NFL Player News
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Kenny Pickett QB | LV
Eagles' Kenny Pickett: Not expected to play Sunday
Pickett (ribs) remains listed as questionable but isn't expected to play in Sunday's game against the Giants, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Though neither Pickett nor No. 1 quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion/finger) practiced this week, Pickett took a designation into the weekend, whereas the Eagles have already ruled Hurts out. The Eagles are still likely to make Pickett inactive this week, though he'll presumably be the team's emergency No. 3 quarterback rather than Hurts. Third-string quarterback Tanner McKee took all the first-team reps in practice this week and will draw his first career start Sunday, while Ian Book should serve as McKee's top backup. Assuming both he and Hurts move past their respective injuries in time for the wild-card round, Pickett will likely settle back into his normal No. 2 role.
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Tua Tagovailoa QB | MIA
Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa: Absence could extend into playoffs
Tagovailoa (hip) -- who remains listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Jets -- could also be at risk of missing a potential wild-card playoff contest if the Dolphins are able to clinch a postseason spot, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Tyler Huntley is tracking toward making a second straight start Sunday in place of Tagovailoa, whom Rapoport relays is tending to a unique hip injury that has "affected the surrounding muscles and therefore his strength and mobility." The hip issue would leave Tagovailoa vulnerable to further injury if he tries to play through it, which may put him at risk of missing the start of the playoffs if the Dolphins secure a spot with a win over the Jets plus a Broncos loss to the Chiefs. Tagovailoa initially injured his hip in a Week 15 loss to the Texans, and the injury worsened the following week in the Dolphins' win over the 49ers.
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Russell Wilson QB | NYG
Steelers' Russell Wilson: Slide continues against Bengals
Wilson completed 17 of 31 passes for 148 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Saturday's 19-17 loss to the Bengals. He added four rushes for 16 yards.
Wilson and the Steelers failed to get anything going in the first half, as he completed just four of eight passes for 45 yards. A desperate comeback in the final 10 minutes of game time led to a slightly improved line, highlighted by several long completions to Pat Freiermuth -- including a 19-yard touchdown. While Wilson managed to salvage his stat line to some degree, he's failed to reach 220 passing yards in each of his last five games while throwing for just six total touchdowns in that span. He and the Steelers enter the postseason on a four-game skid and will square off against either the Texans or Ravens.
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Joe Burrow QB | CIN
Bengals' Joe Burrow: Grinds out critical victory
Burrow completed 37 of 46 passes for 277 yards with one touchdown and one interception and rushed once for minus-1 yard in the Bengals' 19-17 win over the Steelers on Saturday night. He also fumbled once, but possession remained with Cincinnati.
Burrow fought through a typical AFC North slugfest against the aggressive Steelers defense, which sacked him four times. One of those takedowns in the third quarter caused Burrow's helmet to be driven into the ground and led to a concussion check, but the star signal-caller did not miss any time. Burrow connected with eight different pass catchers overall on the night, and although he saw an eight-game streak of multiple touchdown passes snapped, he kept the Bengals' slim playoff hopes, which now hinge on a loss by the Broncos and a loss or tie by the Dolphins on Sunday, alive. Burrow finishes the 2024 regular season with a career-high 4,918 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns across 17 regular-season games.
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Lamar Jackson QB | BAL
Ravens' Lamar Jackson: First QB to 4,000/800 mark
Jackson completed 16 of 32 pass attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 63 yards on nine carries in Saturday's 35-10 win over the Browns.
Jackson's first touchdown strike Saturday earned the signal-caller enough passing yards to become the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 4,000 yards and rush for 800 yards in a single season. The superstar QB didn't post his gaudiest stat line in his historic performance, but he still threw for multiple touchdowns for the sixth week in a row. With first place in the AFC North locked up with a Week 18 win, Jackson and the Ravens will shift their focus to hosting either the Chargers or the Steelers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
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Bailey Zappe QB | CLE
Browns' Bailey Zappe: Struggles in spot start
Zappe completed 16 of 31 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Saturday's 35-10 loss to the Ravens. He added two rushes for two yards.
Zappe drew the start Saturday and ceded relatively limited work to Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The former's opportunity to start didn't go as planned, as he threw a pick-six on Cleveland's second possession and was unable to get the Browns into the end zone until early in the fourth quarter with the team down three scores. Zappe will become a free agent this offseason and will try to compete for a backup job during training camp for the 2025 campaign.
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Kyle Allen QB | DET
Steelers' Kyle Allen: Emergency QB for Week 18
Allen (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Allen will be the Steelers' emergency quarterback for Saturday's regular-season finale. He'll only see the field if Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were both forced to exit due to injury, illness or ejection.
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Chris Oladokun QB | KC
Chiefs' Chris Oladokun: Gets elevation for Week 18
The Chiefs elevated Oladokun from their practice squad to their active roster Saturday, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.
Patrick Mahomes (ankle) isn't expected to play Sunday against Denver with Kansas City having wrapped up the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed, so the Chiefs are likely to deploy Oladokun as their backup QB behind Carson Wentz. Oladokun has yet to see action in an NFL game, and he's spent the last two years with Kansas City's practice squad. He probably won't see much, if any, action Sunday unless Wentz is forced to exit the contest.
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Jameis Winston QB | NYG
Browns' Jameis Winston: Inactive third QB versus Ravens
Winston (right shoulder) is the Browns' inactive third quarterback for Saturday's game against the Ravens.
Winston, who was listed as limited at practice Tuesday through Thursday, approached the contest listed as questionable. While he's been deemed the Browns' emergency No. 3 QB on Saturday, Bailey Zappe is slated to draw the start versus Baltimore, with Dorian Thompson-Robinson also expected to see signal-caller snaps in Cleveland's season finale.
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Will Grier QB | DAL
Cowboys' Will Grier: Signed off practice squad
The Cowboys signed Grier off their practice squad Saturday, Tommy Yarrish of the team's official site reports.
Grier signed with Dallas' practice squad in mid-November a few days after he had been cut from Philadelphia's practice squad. The veteran quarterback hasn't gotten into an NFL game since 2019, when he completed 28 of 52 pass attempts for 228 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 22 rushes on seven carries over two games with Carolina. Grier will likely be third on the depth chart at quarterback behind Cooper Rush and Trey Lance if he suits up in Sunday's Week 18 game against Washington.