NFL Player News

Mahomes completed 16 of 25 passes for 174 yards, a touchdown and an interception during Sunday's 31-21 win over the Chargers. He added 21 yards on seven carries.

With the Chiefs scoring on a kick return and a long run, there were a diminished number of opportunities for Mahomes to make plays downfield. In fact, the Chiefs were trailing toward the end of the first half when Mahomes helped the team take the lead with a 24-yard dart to Demarcus Robinson. With a win and New England's loss, the Chiefs own the AFC No. 2 seed. They will play either the Patriots, Texans or Bills in the divisional round. Mahomes completed 60 percent of his passes in two games against the Patriots and Texans this season with 556 passing yards, four touchdowns and two picks. One thing to look for heading into the playoffs is Mahomes' touchdown rate. Mahomes accounted for 2.25 touchdown throws per game in his first eight starts. That's down to 1.3 in his last six starts, though he has run for two touchdowns during that span.

Mayfield completed 12 of 27 passes for 279 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in the Browns' 33-23 loss to the Bengals on Sunday. He also fumbled once but recovered.

Mayfield's final line was essentially a microcosm of his season -- some eye-catching plays interspersed with plenty of mistakes and inefficiency. The second-year signal-caller's disappointing sophomore campaign ends with Mayfield throwing at least one interception in six consecutive games and completing less than 50.0 percent of his passes in two of his last four contests. Especially given Sunday's results, it increasingly appears Mayfield will be playing under a new head coach and offensive system in 2020, but he'll have plenty to work on himself this offseason after getting picked off 21 times in 2019.

Trubisky completed 26 of 37 passes for 207 yards in the Bears' 21-19 win over the Vikings in Week 17, and he ended the season with 3,318 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Trubisky failed to improve in his third pro season, and despite throwing significantly more passes than he did in 2018, his touchdown rate fell drastically. In addition, he threw for zero or one touchdown in more than half of his starts, and as he goes into the fourth year of his rookie contract in 2020, it'll be difficult to envision him as more than a QB2 in fantasy drafts.

Allen completed 25 of 41 pass attempts for 295 yards and threw one interception during Sunday's 42-10 loss to New Orleans.

With rookie signal-caller Will Grier sustaining a foot injury during the second quarter of Sunday's blowout defeat, Allen made his 13th appearance of 2019. The 23-year-old Allen enjoyed a promising start to his sophomore season by establishing a 7:0 TD:INT between Weeks 3 and 6, while leading his team to a 4-0 record during that span. From that point forward, however, Allen struggled mightily with ball security, tossing 10 touchdowns and 16 interceptions as Carolina limped to a final record of 5-11. Cam Newton's (foot) future with the Panthers remains tentative for the time being, but Allen provides Carolina with an affordable backup QB option as the franchise searches for a long-term answer at the position.

Barkley completed 18 of 35 passes for 232 yards and two interceptions while rushing twice for minus-4 yards and losing one of two fumbles in Sunday's 13-6 loss to the Jets.

Barkley came in under center after Josh Allen presided over two scoreless drives to open the contest. The Bills aren't known for their offense to begin with and rested key starters on that side of the ball, so Barkley didn't have much to work with and it showed. This was the backup quarterback's second appearance of the season, as Allen has managed to stay mostly healthy. Don't expect to see an appearance from Barkley this postseason, but he'll remain under contract as Allen's backup in 2020.

Allen completed three of five passes for five yards before being replaced by Matt Barkley in Sunday's 13-6 loss to the Jets.

Allen didn't get the entire season finale off like some other prominent Bills starters, but he only played two drives before leaving the contest to keep him healthy for the postseason. The second-year quarterback wisely didn't attempt to make any plays with his legs, finishing the regular season with 3,089 yards and a 20:9 TD:INT through the air, as well as 510 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. Allen will need to bring his A-game in his first career playoff appearance next week, as the Bills will be underdogs in Houston.

Grier (foot) won't return to Sunday's contest versus the Saints, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Grier didn't fare well in his brief time on the field, completing one of eight passes for four yards and one interception, losing a fumble and logging three rushes for five yards. The extent of his foot injury isn't known, but considering he initially was termed doubtful to return, it may be serious. Kyle Allen will lead the Panthers offense for the remainder of this contest.

Though Watson (back) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Titans, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle indicates that backup QB AJ McCarron is "expected to start and/or play extensively."

Though the Texans still have a chance to move from the No. 4 AFC playoff seed to No. 3 with a win plus a Kansas City loss, it looks like the team is inclined to proceed cautiously with both Watson and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (illness), with its postseason health in mind. Considering that, Watson is too risky to roll with in Week 17 fantasy lineups.

Minshew (shoulder) is officially active for Sunday's season finale against the Colts.

Minshew was considered questionable due to the bothersome right shoulder, but he'll once again play through the injury. The 23-year-old will look to finish his rookie campaign on a strong note after completing only 13 of 31 passes in Week 16.

Murray (hamstring) is listed as active Sunday against the Rams at L.A., Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Limited all week due to a right hamstring injury, Murray was termed a game-time decision by coach Kliff Kingsbury. His availability was contingent on a pregame workout, in which he must have performed well enough for the training staff to sign off on his status. In his first faceoff with the Rams this season, Murray completed 19 of 34 passes for 163 yards and one interception while running four times for 28 yards and a TD.