NFL Player News
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Justin Herbert QB | LAC
Chargers' Justin Herbert: Rips through Raiders
Herbert completed 28 of 36 passes for 346 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 34-20 win over Las Vegas. He added four rushes for 42 yards.
It took until late in the second quarter for Herbert and the Chargers to find the end zone, but he was impressive throughout the game and ultimately posted his second-highest yardage total of the season. Herbert combined plenty of volume with efficiency to post the impressive stat line, which included four completions of more than 35 yards and touchdown strikes of six and two yards. He closes the season with a modest 3,870 passing yards, but Herbert's 7.7 yards per attempt was the best mark of his career, and he also turned the ball over only five times across 17 games. Herbert is now set to lead the Chargers into a wild-card round matchup against the Texans.
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Drew Lock QB | SEA
Giants' Drew Lock: Struggles in Week 18 loss
Lock completed 22 of 29 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown with an interception in Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Eagles. He added three rushing yards on two carries.
Even against a Philly defense resting multiple starters ahead of the playoffs, Lock couldn't get much going, although he did connect with Malik Nabers for a 45-yard TD in the fourth quarter as the Giants tried to mount a comeback from a 17-3 deficit. The Giants ended the regular season in line to pick third overall in the 2025 Draft, putting them in position to potentially select a new franchise quarterback, but even if they don't, Lock seems unlikely to return to New York in free agency. The 28-year-old completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 1,071 yards and a 6:5 TD:INT over eight appearances in 2024.
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Bo Nix QB | DEN
Broncos' Bo Nix: Leads Denver to postseason
Nix completed 26 of 29 passes for 321 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in Sunday's 38-0 win over the Chiefs. He added seven rushes for 47 yards.
Nix benefitted from the Chiefs resting a number of key players on defense, but he still had an impressive showing to clinch a playoff spot for Denver. He completed his first 17 passes spanning well into the second quarter, highlighted by three long gains of 47, 32 and 32 yards as well as three of his four touchdowns. Nix will now lead the Broncos into a tough first-round playoff matchup in Buffalo, but he had at least three touchdowns in three of his last four games to close out the regular season of his rookie campaign.
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Tyler Huntley QB | BAL
Dolphins' Tyler Huntley: Commits three turnovers in loss
Huntley completed 25 of 41 pass attempts for 227 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while rushing thrice for 16 yards with one fumble lost in Sunday's 32-20 loss to the Jets.
Huntley failed to repeat last week's heroic spot-start (277 total yards with two TDs) that helped keep Miami's bleak playoff hopes alive. The veteran backup was actually charged with four fumbles (with only one costing his team possession) to finish with three combined turnovers to just one touchdown thrown. Huntley will finish the 2024 campaign with 829 passing yards on a 65 percent completion rate while tossing three scores to three picks. The 26-year-old will likely earn himself another backup gig in 2025 after reliable results on a one-year deal with the Dolphins.
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Joe Milton III QB | DAL
Patriots' Joe Milton: Produces two TDs in pro debut
Milton completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown while adding 16 rushing yards and a TD on 10 carries in Sunday's 23-16 win over the Bills.
With nothing on the line for either team, Drake Maye played the first series before exiting the game and handing the offense over to Milton, who was making his NFL debut. The 2024 sixth-round pick looked good, albeit against a Buffalo defense resting a lot of key personnel, and he ran in a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter before connecting with Kayshon Boutte (head) on a 48-yard score in the second after Milton flashed some impressive elusiveness against the Bills' pass rush. While there are still questions about whether Milton's throwing mechanics and accuracy issues will allow him to succeed in the NFL, his athleticism should keep him in New England as a backup to Maye in 2025.
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Aaron Rodgers QB | PIT
Jets' Aaron Rodgers: Four TDs in possible swan song
Rodgers completed 23 of 36 passes for 274 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 32-20 win over the Dolphins. He finishes the season with 3,897 passing yards and a 28:11 TD:INT.
Rodgers' first touchdown pass was the 500th of his NFL career. That one was a five-yard pass to Tyler Conklin in the second quarter, and Rodgers added a 13-yard touchdown pass to Allen Lazard in the final minute of the first half. Rodgers tacked on fourth-quarter touchdowns of four yards to Davante Adams and six yards to Breece Hall, as the fifth quarterback in NFL history to throw 500 regular-season touchdown passes raised his career total to 503. It's possible this was the final game of Rodgers' illustrious career, and even more likely his final game with the Jets. Per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, a reflective Rodgers didn't provide definitive word on his future after this rare sweet spot capped a mostly bitter season.
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Drake Maye QB | NE
Patriots' Drake Maye: Quick exit in Week 18 win
Maye (hand) failed to complete his only pass attempt before giving way to Joe Milton in Sunday's 23-16 win over the Bills.
The rookie QB was bothered by an issue with his throwing hand during practice this week, and with nothing on the line in Week 18, the Patriots pulled Maye after one series rather than risk further injury. The third overall pick in the 2024 Draft finishes his first NFL campaign with a 66.6 percent completion rate, 2,276 passing yards and a 15:10 TD:INT in 13 appearances, and improving his ball security as well as his production will be the focus for 2025. Maye will also be learning a new offense, as head coach Jerod Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt were let go immediately after Sunday's game.
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Jimmy Garoppolo QB | LAR
Rams' Jimmy Garoppolo: Healthy results in spot-start
Garoppolo completed 27 of 41 pass attempts for 334 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while rushing twice for five yards in Sunday's 30-25 loss to Seattle.
Head coach Sean McVay opted to rest several key starters with the NFC West title locked up, opening the door for Garoppolo to make his 2024 debut with the Rams. The veteran quarterback performed admirably given the circumstances, almost leading a second-unit offense to victory while posting solid fantasy numbers. The 31-year-old did well in this spot-start to possibly earn some looks from potential QB-thin rosters this upcoming offseason as his one-year deal with Los Angeles nears a close. Matthew Stafford is in line to re-take the reins of McVay's offense in the first round of the playoffs in a home tilt against either Minnesota or Detroit next weekend.
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Mitch Trubisky QB | TEN
Bills' Mitchell Trubisky: Tosses Week 18 touchdown
Trubisky completed 15 of 21 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Patriots. He added 12 rushing yards on four carries.
Josh Allen played the first snap to keep his consecutive start streak alive before turning things over to Trubisky, who connected with Ray Davis for a two-yard TD in the second quarter. Trubisky then gave way to Mike White midway through the third quarter. It was the first extensive action of the season for either backup QB, and it will likely be their last, as Allen will take back the reins of the offense when the Bills host the Broncos in the wild-card round next weekend.
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Geno Smith QB | NYJ
Seahawks' Geno Smith: Injures hip in Week18 win
Smith (hip) completed 20 of 27 pass attempts for 223 yards and four touchdowns while rushing twice for 14 yards in Sunday's 30-25 win over the Rams.
Smith saved arguably his best performance of the campaign from the pocket for the last game of the regular season. However, the veteran signal-caller suffered a hip injury on Seattle's final possession in a game that had no implications on the playoff picture for the Seahawks, as reported by Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. The severity of the injury is currently unclear, but Smith will have the entire offseason to recoup before running things back in 2025 for the final period of his current three-year contract with Seattle.