NFL Player News

Rodgers (knee) completed 30 of 42 pass attempts for 281 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 29-29 tie with the Vikings. He also rushed three times for eight yards.

Rodgers played with a brace on his left knee after last week's injury, and his limited mobility clearly limited the offensive playbook in some regards. Despite his efficient 71 percent completion rate, he averaged just 6.7 yards per attempt and managed just one play longer than 22 yards. Still, Rodgers' otherworldly arm and knowledge of the playbook allowed the Pack to move the ball against an elite defensive opponent, and the fact that he was well enough to actually run the ball on three occasions is a positive sign. He should be limited physically for the foreseeable future, but barring a setback in practice this week, he should be ready to take on the Redskins next weekend in what should be a more favorable matchup.

Mariota (elbow) did not play on Sunday, but dressed, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

The Titans offense was pretty conservative with Mariota out of the lineup on Sunday. The fact that Mariota was healthy enough to have presumably come in if backup Blaine Gabbert was injured during the game would make it seem as though he will be back sooner than later.

Gabbert completed 13 of 20 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 20-17 win over Houston.

Gabbert slung a swing pass to Taywan Taylor late in the first quarter, with the latter doing the rest on his way to an 18-yard touchdown scamper. That's about where Gabbert's highlights -- aside from a near completion to himself -- end. The Titans won on Sunday with some trickery, defense, and a conservative offense approach. As the third quarter was winding down, Gabbert still had fewer passing yards than safety Kevin Byard. That, and the fact that Marcus Mariota was healthy enough to dress on Sunday, should prevent you from looking Gabbert's way next week.

Watson completed 22 of 32 passes for 310 yards, two touchdowns and an interception during Sunday's 20-17 loss to Tennessee. He added 44 yards on five carries.

Another week and another slow start followed by a late surge by Watson. Watson actually put the Texans up in the fourth quarter with a 39-yard rainbow down the left sideline for Will Fuller, but it wasn't enough for Houston to hold on. Watson remains a dynamic playmaker who clearly benefited from the speedy Fuller's return to the lineup on Sunday, although turnovers continue to be an area of concern. For the second consecutive week, Watson threw deep into double coverage in the end zone and was picked off. He was also fortunate to recover two fumbles during the contest. The rewards still outweigh the risks in playing him, but fans would likely appreciate a wider gap between the two.

Taylor completed 22 of 30 passes for 246 yards with a touchdown and an interception during Sunday's 21-18 loss to the Saints. He also accounted for 26 yards on the ground.

It was a quiet and uninspiring game for Taylor until he found rookie wideout Antonio Callaway -- who started for the recently released Josh Gordon (hamstring) -- for a 42-yard touchdown in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to boost his stats. The former Bills' signal-caller did a nice job spreading the ball around, connecting with seven different pass catchers while targeting Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins and David Njoku seven times apiece. Taylor and the rest of Cleveland's offense will look to right the ship against the Jets on Thursday.

Blaine Gabbert took most of the snaps during the Titans' team warmup drills prior to the game, suggesting he'll likely receive the starting nod over Mariota, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Before being left off the inactive list, Mariota appeared on the Titans' injury report with a right elbow issue, but it's the impact that injury has on his throwing hand that's the greater concern. Mariota reported a loss of feeling in his fingers and hand earlier in the week, which might make the Titans reluctant to have him air it out in Week 2, if not bar him from throwing entirely. In addition to Mariota's questionable health, the Titans are without their top three offensive tackles, providing an even greater degree of difficulty in terms of running the offense. While Mariota may still get used to some extent, it's assumed at this point that Gabbert will start and handle the bulk of the reps.

Gabbert has been doing more throwing than Marcus Mariota in pregame workouts and took the first snap of the Titans' 11-man set in warmups, suggesting he's likely in line to start Sunday's game against the Texans, Paul Kuharsky of 104.5 The Zone Nashville reports.

The Titans aren't expected to formally name their starting quarterback until minutes before the 1 p.m. EDT kickoff, but all signs point to Gabbert getting the nod, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Mariota, who is managing a right elbow injury, is active for the contest and could draw some snaps even if he doesn't start, which may limit Gabbert's ceiling for production. Given the uncertain division of labor behind center in addition to the fact that the Titans are without their top three offensive tackles, neither Gabbert nor Mariota looks like an appealing fantasy option this week.

Dobbs will serve as the Steelers' backup quarterback Sunday against the Chiefs with regular starter Ben Roethlisberger (elbow) active for the contest, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Roethlisberger was withheld from practice Wednesday and Thursday while managing his injury, resulting in Dobbs logging extensive work with the first-team offense. While the back-to-back absences fueled speculation Roethlisberger might be at risk of sitting out the Week 2 contest, the veteran returned to full practice Friday to quell most of the concern about his status. Now that he's officially active, Dobbs will assume backup duties for the second straight week after beating out rookie Mason Rudolph and the since-released Landry Jones for those honors at the conclusion of the preseason.

As the 1 p.m. EDT kickoff approaches, it's unclear whether or not Mariota (right elbow) will start Sunday's game against the Texans, nor is it known how extensively he'll be used if he does play, Erik Bacharach of the Tennessean reports.

Mariota is in uniform, but the team's only other active signal-caller, Blaine Gabbert, could end up seeing his share of snaps Sunday behind the Titans' depleted offensive line. Given the lack of clarity with regard the duo's Week 2 workload, neither quarterback is an appealing option in fantasy lineups.

Rodgers is playing through both a deep bone bruise and a sprained MCL and will play with a knee brace on his left knee, Fox's Jay Glazer reports.

Glazer emphasized that the injuries are worse than initially disclosed by the Packers, that they will likely linger, and that a hard enough hit could cause a setback.