NFL Player News

Coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Tuesday that Rudolph entered the NFL's concussion protocol, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

The news doesn't come as a surprise after Rudolph suffered what appeared to be a fairly severe head injury in the 26-23 overtime loss to the Ravens on Sunday, when he required assistance as he exited the field and headed to the locker room. Tomlin was unwilling to speculate on a timeline for Rudolph's return, but the quarterback will likely have a tough time passing all five phases of the protocol before the weekend arrives. With that in mind, Devlin Hodges is the early favorite to start under center for the Steelers in Sunday's matchup with the Chargers.

Falk will serve as the Jets' No. 2 quarterback in Week 6 with the team announcing Tuesday that Sam Darnold (illness) would return from a three-game absence to start Sunday against the Cowboys, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Following a Week 4 bye, the Jets had been preparing for Darnold to return to action ahead of last weekend's loss to the Eagles, but he ultimately failed to receive full medical clearance in advance of the contest. That development resulted in Falk picking up another starting nod, though he only had the benefit of one practice worth of first-team reps ahead of the 31-6 loss. During his three outings (two starts) this season, Falk has completed a respectable 64.4 percent of his passes but only managed 5.7 yards per attempt and a 0:3 TD:INT while taking 16 sacks.

Darnold (illness) has received full medical clearance to resume playing and will start Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Eric Allen of the Jets' official site reports.

The Jets had been optimistic that Darnold would be ready to go this past weekend for their eventual loss to the Eagles, but the quarterback ended up missing a third straight game after the team's medical staff ruled that he was at too much risk to play in the contest. With Darnold having since regained stamina following his bout with mononucleosis and earning clearance from doctors, he should take all the first-team reps in practice this week as he prepares for his first action since the season-opening loss to the Bills. Luke Falk will slide into the No. 2 quarterback role following a pair of starts.

Mayfield sported a heavy wrap on his right shoulder and had a slight limp with a black sleeve on his left leg following Monday's loss to the 49ers, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Mayfield was not too concerned about the bumps and bruises. "I'll be good, it's just the nature of football,'' he said. Mayfield was sacked four times and absorbed eight additional hits, but the quarterback sounds like he'll be ready to go Week 6 at home against Seattle.

Christion was released from the Steelers' practice squad Monday, Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com reports.

The quarterback's skillset mimics that of Lamar Jackson's, so it appears that Christion was just a one-week rental for the Steelers to practice against last week.

Garoppolo completed 20 of 29 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night's 31-3 win over the Browns.

Garoppolo had the luxury of leaning on a dominant running game Monday, as the Niners gained 275 yards on the ground. That allowed the quarterback to operate under less pressure, resulting in his first turnover-free game of the season. Although Garoppolo still didn't dazzle through the air, he certainly did enough to get the job done. Next up for Garoppolo is a matchup against the Rams, whose defense has yielded 653 yards and eight touchdowns through the air over its current two-game losing streak.

Mayfield completed eight of 22 passes for 100 yards and two interceptions in Monday night's 31-3 loss to the 49ers. He also was stripped twice, losing one fumble.

Mayfield's first pass attempt was dropped, setting the tone for what turned out to be a nightmare performance. Not only was he then intercepted on the first play of Cleveland's second drive, but he fumbled on his own 33-yard line shortly thereafter. To his credit, Mayfield responded with a couple good subsequent series, but had a would-be touchdown dropped and ultimately intercepted before he could regain much momentum at all. Along with those miscues, he was constantly under pressure from Nick Bosa and San Francisco's swarming defensive front, making for another wildly disappointing outing overall. While there's surely plenty of blame to go around the Browns offense, Mayfield will now be tasked with getting back on track against the Seahawks in Week 6.

Beathard is inactive for Monday's tilt against the Browns.

Beathard is a healthy scratch with Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Mullens both ready to go. Barring an injury to either of those two signal-callers, Beathard lacks a clear path to fantasy relevance this season.

Darnold (illness) will undergo testing Tuesday to help determine his status for Week 6, Ethan B. Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

Coach Adam Gase said the young quarterback will start Sunday's game against the Cowboys if he's medically cleared. Darnold took first-team reps last week and appeared on track to play, but he was ultimately ruled out after undergoing tests Friday that deemed it was too risky to play. The Jets have managed only 23 points over the last three games with Darnold sidelined.

Mahomes said he'll get treatment on his injured left ankle ahead of a Week 6 home game against the Texans, ESPN.com's Adam Teicher reports.

Mahomes was limping around throughout much of the second half in Sunday's 19-13 loss to Indianapolis, including one point in the third quarter when he was barely able to put weight on his left leg after the already-injured ankle was accidentally kicked by a lineman. He never came out of the game, finishing with 321 passing yards and a touchdown, along with three carries for 17 yards. Coach Andy Reid didn't specifically comment on Mahomes' availability for Week 6, but the coach did say he expects his quarterback to be "OK."