NFL Player News

Watson completed 25 of 34 passes for 283 yards, four touchdowns and a pick in Sunday's 57-14 win over Tennessee. He also added 24 yards and a score on four carries.

Remember when, just a few weeks ago, Houston's offense was getting blitzkrieged by Jacksonville's defense? Watson's emergence has paid instant dividends for the Texans and he appears to only be getting better. That was evident Sunday on plays such as his second touchdown pass to Will Fuller V on a back-shoulder fade, or while cutting back on an option run that resulted in a one-yard touchdown run. Watson has now accounted for 300 or more total yards in consecutive games, but will need to cut down on the turnovers. He takes on a red-hot Chiefs squad next week.

Mariota (hamstring) was forced out of Sunday's game against the Texans in the third quarter, the Tennessean reports.

Mariota was replaced by Matt Cassel with 6:51 left in the third quarter and the Titans down by a score of 37-14. Prior to his exit from the contest, Mariota had completed six of ten passes for 96 yards and two picks, while also rushing four times for 39 yards and a pair of TDs.

Cousins missed Friday's practice while preparing for the birth of his first child, but he's still expected to play in Monday's game against the Chiefs, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Cousins said prior to the season that he wouldn't miss a game regardless of the timing of his child's birth. It probably won't be an issue, but the situation will at least be worth another look if his wife doesn't have the baby by Sunday.

Rodgers completed 18 of 26 passes for 179 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in Thursday's 35-14 win over the Bears. He also lost a yard on his sole rush.

Rodgers made the most of his modest stat line, connecting with Jordy Nelson twice and once apiece with Randall Cobb and Davante Adams (head) for scores. While the yardage total was a stark departure from the trio of 300-yard efforts Rodgers had put up to open 2017, his four touchdowns were a season high, as was his 69.2 percent completion rate and 128.0 QBR. The 33-year-old was also mistake-free for the first time on the campaign and managed to lead the Packers to a comfortable win despite losing both Adams and Ty Montgomery (ribs) during the contest, as well as Montgomery's backup Jamaal Williams (knee). Rodgers already looks to be in MVP form through the first quarter of the season and will look to keep up his stellar play in a road showdown versus the Cowboys in Week 5.

Keenum will start Sunday's game versus the Lions, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Head coach Mike Zimmer relayed Thursday that Sam Bradford won't play in Week 4 as a result of a bone bruise in his left knee, handing the keys to the offense to Keenum for a third straight game. Keenum has been hit or miss in two starts to date, posting a putrid 167 yards at Pittsburgh in Week 2 before exploding for a career-best 369 yards this past Sunday against the Buccaneers. He'll more than likely settle somewhere in the middle this weekend against Detroit's 22nd-ranked pass defense.

Head coach Mike Zimmer has ruled out Bradford (knee) for Sunday's game against the Lions, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Last Friday, Bradford received a second opinion on his left knee from Dr. James Andrews, who confirmed a bone bruise. Bradford's availability will thus be considered on a week-to-week basis. In his stead, Case Keenum will earn a third consecutive start.

Bradford (knee) won't take part in practice Wednesday, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I'm going to give [Bradford] the day off," head coach Mike Zimmer said. "But we're doing everything we can to get him ready to play Sunday. We'll just give him one more day of rest."

After an examination Friday with Dr. James Andrews, Bradford's injury was confirmed as a bone bruise in his left knee, leaving the team to deem the quarterback week-to-week. If Zimmer's comments are any indication, Bradford is a candidate to return to practice in some capacity Thursday, but the Vikings are unlikely to give him the keys to the offense until he's as close to full health as possible. In the meantime, Case Keenum will continue to operate as the Vikings' starting signal caller.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer admitted Monday that he wasn't certain Bradford (knee) would practice this week, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "It's really day to day," Zimmer said, regarding Bradford's availability for practice. "We'll just see how the week goes and go from there."

After submitting a dominant performance in the Vikings' season-opening win, Bradford has missed the team's last two games while experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. The veteran signal caller visited Dr. James Andrews in Florida last weekend for a second opinion on his knee, and with Andrews detecting no structural damage, it appears the Vikings are content to evaluate Bradford ahead of each week to determine his status. Zimmer reiterated that Bradford would take back his starting role once healthy enough to do so, though the career-best outing (25-for-33, 369 yards, three touchdowns) from replacement Case Keenum in the Week 3 win over the Buccaneers may give the Vikings more reason not to rush Bradford back to the field at less than 100 percent health.

Prescott completed 13 of 18 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night's 28-17 win over the Cardinals. He also rushed three times for 16 yards and another score.

Prescott and the Cowboys endured a rough Week 2, but the quarterback rebounded in excellent fashion on the big stage Monday night. After an acrobatic 10-yard touchdown rush to end the first half, Prescott connected with top wideout Dez Bryant to give Dallas the lead midway through the third quarter. He then helped clinch victory with a 37-yard touchdown toss to begin the fourth. While Prescott failed to reach the 200-yard mark, his average of over 10 yards per attempt evidences an efficient night, leaving his three touchdowns to compensate for any missed volume.

Bridgewater (knee) will be ready to come off the PUP list and practice in three weeks when he's eligible, a source told NBC's Pro Football Talk.

Bridgewater has not returned to practice since suffering a torn ACL during training camp in 2016. He's technically eligible to return in Week 7. There have been a few reports from unnamed sources in the past few weeks that he'll be ready to play midseason, but there's been no official word from the Vikings. His return to practice may become a contract issue as the Vikings may be motivated to keep him on the PUP list all season, as it would extend his rookie contract another year and delay his free agency until at least 2019.