NFL Player News
-
Desmond Ridder QB | GB
Falcons' Desmond Ridder: Underwhelming debut
Ridder completed 13 of 26 passes for 97 yards and rushed six times for 38 yards during Sunday's 21-18 loss to the Saints.
Ridder completed just half of his pass attempts and had an interception overturned to start the second half, resulting in an extremely disappointing debut through the air. However, the rookie third-round pick attempted to salvage his offensive production by showcasing his dual-threat ability. Overall, there wasn't much to take away from Ridder's performance, but the lone bright spot was the connection he appeared to have with fellow rookie Drake London, as the duo connected seven times (11 targets) for 70 yards. With Marcus Mariota (knee) out for the remainder of the regular season, Ridder should continue drawing starts, regardless of his performance.
-
Zach Wilson QB | NO
Jets' Zach Wilson: Tops 300 yards in Week 15 loss
Wilson completed 18 of 35 passes for 317 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Lions. He added three rushing attempts for seven yards.
After a quiet first quarter, Wilson produced consecutive big plays through the air to open the second, finding Garrett Wilson for a 33-yard gain before tossing a 40-yard touchdown to C.J. Uzomah to tie the score at 7-7. Later in the second quarter, Wilson uncorked a 50-yard deep ball to Jeff Smith to set up a field goal to end the first half. The second-year quarterback finished the first half with 185 passing yards and no turnovers, but he was picked off on the first possession after halftime on an ill-advised sideline throw. Wilson bounced back with a one-yard touchdown pass to Uzomah to give New York a 17-13 lead with 4:41 to go in the fourth quarter. Detroit retook the lead with 1:49 remaining, and while Wilson gave his team a chance with a 20-yard pass to Elijah Moore on 4th-and-18 with one second left, Greg Zuerlein missed a 58-yard field-goal attempt to drop the Jets to 7-7. New York plays again in just four days, which doesn't give Mike White (ribs) much time to recover from the injury that kept him out against the Lions, meaning Wilson will likely remain under center against the Jaguars in Week 16.
-
Mitch Trubisky QB | TEN
Steelers' Mitch Trubisky: Leads road win
Trubisky completed 17 of 22 passes for 179 yards in Sunday's 24-16 win over the Panthers. He also rushed six times for nine yards and a touchdown.
Trubisky led the Steelers to a road victory while getting the nod over Mason Rudolph to replace injured starter Kenny Pickett (concussion). Along with connecting with top wideout Diontae Johnson for a season-high 10 catches, Trubisky added a scoring rush with a quarterback sneak during the third quarter. Despite his serviceable performance Sunday, Trubisky would figure to return to the sideline should Pickett be cleared for Week 16's game versus the Raiders.
-
Patrick Mahomes QB | KC
Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes: Helps Chiefs to division title
Mahomes completed 36 of 41 passes for 336 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Chiefs' 30-24 overtime victory over the Texans on Sunday. He also rushed five times for 33 yards and another score, threw a two-point conversion pass and fumbled once but recovered.
Mahomes' near-perfect afternoon ironically came during a surprising game-long struggle for the Chiefs, who were gunning for their seventh straight AFC West title. Kansas City was ultimately able to accomplish the feat thanks to key contributions from multiple players, with Mahomes connecting most often with Travis Kelce and JuJu Smith-Schuster. The star signal-caller tossed both of his scoring throws in the second quarter, hitting Jerick McKinnon and Marquez Valdes-Scantling from 20 and four yards out, respectively. Mahomes then scored a critical rushing touchdown from five yards out early in the fourth quarter and followed it up with a two-point conversion pass to McKinnon to give the Chiefs a three-point lead at the time. With the division title now secured, Mahomes will look to keep his now-11-win squad in contention for top playoff positioning during a Week 16 home battle against the Seahawks on Saturday afternoon.
-
Justin Fields QB | KC
Bears' Justin Fields: Throws two TDs in loss
Fields completed 14 of 21 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 15 times for 95 yards in Sunday's 25-20 loss to the Eagles.
