NFL Player News

Dalton didn't have his best stuff, but still managed to guide the Bengals to a win Sunday in Pittsburgh. He threw two interceptions while completing 23-of-38 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown.

More than half of Dalton's yardage went to A.J. Green, as the quarterback failed to get into any sort of rhythm with the rest of his receivers. Dalton still has a very nice 15:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio through seven games this year, so it's likely that the Red Rocket will be able to bounce back when he faces the Browns on Thursday.

Winston went 16-for-29 for 171 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-20 overtime victory over the Falcons. He also gained 24 yards and scored a touchdown on three rushes.

For a game in which he posted a fairly ordinary stat line, Winston's performance offered plenty of reasons for encouragement. The rookie quarterback was quietly efficient on a day in which he was forced to operate without two of his top three receivers and in which starting tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins spent yet another week on the sidelines. Winston displayed the poise and adaptability of a seasoned veteran, completing passes to seven different receivers. He also flashed some savvy running skills on his four-yard touchdown rush in the opening possession of the second half, and converted three third downs on the opening possession of overtime to help the Bucs get into range for what turned out to be the game-winning field goal. Winston will have a juicy matchup in Week 9 against a Giants defense that surrendered an NFL-record seven touchdowns to Drew Brees on Sunday.

Bridgewater completed 17-of-30 passes for 187 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Sunday's win over the Bears. He also ran for 21 yards on a pair of carries.

Despite the matchup versus a vulnerable Chicago secondary, the second-year pro failed to reach 249 yards passing yards for the first time since Week 3, which coincides with the emergence of rookie wideout Stefon Diggs. Even after Sunday's meager output, Bridgewater has still averaged 255 yards through the air since that time, and the 34 passing attempts he has averaged indicate that the Vikings are opening up the offense a bit more. Still, Minnesota figures to be a run-first team most weeks, and Sunday's performance shows that Bridgewater is not an automatic roll even in a favorable matchup. A tough home test against the Rams awaits in Week 9.

Stafford completed 22-of-36 passes for 217 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in Sunday's loss to Kansas City.

A change at offensive coordinator didn't do much to help Stafford, as he failed to crack triple digits in passing yards until late in the third quarter. Despite his career success as a deep-ball thrower, Stafford completed just two such passes, both during the Lions' lone touchdown drive, and has averaged just 2.4 such tosses in Detroit's seven losses. Part of that may be time in the pocket as, despite a change at offensive line coach, Detroit surrendered six sacks on Sunday after giving up seven in Week 7. Detroit finding a way for Stafford to get the ball down field following its Week 9 bye will be vital in determining its offensive players' fantasy value for the season's home stretch.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt has ruled Mariota (knee) out for Sunday's game against the Texans. "He made a lot of progress this week and he has done a nice job, and I think he is close," Whisenhunt said of Mariota on Friday. "But we are not going to play him this week."

While a return to action in Week 9 against the Saints thus looks like a realistic outcome for Mariota, Zach Mettenberger is now in line to make his second straight start for the Titans this weekend.

Tannehill completed 28 of 44 passes for 255 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions in Thursday's 36-7 loss to the Patriots.

Following back-to-back dominant performances in soft matchups, Tannehill and the entire Miami offense took a huge step back Thursday night. Tannehill made a number of poor decisions and struggled to handle pressure, but he also didn't get any help from his receivers, offensive line or running game. He should bounce back in Week 9 at least to some extent, despite drawing a tough road matchup with the Bills.

Ken Whisenhunt has declared that Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee) "did better" at practice Thursday.

Whisenhunt suggested that the team is taking a wait-and-see approach with Mariota. We suspect that there's a solid chance that Mariota ends up officially listed as questionable for Sunday against the Texans.

Tirans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday.

While that represents a positive step, Mariota won't yet commit to playing Sunday against the Texans. "I'm not sure," Mariota said after Wednesday's practice when asked about his Week 8 availability. "Hopefully I can (play). We're going to monitor the progress throughout the week. But it is feeling good."

Mariota thus slots into the day-to-day category at this stage.

Stafford is unsure how Detroit's offense will change under new offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Cooter worked as an assistant under Caldwell in Indianapolis and also spent a year with Peyton Manning in Denver before joing Detroit last year as quarterbacks coach, so his background isn't tied to his predecessor's offense. Still, to Stafford's point, it is hard to envision the Lions' offense changing too radically in a few short days, but there may be more tweaks in store after the Week 9 bye. In the Lions' lone win this season, Stafford completed eight passes of 20 yards or more, over a third of his season total. If Cooter is able to return the cannon-armed Stafford into more of a vertical attack, it could spark a return to the kind of production he put up in past seasons.

Titans coaches and trainers plan to reevaluate rookie starting quarterback Marcus Mariota (knee) on Tuesday.

Ken Whisenhunt indicated that he's optimistic about Mariota's chances of returning to practice this week, though he acknowledged that "it's still early, and we'll get a better feel as the week progresses."