At Acrisure Stadium on Thursday night, the New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 21–18, proving that Ezekiel Elliott was a superior backup to Mitch Trubisky.
Elliott started in lieu of Rhamondre Stevenson, the running back, who injured his ankle. He finished with 140 yards, 72 of which came from seven receptions, and a touchdown.
Starting in place of injured quarterback Kenny Pickett, quarterback Trubisky ran for thirty yards and another touchdown in addition to passing for 190 yards and a touchdown. However, Pittsburgh was only 3-of-14 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down, and he also had an interception.
In other news, a different team is hoping to have its quarterback after suffering an unexpected home loss. After the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Monday night loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Trevor Lawrence left the game due to a sprain to his right high ankle. The Jaguars won’t find out if he can play until Sunday’s kickoff.
The Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens are playing in an intriguing interconference game, and the injury news seems to be mostly positive. Amazing rookie receiver Puka Nacua of the Rams says he will play despite missing a significant portion of last week’s game due to a shoulder injury, and quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Ravens appears fully recovered from the illness that kept him out of practice on Thursday.
As we get closer to the Sunday games, the following injury updates are provided by our NFL Nation reporters:
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has a right ankle injury.
According to head coach Doug Pederson, Lawrence’s playing status against the Cleveland Browns will be decided on game day. Limited practice sessions were held by Lawrence on Thursday and Friday, and Pederson expressed optimism that Lawrence will play. Lawrence sprained his left knee against Indianapolis earlier this season, but he played four days later in New Orleans despite suffering a toe injury against Detroit last season, during which he missed no starts. The backup is C.J. Beathard.
— DiRocco Michael.
Puka Nacua, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Rams Shoulder Injury
Despite having an AC sprain, Nacua stated he won’t be unable to play against the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 13, Nacua suffered a shoulder injury, but he returned to action. On the injury report from Wednesday, he was classified as limited; however, on Thursday, he participated fully in practice.
— Sarah Barshop.
Damage: Illness
Jackson, who missed practice on Thursday due to an illness, is expected to start against the Los Angeles Rams. He looked like himself on Friday, making some warm-up passes before leaping to hit the crossbar. “He felt good, full of life,” said John Harbaugh, the coach of the Ravens. “He appeared well in that photo. He had returned.” Jackson has thrown 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his 18-1 career versus the NFC.
— Hensley Jamison.
Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, a DE, has a left knee injury.
Crosby did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and his injured left knee was still swollen this week despite having had a bye week. Nevertheless, he was able to play two weeks ago despite his injury, albeit only for a season-low 82% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps. In the event that Crosby is unable to handle the mobile quarterback Joshua Dobbs of the Minnesota Vikings (remember, Malcolm Koonce, another edge rusher, is recovering from an ankle injury), Las Vegas will require first-round selection Tyree Wilson to play. Additionally, DE Janarius Robinson of the Raiders was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.
— Paul Guitierrez.
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry suffered a concussion.
In the fourth quarter of the Indianapolis Colts’ game last week, Henry was taken off the field due to what appeared to be concussion symptoms. Following the game, the Titans assessed Henry and conducted symptom tests on Monday. Henry was not put under protocol because he did not exhibit any symptoms of a concussion. Thursday is his rest day, and he didn’t practice. The seasoned running back anticipates taking the field against the Miami Dolphins on Monday.
— Davenport Turron.
Packers’ Chris Olave, wide receiver; quarterback Derek Carr
Injury: Illness; ribs, right shoulder, concussion
Olave has had the flu and has missed the last two days of practice. Although Olave’s status is officially listed as questionable, coach Dennis Allen expressed optimism that the receiver will recover by Sunday.
Carr is questionable despite being in the concussion protocol; he practiced extensively on Friday. Carr also lists injuries to his shoulder and ribs, but only the concussion would prevent him from playing. Carr has entered the concussion protocol twice in the last month.
— Katherine Terrell.
Injury: toe; groin; Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Vita Vea, DT, and Lavonte David, LB
Vea did not practice this week due to a toe injury he sustained during last week’s game against the Carolina Panthers. Vea is still possibly in the mix for Sunday, according to coach Todd Bowles, and he has not been ruled out.
With a groin injury that has kept him out of action for the last two weeks, David is expected to play, which is important considering that the Bucs only had one healthy inside linebacker last week. He probably doesn’t have any limitations because he participated fully in practice the entire week.
— Jenna Laine.
New York Jets RB Breece Hall suffered an ankle injury.
After being absent for two full days, Hall returned to practice on Friday. Coach Robert Saleh anticipates that Hall will play on Sunday against the Houston Texans. The amount is the question. Dalvin Cook, who has outperformed Hall in a smaller sample size over the last few games, may end up getting more carries than Hall.
— Cimini Rich.
A.J. Terrell, cornerback; David Onyemata, defensive tackle, Atlanta Falcons
After sustaining a concussion against the New York Jets last week, Terrell’s status is uncertain. Despite Terrell’s full practice on Friday, Falcons coach Arthur Smith stated the team will wait to make a decision to see how he reacts. Tre Flowers or Clark Phillips III will step in for Terrell if he is unable to travel. Jeff Okudah, Atlanta’s other starting cornerback, is also doubtful due to an ankle injury. He is headed in the right direction, he told ESPN on Friday, but he is unsure if he would play. Mike Hughes, CB (hand), is also dubious.
With 14 quarterback hits, Onyemata leads the Falcons. However, he is out. Zach Harrison, Albert Huggins, and Ta’Quon Graham will share his place in the starting lineup. Nate Landman, the starting linebacker for the Falcons, suffered a knee injury against the Jets, so he will also be sidelined. It’s anticipated that Andre Smith will replace him.
— Michael Rothstein.
Buffalo Bills’ Dawson Knox, TE, suffered a wrist injury
Knox was a full participant in practice all week following right wrist surgery after his 21-day window was opened this week, but as of Friday, he had not been activated off injured reserve. “If [Knox] continues to progress, there’s a good chance he’ll play,” head coach Sean McDermott stated on Friday. October is when the tight end’s last game was played.
— Getzenberg Alaina.
Equanimous The Chicago Bears’ St. Brown, Tyler Scott, and Velus Jones Jr. are wide receivers.
Illness: Pectoral; hamstring;
Due to a pectoral injury that prevented him from practicing on Thursday and Friday, St. Brown is no longer with the Bears after Chicago’s wide receiver depth suffered during practice late this week. The rookie Scott appeared on Friday with a hamstring injury, which is concerning because the receiver and return specialist has relied heavily on his 4.4 speed. In the event that Jones is unavailable and Scott is unable to play, the Bears will kickoffs with their third-string returner.
— Courtney Cronin.
Frank Ragnow, C, Detroit Lions Knee, Back, Toe Injuries
The Pro Bowl center is out against the Chicago Bears after skipping all of practice this week. Graham Glasgow, an experienced offensive lineman, will probably start for the Lions in Ragnow’s absence.
— Eric Woodyard.
Loss: Ankle for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd
Coach Zac Taylor felt confident about Boyd playing on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, despite the receiver’s limited activity on Thursday and Friday. Boyd had a lot of reps on Friday, according to Taylor, who attributed his limited availability to load management at this point in the season. Boyd’s official status is dubious.
— Ben Baby.
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer sprained his right knee.
Palmer has been ruled out this week despite making his first return to practice this week since being placed on injured reserve prior to the Chargers’ Week 9 matchup against the New York Jets. Palmer can be activated from injured reserve by the Chargers within 21 days, but head coach Brandon Staley stated there is “no timeline” for his return.
— Kris Rhim.
