NFL Player News

Book completed 12 of 20 passes for 135 yards with two interceptions while rushing three times for six yards during Monday's 20-3 loss to Miami.

Getting the start at quarterback in his NFL debut, Book struggled mightily behind a banged-up offensive line. Not only did the rookie throw a pick-six on his second pass attempt, but he ultimately took eight sacks and went 0-for-12 on third-down conversions. He also was hardly a threat as a runner despite showing above-average mobility in his previous four years at Notre Dame. If Taysom Hill or Trevor Siemian can clear COVID protocols in the coming days, Book should go right back to riding the bench.

Tagovailoa completed 19 of 26 passes for 198 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Monday night's 20-3 win over the Saints.

Tagovailoa again relied heavily on wideout Jaylen Waddle's ability to create separation on underneath routes to move the ball. When he did take a shot downfield in the second half, Tagovailoa was intercepted on an overthrow. In fairness, though, the signal-caller responded with an impressive 40-yard pass to extend his subsequent drive, followed by a long completion to Waddle on a flea flicker the next play. Appropriately, Tagovailoa then capped that series with a one-yard touchdown to Waddle, giving the Dolphins a comfortable lead on the way to their seventh straight win. Although vertically challenged for the most part in the passing attack, Tagovailoa's efficiency on short passes, particularly to Waddle, has been a successful formula that he'll strive to utilize again in Week 17 versus the Titans.

Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia clarified that Carr is dealing with sore ribs in the aftermath of Sunday's 17-13 win over the Broncos, but the injury isn't expected to affect the quarterback's availability for a Week 17 matchup with the Colts, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Bisaccia noted that Carr feels the injury the most when he coughs, but the 30-year-old sounds like he'll otherwise be uninhibited while practicing and playing. The Raiders still could look to ease Carr along slowly this week with a limited workout Wednesday and/or Thursday, but the historically durable signal-caller appears at little to no risk of sitting out Week 17, especially with Las Vegas in the thick of playoff contention.

Lance may be in line for practice reps with the 49ers' first-team offense after Jimmy Garoppolo was diagnosed with a UCL tear and fracture in his right thumb in the wake of Thursday's loss in Tennessee, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Lance opened the season as a regular part of the offensive game plan and even earned a spot start for an injured Garoppolo in Week 5. But Lance has made just one appearance in 10 games in the meantime and currently has a rookie stat line of 52 percent passing for 354 yards, three touchdowns and one interception to go with 30 carries for 137 yards and another score. The 49ers are slated to evaluate Garoppolo's thumb again Wednesday, which could set the stage for Lance to handle high-profile reps in practice and potentially even earn his second NFL start Sunday against the Texans.

Garoppolo sustained a UCL tear and fracture in his right thumb during Thursday's 20-17 loss at Tennessee, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Garoppolo's injury is gaining more clarity by the hour after head coach Kyle Shanahan told Keiana Martin of the 49ers' official site Monday that the quarterback sprained his thumb when he took a sack this past weekend. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the fracture actually is a chipped bone, placing his status in question for Sunday's game against the Texans. San Francisco's medical staff is slated to evaluate Garoppolo's thumb again Wednesday, but based off Shanahan's comments, Garoppolo's ability to throw appears to be compromised, according to David Lombardi of The Athletic. If Garoppolo is unable to play this weekend, rookie first-rounder Trey Lance would be in line for his second start and sixth appearance overall.

Book will start Monday against the Dolphins after the Saints didn't activate Taysom Hill (illness) or Trevor Siemian (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of the contest, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic reports.

Both Hill and Siemian were placed on the COVID-19 list Thursday following positive tests for the virus, setting Book up for his first regular-season action in the NFL. A fourth-round rookie, Book has made just one appearance as a pro, back in the preseason when he completed nine of 16 attempts for 126 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He did show some mobility at the collegiate level at Notre Dame, averaging 4.2 yards per carry and scoring 17 TDs on the ground in 45 appearances. Meanwhile, Blake Bortles has been elevated from the practice squad to serve as the Saints' Week 16 backup QB.

The Saints didn't activate Siemian (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list, making him ineligible to play Monday versus the Dolphins, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Taysom Hill (illness) also wasn't activated from the COVID-19 list, leaving Ian Book to handle his first NFL start and practice squad call-up Blake Bortles as the Saints' Week 16 backup quarterback. Siemian's next chance to be available to the offense arrives Sunday versus the Panthers.

Garoppolo didn't practice Monday after head coach Kyle Shanahan disclosed the quarterback suffered a right thumb sprain when he was sacked late in the first half of San Francisco's 20-17 loss to Tennessee in Week 16, Keiana Martin of the 49ers' official site reports.

Since the 49ers played a Thursday night game Week 16, the team's session Monday isn't an official one. As a result, information on the extent of Garoppolo's participation in practice won't be known until the 49ers release their first official Week 17 report Wednesday. At the moment, Garoppolo's availability for Sunday's matchup with the Texans is looking iffy, a less-than-ideal development while the 49ers look to maintain position in the wild-card race with two weeks to play. Rookie signal-caller Trey Lance could take some first-team reps in practice over the next few days if the 49ers have any concern about Garoppolo's thumb as the Week 17 contest approaches.

The Lions activated Goff (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday.

Just as head coach Dan Campbell confirmed earlier Monday, Goff cleared the NFL's COVID-19 return-to-play protocols after a week-long stint on the list. With Goff unable to clear the protocol ahead of Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Falcons, Tim Boyle stepped in as the starting quarterback. Boyle will return to backup duties Week 17 in Seattle now that Goff is back at the team facility and ready to resume practicing.

Boyle will reprise his normal duties as the Lions' backup quarterback Week 17 in Seattle after head coach Dan Campbell confirmed Monday that Jared Goff (illness) is due back from the reserve/COVID-19 list after clearing the NFL's return-to-play protocols, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Detroit has yet to officially add Goff back to the 53-man roster, but that transaction is merely a formality now that the signal-caller has been cleared to report back to the Lions' team facility. While Goff was unable to practice this past week before he was deactivated in advance of Sunday's game against the Falcons, Boyle stepped in for his second start of the season. After a wretched showing in his Lions debut Week 11 in Cleveland, Boyle was far more competent in directing the offense in Atlanta. He completed 24 of 34 attempts for 187 yards and a touchdown, though he threw a game-sealing pick in the red zone to send Detroit to a 20-16 loss. Boyle's performance was probably enough to keep him ahead of David Blough as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart for the final two games of the season.