NFL Player News

Allen completed 21 of 30 pass attempts for 203 yards and three touchdowns while adding 74 yards and another score on eight carries in Monday's 31-17 wild-card victory over the Steelers.

Allen and the No. 2 seed Bills took care of business against a banged-up Steelers unit in the opening round of the playoff schedule. The dual-threat quarterback had a strong game from the pocket (121.9 quarterback rating) while also ripping off a 52-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give Buffalo a 21-0 lead. Allen would cruise to victory and finish the game scoring all four of Buffalo's touchdowns. With a strong showing out of the gates, Allen prepares to host long-time rival Patrick Mahomes when the No. 3 seed Chiefs travel to Buffalo to face the Bills on Sunday.

Rudolph completed 22 of 39 passes for 229 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Steelers' 31-17 wild-card loss to the Bills on Monday afternoon. He also rushed twice for 16 yards.

Rudolph's final numbers were much better than what could been foreseen during a fairly disastrous first half for the Steelers as a whole. The fifth-year signal-caller threw an end-zone interception early in the second quarter to contribute to the struggles, but he was able to bounce back to lead a short five-play scoring drive he capped off with 10-yard touchdown toss to Diontae Johnson shortly before halftime. Rudolph subsequently recorded another scoring toss when he hit Calvin Austin from seven yards out early in the fourth quarter, but that would be the extent of Pittsburgh's points. Rudolph is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but his solid play over the last four games, including Monday's season-ending loss, could certainly lead to the Steelers offering him an opportunity to return.

Wentz finished the 2023 regular season completing 17 of 24 pass attempts for 163 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and added 17 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown.

After Matthew Stafford went down with a thumb injury and missed part of Week 8 and all of Week 9, Brett Rypien came in and performed poorly (18-for-38 for 172 yards and an interception), prompting the Rams to take a chance on Wentz. For his part, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 Draft proved up to the task against the 49ers in Week 18, taking the reigns and helping Puka Nacua set the all-time rookie reception and receiving yard marks while turning in nearly as many rushing attempts in one game as he had in eight games with the Commanders in 2022. Wentz still wants to be a starting quarterback heading into his age-31 campaign, and the unrestricted free agent might get one more chance to prove he can helm an offense with the cavalcade of ineffective and injured quarterbacks that littered the NFL landscape in 2023. If that doesn't work out, a return to the Rams to be a quality backup behind Stafford seems like a distinct possibility.

Wolford (coach's decision) is inactive for Monday's wild-card game against the Eagles but is available as the emergency quarterback, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The fourth-year pro will only be allowed to enter the game if Tampa Bay's first two quarterbacks, Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask, have to exit due to injury or ejection. Wolford has yet to appear in a game this season. The quarterback has seven career appearances and one touchdown pass.

McKee (coach's decision) is inactive and serving as the Eagles' emergency third quarterback in Monday's wild-card game against Tampa Bay.

McKee didn't see any game action during the regular season, but he consistently handled emergency QB duties. That will be the case again Monday against Tampa Bay. Jalen Hurts will serve as Philadelphia's lead signal-caller, with Marcus Mariota backing him up.

Mayfield (ankle/ribs) is listed as active for Monday's wild-card game versus the Eagles.

Mayfield was visibly bothered by injury during the Buccaneers' Week 18 win at Carolina, but he played all 65 offensive snaps in that contest. He then opened prep for Tampa Bay's postseason opener with a DNP on last Thursday's practice estimate due to ankle and rib issues and followed it up with limited sessions Friday and Saturday to put himself in a position to suit up. With his status confirmed for Monday, Mayfield will be taking on a Philadelphia defense that conceded the second-most touchdown passes (35) to opposing quarterbacks in 17 regular-season games.

Goff completed 22 of 27 pass attempts for 277 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers in Sunday's 24-23 win over the Rams.

The term "revenge game" gets bandied about frequently, but it might be tough to find a stronger example than Goff's performance Sunday against the team that drafted him first overall in 2016. The 29-year-old completed nearly every pass attempt for a 121.8 QB rating en route to a victory over the quarterback (Matthew Stafford) he was traded for back in 2020. Goff has show steady improvement since the trade, which culminated in a win over his former club Sunday and Detroit's first playoff win since 1992. Goff and the Lions will now prepare to host the divisional round of the NFL playoffs next Sunday.

Stafford completed 25 of 36 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 24-23 wild-card round loss to the Lions.

Stafford threw second-quarter touchdowns of 50 and 38 yards to Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell, respectively, but the Rams had three other drives stall in the red zone, and that inability to convert in close proved crucial in the narrow loss. The quarterback went into the medical tent with the independent neurotrauma specialist after taking a big hit in the second half, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, but Stafford was cleared to return to the game and continue a comeback bid that came up just short despite his connection with Nacua, who finished with 181 receiving yards. Stafford exceeded expectations with 3,965 yards and a 24:11 TD:INT in the regular season to lead LA back to the playoffs after an injury-riddled 2022 campaign, so the nearly 36-year-old quarterback looks like he still has some gas left in the tank.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Sunday that Watson (shoulder) is expected be fully recovered from shoulder surgery by the spring, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports. "He's doing great in rehab," Stefanski said. "I'm confident he'll be ready to roll [for OTAs]."

If Watson is healthy by the spring as expected, he'll have the opportunity to go through a full offseason program and should be able to hit the ground running for the start of training camp. Watson went 5-1 as Cleveland's starting quarterback in 2023 but threw for just 1,115 yards with a 7:4 TD:INT. He led the league with 4,823 passing yards as Houston's quarterback in 2020, but Watson hasn't come close to replicating that success as a member of the Browns.

Willis completed four of five passes for 74 yards during the 2023 season with the Titans. He added five rushes for 21 yards.

Willis appeared in only three games during the season, the latest of which came in Week 8. His only pass attempts came in Week 6 in relief of Ryan Tannehill, and he otherwise spent much of his season as the third-string quarterback. With Tannehill's tenure in Tennessee almost certainly over, Willis may enter the 2024 campaign as the backup to Will Levis (foot).