NFL Player News

Kelley carried the ball seven times for 21 yards to go along with one fumble in Thursday's 34-28 overtime loss to the Chiefs.

Kelley's fumble could have long-term ramifications considering the goal-line gaffe was simply an egregious mistake in a pivotal situation. While the second-year back has seen 17 carries over the past two weeks with the Chargers carefully managing Austin Ekeler's ankle injury, Kelley has struggled with the usage, averaging 3.2 yards per carry over that span. It's entirely possible Larry Rountree, who was a healthy inactive Thursday, could push for additional playing time in light of Kelley's latest miscue.

Williams rushed twice for five yards and failed to bring in his only target during the Chiefs' 34-28 overtime win over the Chargers on Thursday night.

Williams was a virtual afterthought in the comeback win, although to be fair, the ground attack largely was as a whole. The Chiefs played with a deficit for significant portions of the game, and coach Andy Reid opted to lean heavily on his top three most explosive weapons in Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Williams has now logged just 14 total carries and seven receptions in the four games since backfield mate Clyde Edwards-Helaire returned from an IR stint due to a knee injury, dampening his prospects heading into a Week 16 home matchup against the Steelers a week from Sunday.

Edwards-Helaire rushed nine times for 32 yards and brought in two of four targets for 18 yards in the Chiefs' 34-28 overtime win over the Chargers on Thursday night. He also caught a two-point conversion from Patrick Mahomes.

Edwards-Helaire paced the Chiefs backfield in rush attempts, but that wasn't saying much on a night when Kansas City trailed for significant chunks of the game and tilted heavily toward the pass in the second half and overtime. The second-year back was coming off a highly efficient 10-carry, two-touchdown effort against the Raiders in Week 14, and his rush-attempt tally was his lowest in a non-injury-shortened game all season. Edwards-Helaire's Week 16 prospects are relatively bright, however, as he'll face a Steelers defense that's increasingly struggled to stop the run as the season has unfolded.

Ekeler (ankle) carried the ball 12 times for 59 yards and a score in Thursday's 34-28 loss to the Chiefs. He also caught all four of his targets for 23 yards.

In Thursday's divisional matchup, the Chargers elected to not feature Ekeler -- who has been dealing with ankle soreness -- in the red zone at critical junctures. Meanwhile, the duo of Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley combined for 20 carries, as the team managed the workload of Ekeler, who was considered a game-time decision approaching the contest. On the heels of a short week, the star back will now have some added time to rest and recover in advance of the Chargers' Dec. 26 road game against the 2-11 Texans.

McCrary (undisclosed) was placed on the Ravens' practice squad COVID-19 list Thursday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

McCrary has spent the majority of the 2021 season on the Ravens' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster in Week 13 against Pittsburgh and logged one carry for minus-1 yards. However, given his placement on the COVID-19 list, he is unlikely to be eligible for promotion from the practice squad for Sunday's matchup against the Packers.

Reynolds and Jermar Jefferson took the bulk of the first-team reps at running back during Thursday's practice, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Reynolds could be looking at another heightened workload this weekend with both of D'Andre Swift (shoulder) and Jamaal Williams (COVID-19) looking unlikely to play. However, with Jefferson further removed from having the flu as well as a thigh injury, his upside could be capped by a committee approach. There's also the risk that there aren't many carries to be split up in the first place if Detroit's weak offense struggles to extend drives against Arizona's fourth-ranked scoring defense this Sunday.

Mitchell (concussion/knee) didn't practice Thursday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

While he has yet to practice since picking up a concussion Week 13, Mitchell has been seen working off to the side with the 49ers' training staff on back-to-back days, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. With no on-field work to speak of this week, though, Mitchell may be trending toward a second straight absence Sunday against the Falcons. If the preceding is confirmed -- whether it comes on Friday's injury report or 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff -- the 49ers would turn to Jeff Wilson for most of the RB reps, with Kyle Juszczyk, JaMycal Hasty and even Deebo Samuel mixing into the backfield.

Bolden (knee) is listed as questionable for Saturday night's game against the Colts.

The same applies to Damien Harris (hamstring), with both players having practiced in a limited fashion this week. As long as the duo is made active for Saturday night's 8:20 p.m. ET contest, look for Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson to handle the bulk of the Patriots' Week 15 carries, while Bolden is a candidate for change-of-pace touches.

Ekeler (ankle) is listed as active for Thursday night's game against Kansas City, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Chargers' lead back will give it a go Thursday, and while Taylor Bisciotti of NFL Network previously suggested that Ekeler may not handle his normal workload level, we'd imagine he'll still get a share of touches in the absence of any in-game setbacks. Also in the team's Week 15 backfield mix are Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley, who could mix in more than usual as Ekeler works through his ankle issue.

Robinson (heel/knee) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.

Robinson was a limited practice participant Wednesday and rested at Thursday's session, which is the plan for the rest of the season, per Mark Long of the Associated Press. There's been no indication of any setbacks with the 23-year-old's heel and knee injuries, so he should be back on the practice field Friday.