NFL Player News

Despite pulling quarterback Derek Carr in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 52-0 loss at St. Louis, Raiders coach Tony Sparano said he has no plans to bench the rookie for veteran Matt Schaub. "There hasn't been really any thought about that," Sparano said, via ESPN.com.

Oakland hosts the 49ers on Sunday.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was held without a touchdown for the first time this season in Monday's 16-13 win at the Jets. Tannehill completed 25 of 35 throws for 235 yards with an interception, and he ran four times for 13 yards.

Tannehill and wideout Mike Wallace failed to hook up on two potential touchdowns. One was a wildly inaccurate throw, the other a bad drop. Tannehill got picked off in the third quarter when running back Lamar Miller couldn't handle a low throw and the ball ricocheted to cornerback Darrin Walls.

Tannehill also threw a pass directly at linebacker Calvin Pace, but Pace couldn't catch it. Tannehill will try to get back on track Week 14 against the Ravens.

Jets quarterback Geno Smith dropped back to pass 15 times in Monday's 16-13 home loss to the Dolphins. He was 4 of 8 for 42 yards until New York had to throw, trailing by a field goal with under two minutes left.

Smith forced his final pass to tight end Jeff Cumberland. It bounced off linebacker Jelani Jenkins into the arms of safety Reshad Jones. Smith finished 7 of 13 for 65 yards with one interception, and he ran four times for 19 yards.

The Jets visit Minnesota in Week 14, and it remains to be seen whether New York will stick with Smith or go back to Michael Vick.

Browns coach Mike Pettine told reporters Monday he has not committed to Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel as his starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against Indianapolis.

Hoyer has started every game this season, but was benched in favor of Manziel during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 26-10 loss to Buffalo. Manziel led the Browns on an 80-yard touchdown drive.

Pettine expects a decision to be made by Wednesday.

“There's a lot to consider,” he said.

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer told reporters Monday that until coach Mike Pettine makes an announcement, he'll approach this week of practice as if he's the starter, according to the USA Today.

Hoyer was benched by rookie Johnny Manziel early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 26-10 defeat to Buffalo. He completed 18 of 30 passes for 192 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Hoyer has been picked off five times the past two games, but remains confident he can bounce back from his recent struggles.

"We all have to play better, myself included. My confidence hasn't wavered," Hoyer said.

Pettine is expected to name his starter for Week 14 against Indianapolis on Wednesday.

With three interceptions to just one touchdown pass and only 176 yards, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was undeniably bad Week 13 at Tampa Bay -- and at a time you'd least expect it. The Buccaneers entered the day ranked only 22nd against the pass and had allowed the fifth-highest passer rating of any team.

Of course, Dalton was ill for the game -- and by ill, I don't just mean a cough and the sniffles -- so he has an excuse for the poor performance. But what was his excuse Week 10 against Cleveland, when he threw for just 86 yards and three interceptions? What about when he threw those two interceptions against Jacksonville in Week 9 or against Carolina in Week 6, two of the worst defenses against the pass this season?

The truth is that even with a talented receiving corps -- yes, A.J. Green missed an extended period, but Mohamed Sanu proved to be a capable No. 1 in his absence -- Dalton hasn't been anything close to reliable this year. He hasn't been able to take advantage of matchups, and he hasn't been able to consistently find the end zone. He has 13 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, which may have been an OK ratio in Terry Bradshaw's day, but not in 2014.

Somehow, Dalton is still owned in 83 percent of Fantasy leagues. Granted, he's a backup in most of those, but by now, I've got to think you can do better than him in that role.

After Brian Hoyer threw his second interception Week 13 at Buffalo -- and his fifth in two games -- Browns coach Mike Pettine inserted rookie Johnny Manziel at quarterback early in the fourth quarter and let him handle the team's final two possessions. He led the Browns down the field for a touchdown on the first, scoring on a 10-yard scramble, and then went four-and-out on the second, nearly losing a fumble on a play that was ultimately ruled an incomplete pass.

Pettine wouldn't commit to either quarterback for Week 14 against Indianapolis, defending his Week 13 move by saying "sometimes you just need change for the sake of change," but Manziel appeared to give the Browns a spark. Pettine may have just invited the inevitable by pulling the plug on Hoyer.

But would Manziel really be worth the trouble in Fantasy? For as dynamic and talented as he is, he's also unorthodox and unproven, not to mention a lightning rod for controversy. But he has one thing going for him that no other quarterback does: Josh Gordon.

For my money, he's the biggest playmaker at wide receiver -- the kind who makes his quarterback look good and not the other way around. Last week, I said Hoyer could end up being relevant in Fantasy because of him. Now, it could be Manziel. We'll just have to wait and see who'll be throwing him passes to close out the season.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers turned in a strong performance Week 13 against the Patriots. 

Rodgers completed 24 of 38 passes for 368 and two scores. Rodgers did not turn the ball over during the contest. Rodgers did find himself under duress a couple times, but was usually able to use his legs to buy himself some time. Rodgers was sacked three times, though, so he couldn't evade the Patriots all game. Still, it was tough to stop Rodgers. Two of his biggest plays wound up going for scores. In the first quarter, he found Richard Rodgers for a 32 yard strike. In the second quarter, he managed to connect with Jordy Nelson on a 45 yard touchdown. Rodgers also had 22 rushing yards. 

Rodgers will look for more Week 14 against the Falcons.

Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy indeed put up big numbers in his start in place of an injured Robert Griffin III Week 13 at Indianapolis. Of course, it wasn't until the Colts already had a commanding lead that he really started to play well.

After he threw for just 94 yards in the first half, his mobility became a major asset in what some would classify as a throw-every-down scenario, helping him elude the pass rush as he kept his sights downfield. He still took six sacks with the play calling somewhat telegraphed by the score, but he threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, completing 31 of 47 passes. It was the Redskins' best individual passing performance since Kirk Cousins threw for 427 yards and three touchdowns in Week 3.

Of course, McCoy has had chances to start in the past, particularly with the Browns, and has mostly failed with them, so there's a chance this performance was more a product of the Colts' big lead that McCoy's ability or knowledge of the offense. In two-quarterback leagues, he's worth a flier, but in one-quarterback leagues, given the depth at the position, you probably wouldn't want to pin your hopes to him with this one performance.

The Bengals escaped with a win Sunday at Tampa Bay, but little credit belongs to quarterback Andy Dalton.

Dalton completed 19 of 27 for 176 yards and a 13-yard scoring strike to favorite target A.J. Green that put his team ahead to stay. He also tallied on a 5-yard run, but was otherwise ineffective. Dalton threw three interceptions, all in the second quarter, including one on his first pass and another into double-coverage in the end zone.

He did perform better after intermission, completing 12 of 16 for 114 yards and the score with two minutes left in the third quarter.

Dalton will seek great consistency and production when Cincinnati hosts Pittsburgh in a critical AFC North showdown next Sunday.