NFL Player News

Stafford said his sprained ankle is "feeling better," Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Appearing on 760 WJR's The Mitch Albom Show on Monday, Stafford said he received X-rays after Thursday's loss to the Vikings that evidently came back negative. He's now four days removed from first sustaining the injury and still has six days until the Lions kick off against the Ravens this weekend. While the quarterback is seemingly on track to suit up for that game, Wednesday's injury report will be a better indicator of Stafford's potential availability.

With Paxton Lynch (ankle) expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks, Siemian finds himself back in the starting job, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports.

This might have happened even if Lynch had received a lesser diagnosis, as Siemian vastly outplayed his teammate after replacing him in the third quarter of Sunday's 21-14 loss to the Raiders. Siemian completed 11 of 21 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns, perhaps showing why he beat out Lynch for the starting job in the first place during training camp. Of course, Siemian struggled through five consecutive subpar outings earlier this season, after leading the team to a 2-0 start with seven total touchdowns in his first two games. He accounted for just four scores and eight interceptions in that five-game stretch, playing a major role in Denver's decline from 2-0 to 3-5. The team has since dropped to 3-8, which might work in Lynch's favor if he gets healthy by the end of the season, as the Broncos don't have anything to lose and already know what they have in Siemian.

Lynch is dealing with a high-ankle injury and is expected to be out for 2-to-4 weeks, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Even if the diagnosis had been something less serious, the Broncos might have gone back to Trevor Siemian in the wake of Lynch's disastrous performance during Sunday's 21-14 loss to the Raiders. The 2016 first-round pick essentially confirmed that the team needs to aggressively address its QB situation in the offseason, as he completed nine of 13 passes for 41 yards and an interception while also taking four sacks. The Broncos were losing 21-0 at the time of Lynch's injury but made a late push to make a game of it with Siemian under center. Siemian will get the start Week 13 in Miami.

Winston (shoulder) did some rehab work Monday and will resume practicing Wednesday if he doesn't feel any soreness, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

There was some speculation Winston might be shut down for the season when the Bucs ruled him out for a third straight week ahead of Sunday's 34-20 loss to Atlanta. It turns out that the quarterback has responded favorably to a platelet-rich plasma injection, with his sprained AC joint displaying clear improvement. A return to practice would put him on track to return for Sunday's game in Green Bay, though the Bucs surely would proceed with caution in the event of a setback, as any hopes for a miraculous playoff push were stomped out with the loss to Atlanta.

Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said Monday that Gabbert would remain the team's starting quarterback for its Week 13 matchup with the Rams, Mike Jurecki of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.

The decision to hand Gabbert his third consecutive start likely wasn't too difficult after the 2011 first-round pick led the Cardinals to an upset victory Sunday over the Jaguars, the team that drafted him with the 10th overall pick. Gabbert was a little loose with the football (one interception, two fumbles) against a tough defense, but completed 22 of 38 passes for 241 yards and two scores while advancing far enough on the Cardinals' final drive for Phil Dawson to kick a game-winning, 57-yard field goal. Gabbert still projects as a lower-tier fantasy quarterback, but unless his turnover issues put the team in a bigger hole against Los Angeles, he'll likely continue starting over Drew Stanton.

Mahomes will remain in a backup role during Sunday's game against the Jets after head coach Andy Reid reiterated that Alex Smith was the Chiefs' starting quarterback, Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports.

While some members of the Chiefs' fan base may be clamoring for a change under center after the team lost for the fifth time in six games in Week 12 against Buffalo, Smith isn't completely at fault for Kansas City's demise. Though Smith, who threw 11 touchdowns against no interceptions to key the Chiefs' 5-0 start, has seen his performance taper off dramatically ever since, he's still been adequate over the last six contests, completing 63 percent of his passes and tossing eight touchdowns and four interceptions. With the Chiefs still holding a one-game edge in the AFC West, Reid isn't ready to pull the plug on the battled-tested Smith in favor of the talented, but unproven Mahomes. It still looks like the rookie first-round pick, who was highly impressive in the preseason, may have to wait until 2018 before he gets a fair shake as starter.

Taylor will start Week 13 against the Patriots, The Buffalo News reports.

This probably could've been assumed after Taylor led the Bills to a 16-10 win in Kansas City on Sunday. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown, adding nine carries for 27 yards in a turnover-free performance. Bills coach Sean McDermott wouldn't commit to Taylor beyond Week 13, but the veteran probably won't lose the job to Nathan Peterman unless he suffers a complete meltdown or Buffalo falls out of the playoff race. The Bills still have to play New England twice, but they also face Miami twice and get a home game against the Colts along the way. The Bills only need to win one of their next three games -- all of which will be played at home -- in order to stay in the playoff hunt heading into Week 16 in New England.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Garoppolo's performance in the waning seconds of Sunday's 24-13 loss to Seattle won't carry any weight in the team's quarterback decision for Week 13 in Chicago, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The team won't even have a decision to make if C.J. Beathard's leg/hip injury turns out to be serious. The rookie struggled in Sunday's loss, but Shanahan said he never considered benching Beathard prior to his injury with 67 seconds remaining. Garoppolo came in for the final three snaps, picking up four yards on a scramble and completing both of pass attempts for 18 yards and a touchdown. Beathard is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday, but given how poorly he played in Sunday's loss, the Niners might be ready to give Garoppolo a shot even if the rookie is healthy enough to play Week 13 in Chicago.

Lynch (ankle) is believed to have avoided a serious injury, potentially leaving the Broncos with a decision to make at quarterback heading into the Week 13 matchup with the Dolphins, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Making his first appearance since the preseason in Sunday's loss to the Raiders, Lynch completed nine of 13 passes for 41 yards and an interception, leaving Denver in a 21-0 hole when he was forced out with about five minutes remaining in the third quarter due to an ankle injury. Former starter Trevor Siemian, who received the top backup nod over Brock Osweiler, threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns on three drives to cut the deficit to seven points, bringing the Broncos within striking distance until the Oakland offense picked up 54 yards to convert a 3rd-and-8 right before the two-minute warning. Lynch wore a walking boot after the game and is scheduled for more testing Monday, suggesting there's at least some level of concern that he suffered a significant injury. Even if he's healthy enough to play Week 13 in Miami, the Broncos might decide to give Siemian another shot at the starting gig.

Rodgers (collarbone) made at least one throw that traveled 50 yards in the air during his brief on-field workout prior to Sunday's game against the Steelers, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports.

Rodgers seems to be progressing a bit better than expected, as a return from injured reserve in 2017 was considered unlikely when he first had surgery Oct. 19 to repair a broken right clavicle. It at least now seems to be a possibility, with the quarterback eligible to resume practicing this week and eligible to play in games starting with Week 15 against the Panthers. He made it clear that he won't return unless his injury is fully healed, and it's also worth considering that the Packers probably wouldn't want him to return unless they had a shot at the playoffs. The team currently sits at 5-6 in a tough conference, but home games against Tampa Bay and Cleveland the next two weeks could help Green Bay make a push. Another loss would essentially bury the team's playoff hopes, as it's hard to imagine a nine-win team qualifying in the NFC.