NFL Player News

Smith (elbow) is listed as active Thursday versus the 49ers.

During this past Sunday's loss at the Rams, Smith missed the final snap of the third quarter and most of the fourth quarter due to a right elbow injury. The official diagnosis was revealed to be a bruise to the tendon on the bottom of his right triceps by coach Pete Carroll on Monday, and Smith proceeded to be listed as DNP/LP/FP during Week 12 prep. Carroll relayed to Colin Gunther of the Seahawks' official site Wednesday that Smith was "ready to go" for Thursday's game, and now that has been confirmed. Smith thus will take aim at San Francisco's 15th-ranked pass defense (221.4 yards per game).

Love completed 22 of 32 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns with 39 rushing yards on three carries in Thursday's 29-22 win over the Lions.

The first-year starting QB shone in the Thanksgiving game spotlight, as Love tossed red-zone TDs to Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft in the first quarter as the Packers raced out to a 14-6 lead. Love then hit Christian Watson for his final score late in the third quarter, tying his career high for touchdown passes and extending his streak of games with multiple TD passes to three. The 2020 first-round pick has a 7:2 TD:INT over those three games with a 62.5 percent completion rate and a 7.8 YPA, but Love will face a tough test in Week 13 against a stingy Kansas City secondary.

Goff completed 29 of 44 passes for 332 yards with two touchdowns while adding nine rushing yards on three carries with three lost fumbles during Thursday's 29-22 loss to the Packers. He also completed a pass for a two-point conversion.

Entering the contest sitting fifth in passing yards per game (274.3), Goff put together another respectable outing from a statistical perspective while recording his third straight game with multiple passing touchdowns. However, an onslaught of miscues proved too much to overcome for the NFC North leaders, as Goff took three sacks, went 1-for-6 on fourth down, and fumbled three times -- one of which was returned by Green Bay for a touchdown in a one-score game. The entire offense will look for a bounce-back effort during a Week 13 matchup on the road against the Saints.

The Saints removed Carr (concussion) from the Week 12 injury report Thursday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

With the benefit of a Week 11 bye, Carr won't miss any time due to the concussion that he sustained during a Week 10 loss at Minnesota. He will be working without Michael Thomas (knee) for at least the next four games after the wide receiver was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. Having said that, Carr has a decent matchup on tap Sunday against a Falcons defense that has allowed the third-most combined touchdowns (21) to opposing quarterbacks this season.

Rypien was elevated from the Seahawks' practice squad Thursday ahead of their game against the 49ers, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Rypien could still find himself inactive if Geno Smith (elbow) is able to play. However, the Boise State product's elevation will give Seattle some security at the position in case Smith is unable to suit up. Rypien signed with Seattle's practice squad Nov. 10 after he was cut by the Rams on Nov. 7.

Lance (coach's decision) is inactive, but he will serve as the team's emergency No. 3 quarterback against Washington on Thursday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

It's a familiar role for Lance, who remains behind Cooper Rush as the team's top backup to Dak Prescott. Lance will only be eligible to play if both quarterbacks get injured in Thursday's contest against the Commanders.

Heinicke (hamstring) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Scott Blair of the Falcons' official site reports.

Heinicke was also limited Wednesday, so his status for Sunday's contest versus New Orleans remains in question. The veteran quarterback was injured in the fourth quarter against Arizona in Week 10, though the issue was subsequently described as minor. Even if Heinicke is able to suit up Sunday, he's expected to return to a backup role behind Desmond Ridder.

Hall (concussion) was listed as a full participant at practice Thursday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear if Hall has cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol, but his ability to log a full practice Thursday suggests that he's making progress toward a return. The rookie quarterback suffered a head injury against the Falcons in Week 9 and has sat out both of Minnesota's contests since then. It remains to be seen if Hall will be available this Monday against Chicago, and if he is, there's also uncertainty about whether he or Nick Mullens would back up starter Joshua Dobbs.

Flacco participated in his first practice Wednesday after being signed to Cleveland's practice squad, Mary Kay Cabot, Dan Labbe and Ashley Bostock of the Cleveland Plain Dealer report.

Flacco donned the No. 15 jersey and fired passes to his new teammates for the first time. Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski did not say whether Flacco will be elevated to the No. 2 quarterback Sunday in Denver, but it's reasonable to assume he didn't sign with the Browns to be a No. 3 option behind PJ Walker.

Smith (elbow), who is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the 49ers, is tracking toward playing, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Official word Smith's status won't come until the Seahawks release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to Thursday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff, but all indications are that that the quarterback will be cleared to start, despite tending to a triceps contusion on his throwing arm on a short week. Smith was able to return to this past Sunday's loss to the Rams after exiting for a spell when he was hit in the right arm by defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and he created more optimism about his health by taking part in Tuesday's walk-through session as a limited participant. Even if Smith is cleared to start the Week 12 contest as anticipated, he may not make for an especially appealing fantasy option, given that he probably won't be 100 percent healthy and will be facing off against a talented San Francisco front seven.