NFL Player News

Lawrence completed 20 of 31 passes for 229 yards and rushed seven times for 51 yards and a touchdown in the Jaguars' 19-3 win over the Jets on Thursday night. He also lost a fumble.

While the numbers were much less gaudy than during the Jaguars' rousing second-half comeback overtime win against the Cowboys four days earlier, Lawrence was more than effective enough to help lead his squad to a big late-season win in a hostile environment against a high-caliber defense. The 2021 first overall pick focused most on tight end Evan Engram, who he peppered with eight targets. Lawrence completed passes to seven other players as well, and he recorded his third rushing touchdown of the season on a one-yard run with 11:26 remaining in the first half. The second-year pro got his one major mistake out of the way early, fumbling on a sack at his own 19-yard-line on the first possession of the game. With the Jags remaining in the thick of the AFC wild-card picture, Lawrence will now set his sights on a Week 17 divisional road battle versus the Texans a week from Sunday.

Lawrence (toe) is listed as active for Thursday night's game against the Jets.

Lawrence, who has been working through a toe injury that he sustained in Week 13, had been listed as questionable for the contest, but he'll be out there Thursday, as expected, and will look to build off a fantasy-friendly Week 15 effort in which he completed 27 of 42 passes for 318 yards, four TDs and a pick in this past Sunday's 40-34 win over the Cowboys.

Wolford (neck) didn't take part in Thursday's walk-through practice, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

The Rams didn't hold a session Wednesday, but Wolford hasn't mixed into any of the minimal drills that the team has gone through this week as he deals with a lingering neck issue. His status for Sunday's game against the Broncos may gain some clarity on L.A.'s final Week 16 practice report, which could be forecast if he's unable to get on-field work Friday.

Purdy (oblique/ribs) doesn't have an injury designation for Saturday's contest versus the Commanders, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Despite undergoing practice limitations the last two weeks due to oblique and rib injuries that he picked up Week 14 against the Buccaneers, Purdy will continue to serve as the 49ers' starting quarterback. He hasn't been asked to do too much during back-to-back starts, completing 33 of 47 passes for 402 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while scoring a TD on the ground among his six rushes. Still, Purdy may have a rougher go of it Saturday against a Washington defense that has given up 200 (or more) passing yards to opposing QBs just once in the last five games.

Rypien will serve as the backup to Russell Wilson in Sunday's contest against the Rams after head coach Nathaniel Hackett confirmed that Wilson cleared the concussion protocol and will reclaim starting duties following a one-game absence, Zack Kelberman of SI.com reports.

Wilson actually cleared the five-step protocol last Friday, but his lack of practice time leading up to the team's Week 15 contest prompted the Broncos to hold him out of the matchup with the Cardinals. Rypien proceeded to pick up his second start of the season and guided the Broncos to a 24-15 win, completing 21 of 26 pass attempts for 197 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Though Rypien helped Denver end a five-game losing streak, he never appeared to be a serious threat to earn more starts over a healthy Wilson, given what the Broncos invested into acquiring the former Seattle quarterback this past offseason.

Book is expected to dress as the backup quarterback behind starter Gardner Minshew with Jalen Hurts (shoulder) ruled out for Saturday's game in Dallas, Dave Spadaro of the Eagles' official site reports.

Since the Eagles claimed him off waivers from the Saints in late August, Book has yet to suit up in a game this season while both Hurts and Minshew have been healthy up to this point. Book will finally get the opportunity to don a Philadelphia uniform Saturday, but he likely won't be called upon from the bench unless Minshew suffers an in-game injury or if the game turns non-competitive.

Trubisky is set to serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind Kenny Pickett in Saturday's game against the Raiders after Pickett cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol Monday and resumed practicing fully this week, Dale Lolley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Despite struggling in relief of a concussed Pickett in the Steelers' Week 14 loss to the Ravens, Trubisky drew the starting assignment over No. 3 quarterback Mason Rudolph while Pickett remained in the protocol for this past week's game against the Panthers. Though Trubisky was believed to be on a short leash entering the contest, he ended up playing every snap on offense and served as an effective game manager in the 24-16 win over Carolina, completing 17 of 22 pass attempts for 179 yards while rushing for a score and committing no turnovers. The performance won't be enough for Trubisky to remain the starter now that Pickett is healthy again, but it should allow Trubisky to stick ahead of Rudolph on the depth chart until further notice.

Pickett will start Saturday's game against the Raiders after he confirmed that he was cleared by an independent neurologist Monday and removed from the NFL's five-step concussion protocol, Dale Lolley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Pickett entered the concussion protocol for the second time this season during the Steelers' Week 14 loss to the Ravens, when he exited the contest and then briefly re-entered before leaving the game for good after self-reporting symptoms of a brain injury, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The rookie signal-caller wasn't able to advance beyond limited participation in practice last week and ended up sitting out Pittsburgh's win over Carolina on Sunday, but he's been able to take every rep with the first-team offense so far in Week 16. Though he'll reclaim starting duties from Mitch Trubisky this weekend, Pickett told Lolley that he'll be switching helmets and wearing a visor with the hope of offering better protection against another head injury over the final three games of the season.

The Eagles list Hurts (shoulder) as out for Saturday's game in Dallas.

Head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed earlier Thursday that Gardner Minshew will pick up his first start of the season in place of Hurts, who won't be made available as an emergency backup after failing to practice in any capacity this week while managing a right shoulder sprain. The Eagles haven't decided on Hurts' status beyond Saturday's contest, but it's possible that the 24-year-old ends up sitting out Week 17 against the Saints and/or Week 18 against the Giants with Philadelphia close to securing the NFC's No. 1 overall seed. At least for this weekend, No. 3 quarterback Ian Book will dress as Minshew's backup while Hurts is in street clothes.

Lawrence remains listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Jets, but he's been cleared to play through a sprained toe on his left foot, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Lawrence first picked up the injury in the Jaguars' Week 13 loss to the Lions, but he was able to return to that contest and has proceeded to play at a high level over the past two weeks while leading Jacksonville to wins over the Titans and Cowboys. Even though Lawrence carried a designation into the Thursday's contest, the Jaguars never had much concern about his availability after he practiced in a limited fashion Tuesday and Wednesday. He'll officially shed his injury designation when Jacksonville releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the game's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.