NFL Player News

Facing a 30th-ranked Vikings pass defense made only weaker by the absence of top cornerback Xavier Rhodes (ankle), Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had arguably his best game of the season Week 16 in Cincinnati, completing 27 of 38 passes for 366 and four touchdowns.

It was his third straight game with multiple touchdown passes but his first with at least four since Week 8 against the Jets, when he had eight. He has also gone three games without throwing an interception.

He didn't just lean on star wide receiver A.J. Green in this one either, completing multiple passes to six different receivers. Green caught two of his touchdown passes, but tight end Jermaine Gresham pulled down a 16-yard screamer in the middle of the end zone in the second quarter, and Mohamed Sanu grabbed a 7-yard tosss in the front corner of the end zone in the third. Dalton also found Andrew Hawkins on a 34-yard bomb in the fourth to set up Green's second touchdown.

Dalton will look to keep it going in Week 17, though he'll have a tougher matchup against the Ravens.

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins tossed one touchdown Week 16 against the Cowboys.

Cousins finished the game 21 for 36, with 197 yards and a score. Cousins also tossed an interception. Cousins had a tough time against the worst pass defense in the NFL. He was also locked on to Pierre Garcon, who finished the game with a whopping 18 targets. Cousins will take on the Giants Week 17.

The Bills didn't need Thad Lewis to do much in Week 16, but he did enough to beat the Dolphins for the second time, 19-0.

Lewis completed 15 of 25 passes for 193 yards in the game, and was held out of the end zone for the second time against Miami. He tossed one interception and finished with 13 rushing yards on eight carries.

Lewis has appeared in five games this season, starting four of them. He enters Week 17 against the Patriots with 845 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. It is not clear if Lewis will start the final game of the season, with EJ Manuel still dealing with a knee injury.  

Embattled Jets quarterback Geno Smith earned a one-week reprieve from criticism Sunday with a strong second-half performance to lead his team to a comeback win over visiting Cleveland.

Smith completed 10 of 16 passes for 92 yards and a 5-yard touchdown pass to David Nelson to put the Jets ahead to stay early in the fourth quarter. He all but iced the game with a 17-yard scoring sprint up the middle after he couldn't find an open receiver with 3:26 remaining.

He finished 20 of 36 for 214 yards, two touchdowns and, for the first time in six games, no interceptions. He added 48 yards rushing on just 10 attempts, mostly in the second half. His first-half highlight was guiding an 80-yard touchdown drive capped by a 6-yard strike to Nelson that brought the offense momentum after a brutal start.

Smith will attempt to build on his sucess to close out the season in Week 17 against Miami.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill took a beating in Week 16 against the Bills Sunday, even suffering a knee injury that forced him out of the game briefly in a 10-0 loss.

Tannehill was held out of the end zone for the first time all season, as he completed just 10 of 27 passes for 82 yards, the second-worst total of his career. The Bills dominated the Dolphins' offensive line, sacking Tannehill seven times for 46 yards, and pressuring him countless others.

Tannehille briefly left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury, and he was eventually benched towards the end of the game. Tannehill finished with the worst completion percentage of his career at 37.0 percentage, and his 3.0 yards per attempt are also a career-worst.

Assuming his knee injury does not prove to be serious, Tannehill will try to bounce back in Week 17 against the Jets. He passed for 331 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-3 win over the Jets in Week 13. 

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (collarbone) headlines the list of inactives released Sunday by the Packers.

The others are linebacker Nate Palmer, guards JC Tretter and Lane Taylor and defensive end Jerel Worthy.

The Chargers listed seven players as inactive for their game vs. Oakland: quarterback Brad Sorensen, receiver Lavelle Hawkins, safety Brandon Taylor, cornerback Marcus Cromartie, guard Stephen Schilling, offensive tackle Kenny Wiggins and defensive tackle Kwame Geathers.

Wide receiver Victor Cruz (knee, concussion) and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (shoulder) were among the Giants' inactives for Week 16 at Detroit. Other players listed inactive for New York were: Ryan Nassib, Cooper Taylor, Peyton Hillis, Allen Bradford and David Diehl.

As expected, Texans quarterback Case Keenum is inactive for Week 16 against the Broncos. He was ruled out for the contest Wednesday because of a torn ligament in his thumb.

Matt Schaub will start at quarterback for the Texans.

Four Texans offensive players have been ruled out or deemed questionable for Sunday against visiting Denver. None is a surprise, including quarterback Case Keenum (thumb), who won't play. Also out is wide receiver DeVier Posey (ankle).

Tight end Garrett Graham (hamstring) and fullback Brad Smelley (back) are questionable.