NFL Player News

Daniels completed 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and added 51 rushing yards on 16 carries in the Commanders' 45-31 divisional-round win over the Lions on Saturday night.

The Commanders shocked the NFL world by going into Ford Field and emerging with a victory, and Daniels was unsurprisingly the centerpiece of that effort. The seemingly unflappable rookie set the tone for the night in the first half by leading four scoring drives that totaled 24 points, capping off two of them with touchdown passes of 58 and five yards to Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz, respectively. Daniels then filled a more subdued role in the second half but had the luxury of playing with a lead throughout, and he engineered a pair of long marches that took a total of nearly 13 minutes off the clock and culminated in Brian Robinson and Jeremy McNichols one-yard rushing touchdowns. In the process, Daniels became the first rookie in NFL history to top 300 total yards in two playoff games, and he'll look to put together a fitting encore in the NFC Championship Game against either the Rams or Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 26.

Goff (head) returned to Saturday's divisional-round game versus the Commanders, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Goff took a big hit from Washington defender Frankie Luvu on Quan Martin's pick-six of the quarterback in the second quarter. After getting checked for a concussion in the sideline tent, Goff had his helmet on and was ready to come back in when WR Jameson Williams turned a trick play into a 61-yard touchdown. With Goff rejoining his teammates on the field after the two-minute warning, he'll need to overcome a 31-21 deficit in order for the Lions to reach the NFC Championship Game.

Goff is under evaluation for a possible concussion during Saturday's divisional-round game against the Commanders.

After committing his second turnover of the contest in the second quarter, Goff took a big hit on Quan Martin's interception return for a touchdown and made his way slowly to the sideline. At the time of his departure, Goff had completed eight of 11 passes for 120 yards, one touchdown and the pick while losing a fumble. Teddy Bridgewater took over for Goff under center, while Hendon Hooker is the emergency third quarterback.

Stroud completed 19 of 28 passes for 245 yards without a touchdown or an interception in Saturday's 23-14 divisional-round loss to Kansas City. He added 42 rushing yards on six carries.

The story of the game was the Texans' inability to protect Stroud. The second-year QB was brought down eight times, three times by George Karlaftis alone, and Stroud needed help getting off the field after the last sack late in the fourth quarter while apparently dealing with a foot or ankle injury. He did return for the final play however, a kneel-down with seven seconds left, so Stroud would seem to be OK. His overall body of work took a step back from his rookie campaign, and Stroud completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,727 yards and a 20:12 TD:INT over 17 regular-season games while also being sacked 52 times -- 14 more than in 2023. Injuries to his wide receiver corps played a role in Stroud's regression, but expect Houston to focus on upgrading his protection this offseason as well.

Mahomes completed 16 of 25 pass attempts for 177 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 14 yards on seven attempts in Saturday's 23-14 playoff win over the Texans.

Mahomes' stats didn't pop in Saturday's box score, but he made plays when necessary against a stout defense in order to lift the Chiefs on to the AFC Championship Game. The superstar's lone touchdown pass was a highlight-reel play in which he delivered a strike to Travis Kelce as a Houston defender was dragging the quarterback to the ground. Mahomes' minor ankle injury that he was nursing at the end of the regular season appears to be fully in the rearview mirror. The Chiefs will now await the conclusion of Sunday's divisional-round matchup between the Bills and Ravens in order to see which team will visit Kansas City next Sunday.

Bridgewater is active as the backup quarterback for Saturday's divisional-round game against the Commanders, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Bridgewater signed with the Lions on Dec. 26 and has operated as the emergency third quarterback in two games since. He'll be officially active for the first time this season and is set to serve as Jared Goff's backup.

Hooker (coach's decision) is inactive for Saturday's divisional-round game against the Commanders, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Hooker operated as the backup to Jared Goff for the entire season, though he'll serve as the emergency quarterback in the Lions' playoff opener. Teddy Bridgewater has taken over as second on the depth chart.

Driskel (coach's decision) is inactive Saturday and will serve as Washington's emergency third quarterback against Detroit in the NFC divisional round, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.

This is a familiar role for Driskel, as he has consistently been inactive as Washington's emergency QB on gamedays. He's gotten into only one contest on the campaign, taking one offensive snap as the backup to Jayden Daniels in Week 2. Driskel won't be able to enter Saturday's playoff contest unless both Daniels and Marcus Mariota become unable to play due to injury, illness or ejection.

Allen completed 17 of 30 pass attempts for 199 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions across three games with the 49ers in 2024.

Allen finally made his on-field debut with San Francisco after spending much of his three-year tenure as a member on the practice squad. The veteran backup earned a start in Week 12 in place of then-injured starter Brock Purdy, but mixed results led to fellow backup Joshua Dobbs starting the team's final regular season contest. The 31-year-old Allen will become an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason, and he'll likely provide depth for San Francisco or another club if signed ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Dalton completed 106 of his 160 pass attempts for 989 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions over six regular-season games in 2024. He also rushed 11 times for 34 yards and lost two fumbles.

After the Panthers lost their first two games of the regular season by a combined 60 points, 2023 first-overall pick Bryce Young was benched in favor of Dalton, who then made five consecutive starts before injuring his thumb in a car accident. Dalton initially provided Carolina's offense with a much-needed spark, throwing for five touchdowns and one interception over his first two starts, before regressing in his final three games. He's now finished the final season of a two-year, $10 million deal signed with Carolina in 2023, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. The 37-year-old is likely to serve as a backup quarterback again in 2025, whether with the Panthers or another team, if he decides to return for his 15th NFL season.