NFL Player News

Winston completed 30 of 51 passes for 313 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions in the Buccaneers' 34-17 loss to the Saints on Sunday. He also rushed twice for 23 yards, recovered his own fumble, and came out of the contest with a potential ankle injury, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

The outlook is bleak all the way around coming out of the loss for Winston, who further endangered his hold on the starting job with yet another multi-interception tally and then sustained the ankle injury near the end of the contest. Winston now has an NFL-high 18 interceptions, even though he's admittedly been the victim of some misfortune in terms of tipped passes that have been picked off. There's not been any official indication Winston is in danger of being pulled from the top job yet, but any quarterback with multiple picks in four of their last five games can't breathe easy. The Buccaneers did announce Saturday that Blaine Gabbert (shoulder) won't return this season, but Ryan Griffin is an alternative that Arians could opt to turn due to Winston's performance and/or injury issues Week 12 against a revitalized Falcons defense.

Cousins completed 29 of 35 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns during Sunday's 27-23 win over Denver. He lost a fumble during the contest.

It was a tale of two halves as the Denver defense absolutely harassed Cousins before halftime, but the red-hot passer was able to lead touchdown drives on all four of Minnesota's possessions in the second half. The prettiest was a 54-yard bomb to Stefon Diggs early in the fourth quarter to bring Minnesota to within a score. Cousins sold a beautiful play-action fake, slid way out to his left and found Diggs flying up field. Cousins has been a completely different quarterback since Week 4's loss to Chicago, completing at least 70 percent of his passes in six of seven games and boasting a TD:INT of 18:1 all while Minnesota has gone on a 6-1 run. Next up, after the bye, is a visit to Seattle, where the Seahawks have struggled against the pass this season.

Watson completed 18 of 29 passes for 169 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in the Texans' 41-7 loss to the Ravens on Sunday. He also rushed three times for 12 yards and lost a fumble.

Watson and the Texans were as pedestrian as the quarterback's line implies, as the Ravens defense repeatedly short-circuited drives and also notched six sacks. His most reliable connection by far was unsurprisingly with DeAndre Hopkins, whom he hit on seven occasions for 80 yards. However, Watson netted just 89 yards on his 11 other completions, and Sunday marked his first game without a touchdown pass since Week 4. The third-year signal-caller will look to help Houston bounce back at the expense of the Colts in a quick turnaround Week 12 Thursday night matchup.

Jackson completed 17 of 24 passes for 222 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the Ravens' 41-7 win over the Texans on Sunday. He also rushed nine times for 86 yards.

Jackson once again was in excellent form both through the air and on the ground, posting his second straight game with multiple touchdown passes while also eclipsing the 80-yard mark as a rusher for the fifth time on the campaign. He continued to flash the considerable improvement he's managed to make as a passer, with Sunday marking his third consecutive contest with a 70.0 percent completion rate. The second-year signal-caller spread the ball impressively as well, hitting nine different pass catchers overall on the afternoon. Having helped the Ravens to an impressive 8-2 record, Jackson will look to stay hot versus the Rams in a Monday night Week 12 matchup on the road.

Driskel could be in store for additional starts beyond Sunday's game against the Cowboys after doctors recently informed Matthew Stafford that the fractured bones in his back will require a six-week recovery timeline, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.

After completing 27 of 46 passes for 269 yards, a touchdown and an interception and scrambling for 37 yards in the 20-13 loss to the Bears in Week 10, Driskel will garner a second straight start this weekend in place of the injured Stafford. Though Stafford has shown an ability to play effectively through various injuries in the past, his latest setback on the health front appears more significant than anything he's dealt with before. Stafford surely will attempt to push for a return before the recommended six weeks, but the decision won't entirely be in his hands, especially if the 3-5-1 Lions begin to fade further from the playoff picture. Driskel at least should be on the radar in leagues that start two quarterbacks for the duration of Stafford's absence.

The fractured bones in Stafford's back may be a six-week injury, Adam Schefter reports.

That's not to say Stafford will sit out Sunday, plus the Lions' next four games, to reach the aforementioned threshold. Instead, he appears to be dealing with a fairly severe health concern. His return timetable has been unclear since the team discovered the broken bones in his back one day prior to his absence Week 10 at Chicago, ending his starting streak at 136 games. As long as Stafford is sidelined, Jeff Driskel will direct Detroit's offense.

Gabbert (shoulder) will not return from injured reserve this season, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

The confirmation regarding the backup quarterback came directly from coach Bruce Arians on Friday. Gabbert originally suffered the injury during preseason, although he wasn't placed on injured reserve until Sept. 24. Gabbert's confirmed absence the rest of the way gives the embattled Jameis Winston one less reason to look over his shoulder if his up-and-down play continues, considering the veteran signal-caller could have been a viable alternative for Arians due to his experience in the coach's offensive system.

Rudolph could be subject to a fine for his role during the brawl that ensued late in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' 21-7 loss to the Browns on Thursday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The second-year signal-caller was the victim of the most flagrant conduct of the fight, as Browns defensive end Myles Garrett pulled Rudolph's helmet off the quarterback and then swung it at Rudolph's head. Garrett received an indefinite suspension for his actions, while Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey were handed one- and three-game suspensions, respectively. Though Rudolph avoided a suspension, the NFL will presumably review the video of the fight and determine whether the 24-year-old did anything to warrant a fine. In the meantime, Rudolph will look to move past an outing that was already an ugly one leading up to the fight. Rudolph finished the night with 23 completions on 44 attempts for 221 yards, a touchdown and a career-high four interceptions.

Coach Frank Reich confirmed Brissett (knee) will start Sunday against Jacksonville, Mike Wells of ESPN.com reports.

Reich noted that Brissett made it through practice this week without any major issues, enabling the signal-caller to return after a one-game absence due to sprained MCL in his left knee. While Brissett will return under center, he'll be without top target T.Y. Hilton (calf), who has been ruled out another game.

Driskel is in line to make a second consecutive start Sunday against the Cowboys after coach Matt Patricia announced that Matt Stafford (back) has been ruled out for the contest, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Stafford was unable to practice all week due to fractures in his back, making it not especially surprising that he'll miss another game. The Lions didn't hesitate to have Driskel air it out in their Week 10 loss to the Bears, but the signal-caller generally struggled to shepherd the offense, completing only 27 of 46 attempts for 269 yards (5.8 YPA), one touchdown and one interception while rushing five times for 37 yards. Driskel will get another tough assignment this weekend, taking on the Cowboys' seventh-ranked pass defense.