NFL Player News

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has not been cleared to return from his broken collarbone, but he'll practice on a limited basis Wednesday, coach Mike McCarthy said. Matt Flynn will continue to get the starter's reps.

McCarthy said Rodgers wants to play Week 14 vs. Atlanta and has not been ruled out. Coaches want to see what Rodgers does in practice before making a decision.

McCarthy added there have been no internal discussions about shutting down Rodgers for the season. "When he is healthy, he will play," the coach said.

To call Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith's recent string of performances brutal might actually be an understatement. That's how bad it has been for the second-round pick.

The Jets are just 1-4 in their last five games and the record is certainly reflected in Smith's numbers. He hasn't had a passing touchdown or surpassed 200 passing yards in his last five games. He also has failed to complete at least 10 passes in his last four games and was even benched during Sunday's 23-3 loss vs. Miami.

Despite his awful run, the Jets are going back to Smith Week 14 against the Raiders. But it's not like Fantasy owners are forced to make the same decision.

Quarterbacks have had decent success against the Raiders, averaging 271.9 passing yards and 20.2 Fantasy points per week. In the last five games, quarterbacks have totaled 12 touchdowns to two interceptions, while averaging 285.8 passing yards.

Smith might have a favorable matchup on paper Week 14, but are you really going to risk starting him, especially if you are fighting for a playoff berth or it's the first round of the playoffs in your Fantasy league. It's best to leave Smith out of active Fantasy lineups, if possible.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is expected to undergo more medical tests Tuesday to determine if his left collarbone has healed enough to allow him to play Week 14 vs. Atlanta, a source told NFL.com. In order for Rodgers to play, his most recent medical tests will have to indicate he is at far less risk of aggravating the injury than previous results have shown.

However, according to NFL.com analyst Ian Rapoport, the expectation remains Rodgers is a long shot to play Sunday. Rapoport reported Sunday Rodgers would "be lucky" to play Week 14 and might even be shut down for the rest of the season.

In Seattle's cakewalk over New Orleans, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson went 5 of 8 on throws at least 15 yards downfield, according to ESPN. Wilson had a 60-yard strike to tight end Zach Miller, a 52-yard completion to receiver Doug Baldwin and a 33-yarder to wideout Ricardo Lockette.

The two biggest gainers came against blitzes. Wilson read them and made the Saints pay. 

"We wanted to be great against the blitz," Wilson said, via the Associated Press. "We knew they were going to bring some pressure and we like the sense of pressure because there is a lot of green grass behind it."

Wilson entered the game as the league's most accurate thrower on deep balls. He had completed 59 percent of his throws targeted 20 or more yards downfield.

On such throws, Wilson was 22 of 39 for 702 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions, according to Pro Football Focus. In Week 13 he only enhanced those numbers.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson lit up the Saints on Monday Night Football, hitting 22 of 30 throws for 310 yards and three touchdowns. It was the sixth straight game in which he’s thrown multiple scoring passes, and his second 300-yard game this season.

Wilson also led the team on the ground, carrying eight times for 47 yards (5.9-yard average), as he posted his highest rushing total since Week 6.

Wilson burned the Saints when they blitzed, hitting tight end Zach Miller for 60 yards and Doug Baldwin for 52 yards. He hooked up with Miller on a 2-yard slant for a touchdown, and found Baldwin wide open for a 4-yard score. Even a drop went Wilson’s way. In the third quarter, tight end Kellen Davis flubbed a reception and fullback Derrick Coleman caught the deflection for an 8-yard touchdown.

Wilson, who connected with nine different receivers, has seven touchdown passes and no interceptions over his last three games. He’ll play the 49ers in Week 14.

Jets quarterback Geno Smith said Monday he's been told by quarterbacks coach David Lee he will remain the starting quarterback heading into Week 14 vs. Oakland. Smith was benched during Sunday's 23-3 loss vs. Miami, which was New York's third straight defeat.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton got off to a slow start but picked things up in the second half with a touchdown during Sunday's win over the Chargers in Week 13.

Dalton was limited to only 41 passing yards in the first half. He bounced back in the second half as he hooked up with a wide-open A.J. Green in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interceptions. He finished with a 83.6 passer rating in a 17-10 victory.

Dalton has been held under 200 passing yards in back-to-back games. He'll look to get back on track in Week 14 at home against the Colts. The Colts allowed 201 passing yards with one touchdown and three interceptions to Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 13.

The Giants listed these players as inactive for the game at Washington: defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (shoulder), cornerback Corey Webster (ankle), running back Brandon Jacobs (knee), cornerback Trumaine McBride (groin), guard Stephen Goodin, tight end Adrien Robinson and quarterback Ryan Nassib.

Texans quarterback Case Keenum bounced back Week 13 after two poor performances, but he still didn't do enough to lead Houston to a win. Keenum completed 15 of 30 passes for 272 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in a 34-31 loss.

Keenum had an efficient first half, completing 9 of 15 passes for 127 yards as Houston had a 17-7 halftime lead. Though, Keenum's only interception came as Houston was driving for a score in the first half. With Houston at the New England 27-yard line, Keenum was hit as he was about to release the football, which caused the pass to float up in the air and it was picked off by Logan Ryan.

Keenum, however, came back to post a 5-yard rushing touchdown in the second half. On a designed quarterback run, Keenum took the snap out of shotgun formation and ran left behind an offensive lineman for an easy score. It was his first career rushing touchdown.

Still, Keenum went without a passing touchdown for a second straight game, despite a nice performance from star receiver Andre Johnson, who finished with eight catches for 121 yards. The Texans are back in action Week 14 at Jacksonville (Thursday).

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill had another strong performance in Week 13, as he led the way in a 23-3 win over the Jets Sunday.

Tannehill topped 300 yards for the second game in a row, the first time he has done that in consecutive games in his career. Tannehill completed 28 of 43 passes for 331 yards, and tossed a pair of touchdowns, one each to Brian Hartline and Mike Wallace. He added 22 yards rushing on three attempts.

The only blemish on Tannehill's line was a second-quarter interception. Tannehill has now completed better than 60.0 percent of his passes in each of the last five games, while throwing six touchdowns and four interceptions in that span. With four games left in the season, he heads into Week 14 against the Steelers just 179 passing yards short of his rookie season total.