NFL Player News

Goff said after Saturday's 30-20 win over the Seahawks in the wild-card round that he doesn't believe his surgically repaired thumb will affect him heading into next weekend's divisional-round game against either the Packers of Buccaneers, Eric D. Williams of SI.com reports. "My thumb is fine," Goff said. "And I'm not going to use it as an excuse for anything that didn't go my way or any throw. It's not 100 percent because I had surgery 10 days ago or 12 days ago or whatever. But it's in a good place and I'm very capable of what I've got going on right now."

After sitting out the Rams' Week 17 win over the Cardinals, Goff was active for the wild-card round as a backup to John Wolford after he was only able to practice on a limited basis leading up to the contest. With Wolford exiting in the first half with a neck stinger, Goff was thrust into action and clearly looked to be affected by his thumb. He still did well enough to avoid turning the ball over while the Rams deployed a run-heavy game plan, with Goff finishing the day with nine completions for 155 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts. While Goff looks like he won't miss any further time, if Wolford is also cleared to play in the next round, the Rams may hold off on naming a starter until their final practice of the week.

Heinicke suffered an AC joint sprain during Saturday's 31-23 wild-card loss to the Buccaneers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Heinicke impressed in his spot start Saturday, completing 26 of 44 passes for 306 yards, a touchdown and an interception and running for 46 yards and a score. It wasn't enough to pull out the win, however, and Heinicke finished the game banged up. The X-Rays came back negative, so his recovery shouldn't take too long. The Old Dominion product will be an unrestricted free agent in March, and he may have made an argument to at least be allowed to compete for a starting opportunity in a training camp somewhere in the league next summer.

Heinicke (shoulder) completed 26 of 44 passes for 306 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Washington's 31-23 wild-card loss to the Buccaneers on Saturday night. He also rushed six times for 46 yards and another score.

Getting game-day call in place of Alex Smith (calf), Heinicke performed admirably against the Buccaneers' aggressive Todd Bowles-coordinated defense. The third-year pro fought through a separated AC joint in his left shoulder during the second half, per Sam Fortier of The Washington Post, and he worked around two sacks and six quarterback hits overall to keep Washington competitive throughout. Heinicke primarily focused on the trio of Cam Sims, Terry McLaurin and Logan Thomas, which accounted for a combined 18-253 line on 29 targets. It was a highly encouraging showing for Heinicke, who's slated to head into unrestricted free agency this offseason but could certainly be brought back to Washington to compete for a starting job.

Heinicke returned from a shoulder injury during Saturday's wild-card game against the Buccaneers, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

The 27-year-old suffered the injury early in the fourth quarter after taking a couple hits and was labeled questionable to return, but he was able to retake the field after a quick examination in the locker room. Heinicke performed admirably before suffering the injury, completing 16 of 29 passes for 209 yards and one interception while rushing six times for 46 yards and one touchdown.

Coach Sean McVay said that Wolford (neck) is "trending in a positive direction" after going to the hospital during Saturday's 30-20 win over the Seahawks, Greg Beacham of The Associated Press reports.

Wolford started the game in place of Jared Goff (thumb), but he exited early after taking a hit to the helmet from Seahawks safety Jamal Adams on a designed run in the first quarter. McVay predicted that Wolford has a stinger. While that's an encouraging prognosis, further testing needs to be done, and Wolford isn't in the clear for the NFC divisional round. Goff figures to be the starting quarterback even if Wolford returns.

Goff (thumb) completed nine of 19 pass attempts for 155 yards and a touchdown while adding four yards on four carries during Saturday's 30-20 win over the Seahawks.

Goff began the game as the backup but was called into action quite early as John Wolford (neck) left the game after taking a hit up high. Although Goff completed just 47 percent of his throws while he continues to heal from thumb surgery, he averaged a respectable 8.2 yards per attempt and tacked on a late touchdown pass to Robert Woods to seal the victory. Goff will look to make the most of the next week in terms of recovery before taking on either the Buccaneers or Packers in the NFC divisional round.

Wilson completed 11 of 27 passes for 174 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Saturday's 30-20 wild-card loss to the Rams. He also ran four times for 50 yards.

The Seahawks showed increased dysfunction toward the end of the season and specifically against the Rams. This was another prime example, and it was perhaps Wilson's worst game of the season. The 32-year-old quarterback threw a costly pick-six to Darious Williams in the second quarter, completed just 41 percent of his passes, and was sacked five times. Garbage time provided a slight boost to an otherwise putrid stat line, as he added 49 passing yards and a score in addition to 28 rushing yards on the second to last drive. Wilson appeared to be an MVP frontrunner to start the season, but he started slipping in the second half of the year and ultimately fell out of the race. Nevertheless, Wilson set career highs in touchdowns (40) and completion percentage (68.8) during the regular season, and his 4,212 passing yards were just eight yards short of a personal best. Both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will be returning next year as well, so the Seahawks' passing game is equipped to return to the early season pace.

Heinicke will start Saturday's wild-card game against the Buccaneers, Grant Paulsen of The Athletic reports.

With Alex Smith unable to play on his balky right calf, Heinicke will make his second appearance of the campaign. In the first one, Heinicke subbed in for the since jettisoned Dwayne Haskins in Week 16 against the Panthers, completing 12 of 19 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown while turning three carries into 22 yards. Heinicke will have a tougher task on his hands versus a Tampa Bay defense that racked up the fourth-most sacks (48, tied with the Cardinals) this season.

Wolford (neck) was taken to the hospital for "precautionary measures" following his departure from Saturday's wild-card game in Seattle.

On a designed run in the first quarter, Wolford was hit in the helmet by Seahawks safety Jamal Adams. Wolford remained on the ground as the Rams' medical staff examined him before going to the locker room on his own. After he was deemed questionable to return, he later left the stadium in an ambulance and will undergo additional testing to figure out the extent of his neck injury. Jared Goff will continue to direct the offense with Wolford sidelined.

Wolford (neck) was transported from Lumen Field in Seattle via an ambulance, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

In the first quarter of Sunday's wild-card game against the Seahawks, Wolford took a hit to the helmet as he went to the ground on a designed run and remained there for a spell. After he was evaluated by the Rams' medical staff, he was able to walk off the field under his own power and eventually was called questionable to return due to a neck injury. With the way in which Wolford left the stadium, it appears the issue may be serious and likely means Jared Goff will direct the offense for the rest of the contest.