percent of his throws and fail to manufacture enough impact plays in the second half. Lock was merely average while starting the last three games of the season in place of Teddy Bridgewater (IR-concussion), but with the latter heading into unrestricted free agency, it's possible Lock, who's signed through next season, is very much in the running to reclaim the starting quarterback job in 2022.

Minshew will start Saturday's game against the Cowboys with Jalen Hurts (ankle) inactive, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The Eagles are giving Hurts the week off to ensure he's as healthy as possible for the postseason. Minshew thus will make his fourth appearance and second start with the team, which so far has translated to 22-for-27 passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns to go with four carries for 11 yards.

Hurts (coach's decision) is listed as inactive Saturday against the Cowboys.

Hurts tended to a lingering ankle injury during Week 18 prep, but he managed a full practice Thursday and entered the weekend with no designation. Still, the Eagles are opting to give him a respite before the wild-card round of the playoffs. With Hurts in street clothes, Gardner Minshew will direct Philadelphia's offense in the regular-season finale.

Fields remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list in advance of Sunday's game against the Vikings, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports.

As a result, Andy Dalton is in line to start Sunday's season finale against Minnesota, with Nick Foles slated to serve as the Bears' backup QB in the absence of Fields, who landed on the list Thursday. Fields will conclude his rookie campaign with 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 59 percent passing and 72 carries for 420 yards and two more TDs in 12 appearances, 10 of them starts. He showed significant upside as a dual-threat quarterback, and he'll likely be selected as a top-15 option at his position in 2022 drafts. Fields will enter the second year of his rookie deal, as the anticipated undisputed starting quarterback and the face of the franchise.