NFL Player News
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Brock Purdy QB | SF
49ers' Brock Purdy: Struggles against Seattle
Purdy completed 15 of 27 passes for 140 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Saturday's 41-6 divisional-round loss to the Seahawks. He added five rushes for 37 yards but lost a fumble.
Purdy put forth a valiant effort, though the combination of Seattle's pass rush and coverage, as well as a depletion of the 49ers' skill corps, ultimately stymied the entire offense. He was held to his second-lowest yardage total of the campaign, though he still managed three completions of at least 15 yards while also showing some uncharacteristic aggression as a rusher. Though it was a sour ending, Purdy had a very solid season, accounting for 23 total touchdowns and throwing for 240.8 yards per game across nine regular-season contests.
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Sam Darnold QB | SEA
Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Effective despite injury
Darnold completed 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 41-6 divisional-round win over the 49ers.
Darnold suffered an oblique injury Thursday, and his status seemed genuinely in doubt until shortly before kickoff. However, he managed Seattle to victory, with his lone touchdown pass coming on an impressive throw on the run to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the corner of the end zone from four yards away. Darnold also completed long passes of 21 and 16 yards, though his stat line was ultimately limited by game script and because he was removed with most of Seattle's starters for roughly half of the fourth quarter. Speaking after the victory, Darnold acknowledged that his oblique would likely be a factor for the rest of the postseason, per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him on the injury report Wednesday.
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Jarrett Stidham QB | DEN
Broncos' Jarrett Stidham: Taking over as starter
Stidham will start in place of Bo Nix (ankle) in the AFC Championship Game, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
Nix suffered a broken bone in his ankle in the final moments of Denver's divisional-round win over the Bills. He was able to finish the game, though his season is over. Stidham will now face either the Texans or the Patriots with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. He appeared in only one game this season and has not attempted a pass during the campaign.
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Bo Nix QB | DEN
Broncos' Bo Nix: Season over due to ankle injury
Nix suffered a broken bone in his ankle in Saturday's 33-30 overtime win against Buffalo and will not return during the postseason, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.
Nix led the Broncos to a thrilling overtime win over the Bills, completing 26 of his 46 passes for 279 yards to go along with three touchdowns. He suffered the injury on the second-to-last play of the game and is set for surgery Tuesday. Jarrett Stidham will now be tasked with trying to lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl.
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Bo Nix QB | DEN
Broncos' Bo Nix: Clutch performance in playoff win
Nix completed 26 of 46 passes for 279 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while adding 12 rushes for 29 yards in the Broncos' 33-30 divisional-round overtime win over the Bills on Saturday. He also fumbled once but recovered.
Nix garnered his first career playoff win in spectacular fashion, leading the Broncos through a rollercoaster afternoon against Josh Allen and a talented Bills squad. After helping stake Denver to a 20-10 halftime lead with the help of seven- and 29-yard touchdown tosses to Frank Crum and Lil'Jordan Humphrey. Then, Nix answered after Allen and Buffalo turned a 23-10 second-half deficit to a 27-23 advantage, leading an eight-play, 73-yard march that he capped off with a beautifully thrown 26-yard scoring strike to Marvin Mims, one play after converting a third-and-4 with a six-yard scramble. Nix would subsequently spearhead a six-play game-winning drive in overtime that featured a 24-yard pass to RJ Harvey and a pair of critical pass-interference penalties versus the Bills on deep incompletions. Nix and the Broncos will now prepare to face off at home with the winner of Sunday's Texans-Patriots clash in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, Jan. 25.
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Josh Allen QB | BUF
Bills' Josh Allen: Done in by turnovers in loss
Allen completed 25 of 39 passes for 283 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing 12 times for 66 yards in the Bills' 33-30 overtime divisional-round loss to the Broncos on Saturday. He also committed three fumbles, losing two and recovering the other.
While Allen put together a fantasy-friendly stat line from a yardage and touchdown perspective, his four turnovers naturally had a significant hand in the narrow and heartbreaking defeat. Allen connected with Mecole Hardman (four yards), Keon Coleman (10 yards) and Dalton Kincaid (14 yards) for his trio of scoring tosses, the latter two coming during an impressive second-half surge by Buffalo that saw the Bills erase a 23-10 deficit and take a 27-23 lead with just over four minutes remaining. Following a late Broncos touchdown, Allen then led an eight-play march that culminated in a game-tying field goal that pushed the game into overtime. However, Allen's second interception, which came when Ja'Quan McMillian took the ball from Brandin Cooks as both went to the ground after the latter appeared to have hauled in a beautifully thrown deep post, begat Denver's game-winning drive, while his two earlier lost fumbles each led to Broncos field goals as well. Following another January heartbreak for his team, Allen will focus on regrouping for another run in 2026 after having completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,668 yards with a 25:10 TD:INT, rushing 112 times for 579 yards and 14 touchdowns and committing seven fumbles, losing three, across 17 regular-season games in 2025.
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Sam Darnold QB | SEA
Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Looks prepared to start
Darnold (oblique) took all of the reps with the starting offense during warmups for the Seahawks prior to Saturday's divisional-round game against the 49ers, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.
Darnold appeared on the injury report Thursday, and his throws during warmups were his first since originally suffering the injury. Multiple social media posts from Seattle's official accounts also suggest that Darnold will be ready to start Saturday's playoff matchup. If there was a last-minute change to Darnold's status, Drew Lock would be set to take over under center.
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Drew Lock QB | SEA
Seahawks' Drew Lock: Remains No. 2 with Darnold active
Lock is poised to remain the backup QB behind Sam Darnold (oblique) after the latter was deemed active for Saturday's divisional-round game against the 49ers, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Darnold's status for Seattle's postseason opener came into question after he made an early exit from Thursday's practice due to an oblique injury. Both Darnold and coach Mike Macdonald remained confident that the quarterback would be able to suit up, but in the meantime Lock was getting the first-team reps, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Now that Darnold is active and Jalen Milroe is inactive as the emergency third quarterback, Lock will settle back into his normal role.
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Jalen Milroe QB | SEA
Seahawks' Jalen Milroe: Emergency QB vs. 49ers
Milroe (coach's decision) is inactive but will serve as the emergency third quarterback for Saturday's divisional-round matchup versus San Francisco.
Milroe will once again serve as the team's emergency quarterback and will be allowed to enter the game only if both Sam Darnold and Drew Lock exit due to injury, illness or ejection. However, it isn't out of the question that Milroe sees playing time, as Darnold is currently dealing with an oblique injury.
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Sam Darnold QB | SEA
Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Active Saturday
Darnold (oblique) is listed as active Saturday against the 49ers.
Darnold injured his oblique at Thursday's practice, which caused the Seahawks to list him as questionable ahead of their divisional-round matchup. He proceeded to tell John Boyle of the team's official site that he felt like he'll "be ready to go for Saturday," and coach Mike Macdonald then relayed to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic on Friday that he wouldn't "put him out there if he couldn't do his job." Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Saturday morning that Darnold hasn't thrown since Thursday, but Seattle still was of the belief that he'd be able to start, which now at least seems likely. Drew Lock and emergency third QB Jalen Milroe are on hand in the event Darnold can't direct the offense at any point.