NFL Player News

Stevenson rushed 25 times for 120 yards and a touchdown while bringing in all three targets for six yards in the Patriots' 16-10 win over the Bengals on Sunday. He also recovered a fumble.

At least for Week 1, new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was able to play his preferred brand of football, with game script allowing Stevenson to function in an old-school workhorse role to help grind out a low-scoring victory. Stevenson was able to rip off chunk gains throughout the afternoon, and he found pay dirt for his first touchdown of the campaign on a three-yard run to open the second quarter. Antonio Gibson took only seven carries as the No. 2 running back, clearly delineating the pecking order in New England's ground attack. Stevenson will look to replicate the stellar 2024 debut when he tangles with the Seahawks at home Week 2.

Mixon carried the ball 30 times for 159 yards and a touchdown and caught all three of his targets for 19 yards in Sunday's 29-27 win over the Colts.

The former Bengal put together a sensational Texans debut, highlighted by a three-yard TD plunge early in the fourth quarter. There was no question that Mixon was the bell cow for Houston -- Dameon Pierce, the top holdover in the backfield from 2023, saw only three totes. Mixon will take significant momentum into Week 2's clash with a Bears defense that gave up 94 scrimmage yards and a TD to the Titans' Tony Pollard in its season opener.

Achane rushed 10 times for 24 yards and a touchdown and secured all seven targets for 76 yards in the Dolphins' 20-17 win over the Jaguars on Sunday.

Achane was the Dolphins' team leader in rush attempts, outpacing backfield mates Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson by four and five carries, respectively. However, while running room was at a premium as clearly indicated by Achane's final line, he put in highly productive work in the passing game and finished tied with Tyreek Hill for the team lead in receptions. Whether the division of labor in Miami's backfield was a harbinger of what's to come this season is difficult to determine after a one-game sample, but Achane's overall usage underscores how often head coach Mike McDaniel clearly wants the ball in the explosive second-year back's hands. Achane next takes aim at the Bills defense in a Week 2 Thursday night clash.

Cook rushed 19 times for 71 yards and caught all three of his targets for 32 yards in Sunday's 34-28 win over the Cardinals.

The Bills went with a run-heavy approach, but Josh Allen scored both of the team's rushing touchdowns while also throwing a pair. The 237-pound quarterback vulturing touchdowns is nothing new for Cook, as Cook had just two rushing touchdowns to Allen's 15 in the 2023 regular season. Heading into Thursday's road game against the Dolphins, Cook is the clear lead back in Buffalo over rookie fourth-round draft pick Ray Davis and Ty Johnson (knee), who combined for just five carries and two targets in the season-opening win, with the latter exiting due to an injury.

Etienne rushed 12 times for 44 yards and a touchdown and brought in two of three targets for 15 yards in the Jaguars' 20-17 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. He also lost a fumble.

Etienne's season-opening experience soured significantly with a game-changing fumble, with the third-year back losing the ball at the end of a 10-yard run down to Miami's three-yard line to waste a six-play, 94-yard drive late in the third quarter. Jacksonville appeared on the precipice of what could have been a game-sealing touchdown considering the Jaguars were already up 17-7, but the resulting touchback from the end-zone recovery gave the Dolphins immediate life. Etienne also notably saw backfield mate Tank Bigsby, who had a washout of a rookie 2023 campaign, match him in carries and out-gain him by 29 rushing yards, but whether that was an outlier will only be known in coming games. Etienne will aim to atone for the forgettable afternoon when the Jags host the Browns in Week 2 next Sunday.

Conner rushed 16 times for 50 yards and a touchdown while catching three of four targets for 33 yards in Sunday's 34-28 loss to the Bills. He also ran in a two-point conversion.

Arizona's first six offensive plays all went to Conner, and he racked up 41 scrimmage yards on six carries and two catches before Michael Wilson punctuated the possession with a five-yard touchdown catch. Conner scored a touchdown of his own in the second quarter from three yards out, then powered in a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to bring Arizona within three after DeeJay Dallas scored the first kickoff-return touchdown in the history of the NFL's new dynamic kickoff rules. The veteran starter finished with 19 touches compared to four for rookie third-round pick Trey Benson and two for Emari Demercado, so Conner is the clear No. 1 option in Arizona's backfield heading into a Week 2 home game against the Rams.

Jones rushed 14 times for 94 yards and a touchdown and brought in both targets for 15 yards in the Vikings' 28-6 win over the Giants on Sunday.

Jones put together a highly efficient performance in his Vikings debut, which included a three-yard touchdown run into the left corner of the end zone early in the first quarter. His longest run was a modest 19 yards, underscoring how consistent he was in achieving meaningful gains throughout the afternoon. Even in a game script conducive to the run, Jones still ceded eight carries to backfield mate Ty Chandler, which highlights the coaching staff's plan to manage the former's workload over the course of the season. Jones gets a tough matchup for his next assignment, however, as the 49ers come into Minnesota for a Week 2 matchup next Sunday.

Johnson exited Sunday's game against the Cardinals with a knee injury, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News reports.

Prior to his exit from the contest, Johnson carried twice for seven yards. In his absence, James Cook and Ray Davis are available to handle Buffalo's RB duties.

Laube is inactive for Sunday's season opener against the Chargers.

Laube will thus need to wait to make his NFL regular-season debut. With the 2024 sixth-rounder not in uniform Sunday, Zamir White, Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah are available to handle the Raiders' Week 1 backfield duties.

Vidal (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's season opener against the Raiders.

Vidal could find himself in the mix down the road, but the 2024 sixth-rounder will have to wait to make his regular-season debut. Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins and Hassan Haskins are available to handle the Chargers' Week 1 backfield duties.