Head coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday that Smith will likely start and play the full game Sunday against the Rams, as the Seahawks aren't planning to give No. 2 quarterback Sam Howell any reps, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Seattle has been eliminated from playoff contention, but Smith doesn't look like he'll be rested, even though he's not far removed from suffering a knee injury in the Seahawks' Week 15 loss to the Packers. Smith has started all 16 of the Seahawks' contests on the campaign, while Howell has played just 25 offensive snaps, all but one of which came when he stepped in for an injured Smith in Week 15. Smith ranks fifth in the NFL with 4,097 passing yards on the season, though his 17:15 TD:INT leaves much to be desired.

Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed Wednesday that Garoppolo will replace Matthew Stafford as the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's game against Seattle, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Garoppolo gets his first start of the season in a tough situation to put up good numbers, as the Rams will likely be resting multiple starters against a Seahawks defense that should have most of its top players available. The 33-year-old Garoppolo didn't appear in any of the Rams' first 16 games after signing a one-year contract with the team in March, but he most recently made seven appearances (six starts) for the Raiders in 2023, completing 110 of 169 pass attempts (65.1 percent) for 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions while adding 39 yards on 20 carries.

Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed Wednesday that Stafford won't play in Sunday's game against Seattle, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Jimmy Garoppolo will make the start, with Stafford and other key players resting in preparation for a wild-card-round matchup with the Packers, Buccaneers or Falcons. Stetson Bennett is set to dress as the backup to Garoppolo, leaving Stafford as the team's emergency No. 3 quarterback for Week 18.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Wednesday that Joshua Dobbs will start at quarterback for the 49ers in place of Purdy (elbow) in Sunday's season finale versus the Cardinals.

On Tuesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan stated that Purdy was diagnosed with nerve inflammation and a contusion in his right elbow. The coach's decision to appoint Dobbs to the starting role in Week 18 thus comes as little surprise, as the 49ers won't expose Purdy to further injury while the team has little at stake in its season finale. It's likely that Purdy will ultimately be ruled out ahead of Sunday, and he could be placed on injured reserve in order to open up a roster spot. With Dobbs set to start Sunday, Brandon Allen should work as San Francisco's No. 2 quarterback.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that Dobbs will start Sunday's game at Arizona, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Dobbs served as the 49ers' backup quarterback over Brandon Allen in Monday's 40-34 loss to the Lions, and the former saw the field late in the fourth quarter when Brock Purdy exited with an elbow injury. Dobbs proceeded to complete three of four passes for 35 yards and ran for a seven-yard touchdown on his five snaps. Purdy since has been diagnosed with a contusion and nerve inflammation in his throwing elbow, which is expected to sideline him for Week 18 action. Dobbs thus is in line for his first start of the campaign as the 49ers close out the season.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo suggested Wednesday that Maye is expected to start Sunday against the Bills, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports. "Drake is our starting quarterback. If he's healthy and ready to go, as we go through this week of practice, then he'll play," Mayo said of the rookie quarterback.

The 3-13 Patriots would secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with a loss to Buffalo, but Mayo didn't indicate that he has any intention of resting healthy starters in the season finale. While Maye thus appears likely to play versus the Bills, New England could elect to give 2024 sixth-round pick Joe Milton some playing time at some point during Sunday's contest.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that the Dolphins are preparing as though Huntley will start Sunday against the Jets rather than Tua Tagovailoa (hip), Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Wolfe notes that Tagovailoa is slated to be a limited participant in practice Wednesday, and a decision on Miami's starting quarterback for Sunday likely won't be made until the end of the week. That said, Huntley looks to be trending toward another start, on the heels of helming the Dolphins' 20-3 win over the Browns this past weekend. He turned in perhaps the finest performance of his five-year career in Week 17, completing 22 of 26 pass attempts for 225 yards, one touchdown and no interception while adding 52 yards and another score on seven carries.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that the Dolphins are preparing as though Tyler Huntley will start Sunday's game against the Jets rather than Tagovailoa (hip), Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

McDaniel said that Tagovailoa will be a limited participant in practice Wednesday, and while a decision on the Dolphins' Week 18 starting quarterback isn't final, Huntley looks to be trending toward directing the Miami offense for a second straight game. The 8-8 Dolphins are one of the few teams around the league with something on the line in Week 18, as they need a win plus a Broncos loss to the Chiefs on Sunday in order to clinch their spot in the postseason.

Head coach Andy Reid confirmed Wednesday that Wentz will start Sunday's regular-season finale against the Broncos, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

With the Chiefs having clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed, Reid said that "it wasn't a hard decision" to rest normal starter Patrick Mahomes in Week 18, according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic. Wentz is thus slated for his first extended action with the Chiefs, after playing just nine snaps in total over his previous two appearances this season. Chris Oladokun will likely be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the backup to Wentz on Sunday while Mahomes is expected to be inactive as the emergency No. 3 quarterback.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday that Hurts (concussion) isn't likely to play Sunday against the Giants, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Sirianni relayed that the Eagles intend to rest a number of starters in the regular-season finale, a list that includes Hurts, who remains in the concussion protocol. It's unclear if Hurts has made any progress in his recovery from the concussion, but the Eagles are still deciding on who will be under center Week 18 after Kenny Pickett started in place of Hurts in last Sunday's win over the Cowboys but was forced out with a rib injury. Tanner McKee finished out that contest and would be next in line to start Week 18 if Pickett can't go, while Ian Book also is on the active roster.