NFL Player News

Darnold completed 16 of 33 passes for 172 yards and three interceptions in Sunday's 24-6 loss to the Patriots.

Darnold cleared concussion and shoulder concerns during the week to face a familiar foe in the Patriots, but he was again haunted by their defense. After managing merely 32 passing yards in the first half, Darnold threw an interception that was returned 88 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. That spoiled Carolina's attempt to potentially tie the game, then Darnold threw another pick on his next drive, setting up a New England field goal. To make matters worse, he was also intercepted on the following series, this time in the end zone. Given his poor play over the past five games, there'll certainly be questions surrounding Darnold in advance of Week 10's matchup versus the Cardinals, as his stock now sits at a new low even despite Sunday's return of star tailback Christian McCaffrey.

McCoy will start for an inactive Kyler Murray (ankle) on Sunday at San Francisco, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Arizona has opted to keep Murray in street clothes while he tends to a medial ankle sprain, allowing McCoy to earn his first start in a Cardinals uniform. In 47 career appearances (30 starts) with five different teams, McCoy has averaged 137.3 yards per game and tossed 30 touchdowns versus 28 interceptions. But in this outing, he won't be afforded the luxuries of DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring, inactive) and A.J. Green (reserve/COVID-19 list), meaning his options at wide receiver are Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore, Antoine Wesley, Andy Isabella and Greg Dortch.

Murray (ankle) is listed as inactive Sunday in San Francisco.

Murray sustained a medial left ankle sprain near the end of a Week 8 loss to the Packers, keeping him off the practice field this week. Ultimately, he was considered a game-time decision, with his status subject to a pregame warmup, but he was unable to do enough for the Cardinals to risk it Sunday. Murray thus will miss the first game of his career, handing over the offense to backup quarterback Colt McCoy. Murray will be joined by DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) and A.J. Green (reserve/COVID-19 list) on the inactive list Sunday, so McCoy will be tossing the pigskin to wide receivers Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore, Antoine Wesley, Andy Isabella and Greg Dortch.

Sinnett (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's contest against the Chargers, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.

Sinnett was claimed by the Eagles after they traded Joe Flacco to the Jets. However, the 24-year-old will be inactive Sunday, as Philadelphia will roll with its usual starter Jalen Hurts, and Gardner Minshew will act as the only active backup.

Lawrence (ankle) has returned to Sunday's game versus the Bills, John Oehser of the Jaguars' official site reports.

The rookie signal-caller was deemed questionable to return after going down with the ankle injury, but he's back on the field after a brief trip to the locker room to be evaluated. C.J. Beathard completed both his pass attempts for 33 yards while Lawrence was sidelined.

Lawrence returned to Sunday's game against the Bills after exiting the contest with an ankle injury.

C.J. Beathard briefly took over at QB for the Jaguars, but the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft was subsequently able to return to the contest.

Lawrence was forced out of Sunday's game against the Bills after suffering an ankle injury.

As a result, C.J. Beathard has taken over at QB for the Jaguars. Prior to his exit from the contest, Lawrence completed 11 of his 15 pass attempts for 80 yards.

Lock's placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to Sunday's game against the Cowboys was the result of a positive test for the virus, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

According to Klis, Lock learned Saturday that a non-team-related close contact had tested positive for the virus, and the quarterback was subsequently deemed positive himself after undergoing tests late Saturday and early Sunday. Fortunately for Denver, top signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater wasn't placed in the protocol after testing negative Sunday, clearing the way for him to start against Dallas, while No. 3 quarterback Brett Rypien serves as his backup. Since Lock is vaccinated, he'll be eligible to rejoin the Broncos whenever he's asymptomatic and tests negative on two occasions at least 24 hours apart. He'll thus have a chance at being ready to reclaim backup duties for the Broncos' next game Nov. 14 against the Eagles.

Murray (ankle) remains listed as questionable as the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff for Sunday's game against the 49ers approaches, but Jay Glazer of Fox Sports relays that it will take "something miraculous" in pregame warmups for the quarterback to play.

Glazer's dispatch seemingly aligns with a report released earlier Sunday by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who said the Cardinals didn't have "a ton of optimism" that Murray would be able to play following a week of no practice activity. The team has similar pessimism about the status of top wideout DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring), who, like Murray, didn't practice all week and is viewed as a game-day decision. Official confirmation on the statuses of both players should arrive no later than 90 minutes prior to kickoff, when Arizona releases its inactive list. Murray will likely find himself on the list for the first time in his career, clearing the way for Colt McCoy to draw the start at quarterback, while No. 3 option Chris Streveler serves as his backup.

Darnold (shoulder) has been confirmed as the Panthers' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

The Panthers' decision not to add a third quarterback to the roster this week hinted that Darnold would be available in at least a backup capacity while he managed a right shoulder injury, but the team wanted to see how he fared in a pregame warmup before deciding whether he or P.J. Walker would pick up the start. Person's report suggests that Darnold checked out fine during his pregame work, clearing the way for the 24-year-old signal-caller to make his ninth start of the season. Unless his shoulder presents too much discomfort or limits his effectiveness, Darnold is expected to handle a full workload against New England.