NFL Player News

Darnold completed 18 of 30 passes for 133 yards and rushed four times for 21 yards in Sunday's 35-9 loss to Kansas City, but he may have re-injured his shoulder.

Darnold's three-game passing touchdown drought has him stuck on three passing scores and four total touchdowns through six games played. In his second game back from a shoulder injury, Darnold appeared to get banged up in the shoulder region late, and coach Adam Gase said after the game that the team will re-evaluate the injury, though Darnold appears to be okay, per ESPN's RIch Cimini. Even if he avoids a setback with the shoulder, Darnold's dearth of weapons -- which was magnified in this one with Jamison Crowder's (groin) absence -- will make it difficult for the struggling quarterback to get much going against the Patriots in Week 9.

Mahomes completed 31 of 42 passes for 416 yards and five touchdowns in Sunday's 35-9 win over the Jets.

Mahomes came out of the gate on fire, completing all five of his passes for 85 yards on the opening drive, which he capped with a 30-yard touch-pass touchdown to Mecole Hardman. The Chiefs needed a fake punt to keep their next drive alive, but Mahomes took advantage of the successful trick play with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill on the very next play. That hot start was only the tip of the iceberg for the superstar quarterback, who added touchdowns to Travis Kelce (three yards), Demarcus Robinson (26) and Hill again (41) before handing off to backup Chad Henne for mop-up duty. Mahomes matched his passing touchdown total from the previous three games combined while throwing more than two touchdowns for only the third time this season. He's capable of heating up in a hurry, though, and will look to build on this effort in Week 9 against the Panthers.

Taylor (chest) is inactive for Sunday's game at Denver, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

The 31-year-old was considered questionable after practicing as a full participant all week for the second straight week, but he's once again inactive. Easton Stick will once again serve as the backup to Justin Herbert with Taylor not in uniform.

Mariota (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game at Cleveland, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

The 27-year-old was activated off injured reserve Oct. 20 but has been a healthy scratch in his first two games on the active roster. Mariota appears entrenched as Las Vegas' No. 3 quarterback, with Nathan Peterman continuing to handle backup duties.

The Jaguars expect Minshew (thumb) to be inactive for the team's Week 9 game against the Texans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Shortly after the Jaguars headed into their Week 8 bye, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Minshew was revealed to be dealing with multiple fractures and a sprained ligament in his right thumb after he was sent in for X-rays. While the team hasn't commented on Minshew's injury nor provided a timeline for his return, the second-year signal-caller doesn't look like he'll be ready to go coming out of the bye. The Jaguars are expected to have the other two quarterbacks on the roster, Mike Glennon and Jake Luton, compete in practice during the upcoming week before head coach Doug Marrone names a starter for the Nov. 8 game versus Houston.

DiNucci has officially been named the starting quarterback for Sunday's game versus the Eagles following news that Andy Dalton (concussion) has been ruled out, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.

DiNucci likely wasn't expecting to get much playing time behind Dalton and Dak Prescott (ankle) this year, but he'll be counted on Sunday night in a crucial divisional tilt. The Cowboys' offensive line should see some improvement from last week's loss against Washington, as starters Zack Martin (concussion) and Joe Looney (knee) will both be active. The tackle positions will still be filled by backups, though, which is a major concern after DiNucci was sacked on three of six dropbacks last week. Perhaps a full week of first-team reps can warrant a better outing for DiNucci, and having a stacked set of wide receivers doesn't hurt either.

The Cowboys have officially ruled out Dalton (concussion) ahead of Sunday's game against the Eagles, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

No surprise here, as Dalton was originally deemed doubtful for the contest and held out of practice all week. As a result, rookie seventh-round pick Ben DiNucci is expected to make his first career NFL start. The veteran quarterback will continue to focus on his recovery and look to make his way out of concussion protocol for the Cowboys' Week 9 contest against the Steelers.

Luton will be in the mix to start Week 9 against the Texans if Gardner Minshew (thumb) is unavailable, John Oehser of the Jaguars' official site reports.

Minshew is dealing with multiple fractures and a sprained ligament in his right thumb, putting his availability in doubt coming out of the bye week. Luton has been a healthy scratch all seven games this season as the team's No. 3 quarterback after being selected during the sixth round of the 2020 draft, but he could pass backup Mike Glennon on the depth chart if Minshew is sidelined.

Taylor (chest) is questionable for Sunday's game versus the Broncos.

Taylor practiced fully all week, but he followed the same course last week and was ultimately inactive, as he's still working his way back from the punctured lung he sustained when a team doctor misplaced a pain-killing injection ahead of a Week 2 loss to the Chiefs. It wouldn't be surprising if Taylor is inactive once again, which would make Easton Stick the backup to Justin Herbert on Sunday.

With Andy Dalton (concussion) listed as doubtful, DiNucci is expected to get the start Sunday night in Philadelphia, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The rookie seventh-round pick won't lack for receiving weapons, but he will be playing behind a shaky O-line against an above-average Eagles pass rush. DiNucci looked overwhelmed when he replaced Dalton in last week's 25-3 loss to Washington, taking sacks on three of his six dropbacks.