As usual, Fields struggled with his arm but made big plays with his legs. He threw an incomplete pass on 4th-and-3 from Philadelphia's 32-yard line to end Chicago's opening drive but then used his scrambling ability to pick up 39 yards on 2nd-and-27 in the second quarter. Fields stepping on the sideline is the only thing that kept him from scoring a 48-yard touchdown on that play, and David Montgomery picked up the last nine yards on the next snap to put the Bears up 6-3. The 23-year-old quarterback threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Montgomery in the third and a 35-yarder to Byron Pringle late in the fourth but ultimately fell short in this battle of mobile young quarterbacks against Jalen Hurts, who had three rushing touchdowns. Fields' leg stiffened up at the end of a second-half run and he was replaced by Nathan Peterman for one play. Even though Fields promptly returned, his propensity for taking big hits will make him vulnerable in Week 16 against a Bills defense that toes the line between physical and dirty.
-
Ryan Tannehill QB | TEN
Titans' Ryan Tannehill: Carted off the field Sunday
Tannehill was carted off the field Sunday against the Chargers after sustaining an ankle injury, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Prior to his exit from the contest, Tannehill completed his only passing attempt for two yards and ran once for one yard. Next up for the Titans' Week 15 QB reps is Malik Willis.
-
Sam Darnold QB | SEA
Panthers' Sam Darnold: Touchdown toss in loss
Darnold completed 14 of 23 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-16 loss to the Steelers.
Darnold opened Carolina's scoring by finding top wideout DJ Moore for a five-yard touchdown while on the run. Although he was sacked four times Sunday, Darnold still managed to make a few big plays in the passing game, including two gains of at least 40 yards. Without a turnover in his three appearances this season, Darnold will strive to maintain his clean play in Week 16 versus the Lions.
-
Jared Goff QB | DET
Lions' Jared Goff: Grinds out ugly win
Goff completed 23 of 38 passes for 252 yards with one touchdown during Sunday's 20-17 win over the Jets.
Right when it seemed that the Lions passing game was finding its groove again, the Jets defense proved to be a tough test. Goff struggled to get into the end zone all game but got lucky in the fourth quarter, when Brock Wright sprung wide open on a crafty play on 4th-and-1 that ended with the tight end weaving his way to a 51-yard score. Up until that point, Goff dinked and dunked his way to his fewest yards per pass attempt (6.6) in three weeks, as the Jets were largely successful in preventing any of Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark or Jameson Williams from getting loose for any big plays. Goff and company will look to get back on track in a more favorable Week 16 matchup with the Panthers.
-
Jalen Hurts QB | PHI
Eagles' Jalen Hurts: Runs in three TDs in Week 15 win
Hurts completed 22 of 37 passes for 315 yards and two interceptions while rushing 17 times for 61 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 25-20 win over Chicago.
Hurts came into this one with only three interceptions all season but tossed two in the first half as the Eagles fell behind 6-3 before Hurts orchestrated a nine-play, 91-yard touchdown drive to take a 10-6 lead into the locker room. He capped that drive with a 22-yard rushing touchdown, then scored from one yard out in the third and fourth quarters to raise his season rushing touchdown total to 13. If Hurts can lead the Eagles to a Week 16 win in Dallas on Saturday, Philadelphia would clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC with two weeks to spare.
-
Davis Mills QB | HOU
Texans' Davis Mills: Expected to be part of two-QB setup
Mills is slated to start Sunday's game against the Chiefs, but he's expected to cede snaps to backup Jeff Driskel while the Texans implement a two-quarterback system, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com.
In his return from a two-game benching last weekend in Dallas, Mills surprisingly helped keep the 1-11-1 Texans competitive in a 27-23 loss to one of the NFC's top teams. However, Mills wasn't used as a traditional starter in his return, as he played exactly half of the snaps and finished with 16 completions on 21 attempts for 175 yards and an interception in the loss. Driskel, meanwhile, played half the game as well and attempted only six passes, though he was highly involved as a runner (seven carries for 36 yards). Assuming the rough timeshare remains in place Sunday, both Mills and Driskel are tough to rely on as fantasy options while neither receives a full snap count.