NFL Player News

Howell completed six of 22 passes for 56 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by Jacoby Brissett in the third quarter of Sunday's 30-28 loss to the Jets.

The quarterback's poor play helped put the Commanders in a 27-7 hole at halftime, and after Howell tossed his second INT of the day, coach Ron Rivera benched him for the second straight week. With Brissett having played well both times he's come on in relief, and Howell having been picked off in five straight games with a 2:8 TD:INT during that stretch, Rivera has a full-blown QB controversy on his hands heading into a Week 17 clash with the 49ers.

Smith (groin) completed 25 of 36 pass attempts for 227 yards and two touchdowns with one carry for two yards in Sunday's 20-17 win over Tennessee.

Smith was back under center for the Seahawks after a nagging groin injury cost him two weeks of action. The veteran starter looked healthy in his return, completing 69 percent of his passes without turning the ball over. Smith threw his second touchdown in the closing moments of Sunday's narrow victory, giving Seattle its second comeback win in as many weeks. The 8-7 Seahawks will have to figure out how to contain the NFL's current sack leader, T.J. Watt, in order to keep Smith upright in the pocket when the Steelers and Seattle meet next Sunday.

Young completed 23 of 35 passes for 312 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Panthers' 33-30 loss to the Packers on Sunday. He also rushed four times for 17 yards and fumbled once but recovered.

The Panthers appeared to be on the way to another lopsided loss aft halftime, when they already trailed 23-10. However, Young was able to lead a 14-play, 72-yard drive in the third quarter that culminated in a Chuba Hubbard rushing touchdown while the defense kept the Packers off the board during the period. Young then came alive in the fourth quarter, tossing 11- and 10-yard touchdown passes to DJ Chark to get Carolina within striking distance. The rookie first overall pick then hit Chark and Adam Thielen for a pair of 22-yard completions on the final drive to get the Panthers to the Packers' 31-yard line but was unable to spike the ball before the clock hit zeroes. Despite the disappointing final outcome, Young should go into a Week 17 road matchup against the Jaguars on New Year's Eve with newfound confidence stemming from his first career 300-yard effort.

Love completed 17 of 28 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 33-30 victory over the Panthers. He also had two carries for 12 yards and a touchdown.

Love did not do a lot in the passing yardage department, but he did tally three scores for the third time in five games and did not turn the ball over. His next matchup will come against a Vikings defense that limited Love to 229 yards and one touchdown in Week 8 and limited opposing quarterbacks to just three total touchdowns over its last four contests.

Minshew completed 20 of 37 passes for 201 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in the Colts' 29-10 loss to the Falcons on Sunday. He also rushed four times for 31 yards.

Minshew was working particularly shorthanded considering pass-catching back Zack Moss (arm) and top receiver Michael Pittman (concussion/shoulder) were both unavailable. In that context, Minshew put together some serviceable numbers, although he wasn't as efficient as in other games this season. Minshew also failed to throw a touchdown for the first time in four contests, but he should have a solid chance at better numbers in a Week 17 home matchup against a shaky Raiders defense on New Year's Eve, especially if he can get Pittman back into the lineup.

Heinicke completed 22 of 33 passes for 229 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the Falcons' 29-10 win over the Colts on Sunday. He also rushed twice for 10 yards.

A competent, mistake-free performance in which multiple pass catchers were featured as part of a balanced attack was likely exactly what head coach Arthur Smith was hoping for when reinstalling Heinicke into the starting role, making the decision a very prudent one for at least this week. Heinicke spread the ball around to nine different targets and kept Atlanta a step ahead for the majority of the afternoon, connecting with Kyle Pitts for a 24-yard touchdown on his one scoring toss of the day and otherwise leaning a fair amount on his running game and defense. Heinicke will look to replicate this effort and keep Atlanta in the postseason picture during a Week 17 road matchup against the Bears on New Year's Eve.

Lance (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Dolphins but will serve as the emergency quarterback, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Lance will continue to serve as the emergency quarterback and will see the field in the event that both Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush sustain injuries.

Lawrence (concussion/ankle) is officially active for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

After not practicing Wednesday or Thursday, Lawrence worked on a limited basis Friday and was deemed questionable ahead of Sunday's contest. However, after clearing the NFL's concussion protocol, per Michael DiRocco of ESPN, the QB traveled with the team to Tampa on Saturday, setting the stage for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to make his 49th consecutive start, with C.J. Beathard slated to back him up. In the process, Lawrence is in line to face a Buccaneers defense that is allowing an average of 263.9 passing yards per game (31st in the league) thus far. Through 14 games this season, Lawrence has led the Jaguars to an 8-6 record while completing 65.9 percent of his passing attempts for 3,525 yards to go along with 18 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.

Lawrence (concussion/ankle) took the field for pregame warmups and appears on track to start Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Juston Lewis of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Lawrence remains listed as questionable as the game's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff approaches, but he looks like he'll be able to direct the Jacksonville offense despite not having put in a full practice this week. The quarterback did manage a limited practice session Friday, and he was given the green light to travel with the team to Tampa on Saturday upon passing the final stage of the five-step concussion protocol, when he received clearance from an independent neurologist. Lawrence's availability won't be made official until the Jaguars release their inactive list 90 minutes before kickoff, but even after a less-than-full workload in practice this week, he's not expected to face any limitations Sunday.

Hooker (coach's decision) is inactive ahead of Sunday's game against the Vikings.

The rookie quarterback out of Tennessee was activated from the Lions' reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday, but it still seems as if he's behind both Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater on the team's depth chart. Hooker will serve as Detroit's emergency option at QB in Week 16.