NFL Player News

Howell completed 22 of 42 passes for 249 yards with an interception in Sunday's 14-7 loss to the Giants.

He also picked up 15 rushing yards on two carries. The second-year QB took another beating in the pocket, getting sacked six times, and while Howell had a little more success in the second half, he still failed to throw a TD for the second time in seven starts this season. Howell's been sacked 40 times already in 2023, putting him on pace to set a new NFL record, and the Commanders will need to solve their protection issues soon if the team doesn't want to stunt the young quarterback's development -- the current holder of the record is Derek Carr's older brother David, the first overall pick in the 2002 draft who never really recovered after being sacked 76 times as a rookie. Howell faces an even more dangerous Eagles front seven in Week 8.

Jones completed 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 29-25 win over the Bills. He added three rushing attempts for 11 yards.

Jones limited his mistakes and kept the offense on schedule as New England didn't trail over the first 58 minutes. After Buffalo took its first lead with 1:58 remaining, Jones led an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, culminating with a game-winning one-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds remaining. That was Jones' second touchdown pass of the fourth quarter, as he also found Kendrick Bourne from four yards out halfway through the quarter. New England improved to 2-5 while Jones snapped a three-game touchdown drought to boost his TD:INT to 7:7 heading into a Week 8 road game in Miami.

Watson hopes to be able to practice this coming week and play in Week 8 against Seattle, but he indicated that he needs to see how his shoulder feels in the wake of Sunday's 39-38 win over the Colts, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Per Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Watson acknowledged that he first went into the medical tent Sunday to have his shoulder checked out after a hard hit, and then he subsequently went back in for a concussion test. While Watson was cleared after his concussion evaluation, his shoulder issue evidently remains a concern as next weekend's contest against the Seahawks approaches. If he's unable to play, PJ Walker would once again be called upon to fill in at QB for the Browns.

Bagent completed 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 30-12 win over the Raiders. He added 24 rushing yards on three carries.

Making his first career NFL start, Bagent didn't take many chances downfield -- his longest completion went for only 17 yards -- but the undrafted rookie out of Division II Shepherd also didn't make any big mistakes and leaned on Chicago's running game to produce points. Justin Fields (thumb) could return as soon as Week 8 against the Chargers, but if he isn't ready to return, Bagent performed well enough Sunday to earn a second start.

Jackson completed 21 of 27 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 38-6 win over Detroit. He added nine rushes for 36 yards and an additional score.

Jackson had no trouble leading the Baltimore offense against what had been considered one of the better defenses in the league entering the game. He capped the team's first offensive possession with a seven-yard rushing touchdown, then threw for scores of 12 and 11 yards before halftime. Jackson wasn't reliant solely on touchdowns for his big performance, as he also tallied his first 300-yard passing effort since Week 5 of the 2021 campaign. He should have a chance for another big game in Week 8 in a matchup against Arizona.

O'Connell completed 10 of 13 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown with an interception in Sunday's 30-12 loss to the Bears.

Brian Hoyer got the start in Week 7 with Jimmy Garoppolo (back) unavailable but produced almost no offense, so O'Connell took over late in the fourth quarter with the Raiders in a 30-6 hole and proceeded to get picked off on his first drive. The rookie QB redeemed himself on Las Vegas' final possession, finding Jakobi Meyers for a nine-yard score. Garoppolo is expected back in Week 8 against the Lions, but O'Connell could return to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart after Hoyer's poor showing.

Hoyer completed 17 of 32 passes for 129 yards and two interceptions in Sunday's 30-12 loss to the Bears.

Getting the start with Jimmy Garoppolo (back) inactive, Hoyer struggled to move the ball, and the Raiders generated only two field goals while the veteran QB was under center. He got replaced by Aidan O'Connell late in the game after throwing a pick-six, and per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the switch wasn't the result of an injury to Hoyer but simply a product of the lopsided score. Garoppolo is expected back in Week 8 against the Lions, but Hoyer might not even dress as the No. 2 quarterback after this dismal performance.

Allen completed 27 of 41 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 29-25 loss to New England. He also rushed seven times for 17 yards and a touchdown, lost a fumble and threw a two-point conversion.

Allen was intercepted on Buffalo's first offensive play, and the Bills trailed 10-0 by the next time they got the ball. Buffalo took a 13-3 deficit into the locker room, but Allen cut into the lead with an eight-yard touchdown pass to James Cook. After New England extended its lead to 22-10, Allen answered again, finding Stefon Diggs for a 25-yard touchdown with 5:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. Allen appeared to throw a crucial interception in the end zone on the next drive but was bailed out as the Bills were granted a timeout called just before the snap. He eventually capped that drive with a go-ahead, one-yard rushing touchdown and threw a two-point conversion to Dawson Knox to take a 25-22 lead, but New England responded with a game-winning touchdown drive to drop Buffalo's record to 4-3 heading into Thursday's Week 8 home game against the Buccaneers. Allen has posted multiple passing touchdowns in three straight games.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said prior to the start of the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Colts that Watson (shoulder) hasn't been ruled out for the day but is unlikely to return to the contest, barring an injury to PJ Walker, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Watson, who missed the Browns' previous two games with a right rotator cuff strain and was listed as questionable heading into the day, started the Week 7 contest and completed one of five pass attempts for five yards and an interception before checking out of the game after taking a big hit with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter. PJ Walker directed the offense for the ensuing four possessions of the first half and appears set to finish out the game behind center. Though Stefanski suggested that he doesn't want to expose Watson to further injury, the coach didn't confirm whether Watson aggravated his shoulder issue. The Browns haven't provided any official updates on Watson's status, beyond noting that he cleared concussion testing.

Watson exited in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Colts with a possible aggravation of his right shoulder injury and is uncertain to return, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

After missing the Browns' previous two games with a right rotator cuff strain, Watson was listed as questionable heading into Sunday, but he was cleared to play shortly before kickoff and wasn't expected to face any limitations. The quarterback looked to be less than fully healthy during his time on the field, however, completing one of his first five pass attempts for five yards and an interception before exiting after he was hit by the Colts' Dayo Odeyingbo on a deep pass to Elijah Moore with 3:03 remaining in the first quarter. Watson was initially charged with his second interception of the day, but the call was later ruled an incompletion before the Browns punted the ball away. The Browns haven't confirmed whether Watson reinjured his throwing shoulder on the pass attempt in question, with the team merely announcing in the second quarter that the quarterback was cleared after a concussion evaluation. PJ Walker took over for Watson for the Browns' final four offensive possessions of the first half and could end up finishing the game if Watson isn't deemed fit to return after halftime.