NFL Player News

Jets coach Rex Ryan is pleased with how quarterback Geno Smith has handled his demotion from the starting quarterback role, according to Newsday.

"I think he has prepared well. I guess time will tell once he gets an opportunity to play again," Ryan said. "I don't think any player likes it. They shouldn't like it. But, I think he approached it the right way."

Smith was benched in favor of Michael Vick heading into Week 9 against the Chiefs. Vick will be under center again Week 10 against the Steelers, and Ryan gave no indication about when Smith might return to the starting role.

"I am not really looking past this game," Ryan said Monday. "So if that happens, then it happens. Right now we are going with Mike to play against Pittsburgh, and that's as far as I have thought about it."

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who strained his hamstring Week 8 at New Orleans, "did everything" in Monday's practice, reports ESPN.com. Green Bay is coming off its bye and hosts the Bears on Sunday.

After watching quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and wideout Cordarrelle Patterson fail to connect on several long pass plays Sunday, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said he's more determined than ever to fix the problem.

"What I do believe is, we probably need to throw it some more and we will hit it," Zimmer told ESPN.com.

Zimmer said he'd love to get Patterson more involved but added, "We're not precise enough in all areas. ... Guys have to make sure they're in the right places at all times."

Remember how consistent Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson looked at the start of the season, scoring at least 15 Fantasy points every week with the occasional 30-point extravaganza?

Yeah ... that's pretty much shot to pieces.

His 126-yard performance against the Cowboys in Week 6 seemed like an outlier at the time, but he's done the same thing three out of the last four weeks now. And in Week 9, he did it against the Raiders -- or what seemed like a gimme matchup coming in -- completing less than half his passes for 179 yards and no touchdowns.

It was his first game without a touchdown of any kind this season. He at least ran for one against the Cowboys.

So we're back to where we started with Wilson. As one of the most efficient dual-threat quarterbacks in league history, he's a candidate for monster numbers any given week, but because of the Seahawks' inconsistencies on offense, he also has incredible downside. With six quarterbacks on bye in Week 10, you're probably starting him against the Giants, but you shouldn't expect him to carry your team.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson couldn't score Week 9 against the Raiders.

Wilson completed 17 of 35 passes for 179 yards. He did not throw a touchdown or an interception during the contest. Wilson did manage eight rushes for 31 yards. Wilson had trouble getting on the same page with his receivers during the game. A fair amount of his passing seemed to be off target early. On top of that, drops became a bit of an issue with Wilson's receivers. Wilson was able to lead a couple scoring drives, but Marshawn Lynch capped them off with rushing scores.

He'll look for more Week 10 against the Giants. 

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw two touchdowns Week 9 against the Seahawks.

Carr completed 24 of 41 passes for 194 yards and two scores. He also threw two interceptions during the contest. Carr had a rough stretch early on. Near the end of the first quarter, he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. On the next drive, Carr threw his second pick. He managed to settle in after that, throwing two 1 yard touchdowns to Mychal Rivera.

Carr will look for more Week 10 against the Broncos. 

So far, the knock on Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer is that he had his worst game of the season on one of those rare occasions when Fantasy owners put their trust in him, completing just 16 of 41 passes for 215 yards and no touchdowns in what was supposed to be a favorable matchup Week 7 at Jacksonville.

But that performance came in the middle of what's proven to be a defensive awakening for the Jaguars. In retrospect, the matchup wasn't actually favorable, but unfavorable, which reconciles it with the rest of Hoyer's season.

Namely, Week 9 against Tampa Bay -- a legitimately good matchup for Hoyer in which he delivered legitimately good numbers, completing 21 of 34 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw two interceptions, but you're not expecting perfection from Hoyer. You're just hoping for quality production.

He's thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game but that Jaguars debacle, and his last three games with 250-plus yards -- along with Week 9, Week 8 against Oakland and Week 5 at Tennessee -- were all predictable based on the matchup.

His matchup Week 10 at Cincinnati is a questionable one, especially since it's on a Thursday night, but if you're in a pinch with your usual starter on bye, you could do worse than Hoyer at quarterback.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton delivered an up-and-down performance in Sunday's 33-23 win over the Jaguars. Dalton completed 19 of 31 throws for 233 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions while posting a 79.1 rating.

It was the third time in the past four games that Dalton committed two turnovers. He's yet to produce a three-touchdown game this year.

Dalton hit Mohamed Sanu with a 19-yard score in the second quarter and A.J. Green for an 18-yard score in the fourth quarter. But with his team protecting a late lead, Dalton threw a pass that bounced off left tackle Andrew Whitworth and got picked off.

Dalton plays the Browns on Thursday Night Football.

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater rallied Minnesota from an early 10-point deficit and led four touchdowns drives during a 29-26 win Week 9 vs. Washington. Bridgewater completed 26 of 42 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for 20 yards on three carries. 

Bridgewater's only touchdown came on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Chase Ford with 36 seconds left in the second quarter, which cut the deficit to 10-7. It was the third straight game Bridgewater had one passing touchdown and second straight game he avoided throwing an interception.

The Vikings are on a bye Week 10 before returning to action Week 11 at Chicago.

It seems every time a poor stretch by Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer has critics calling for backup Johnny Manziel to replace him, the Cleveland native responds.

That was again the scenario Sunday against Tampa Bay. Hoyer completed 11 straight passes for 124 yards and one touchdown during a second-half flurry and finished 21 of 34 for 300 yards, two scores and two picks in a 22-17 victory. It marked his first 300-yard performance in 2014.

Hoyer started fast by completing his first two passes for 47 yards, but struggled in the second quarter, which included one of his two season-high interceptions. He opened the third by leading the Browns to an 80-yard drive culminated on a 2-yard touchdown pass off a roll left to running back Terrance West. Tampa regained the lead, but Hoyer responded with 10 minutes left in the game by tossing a 34-yard scoring strike to a wide-open Taylor Gabriel.

The quarterback will try to rise to the occasion when the Browns play their biggest regular season game since 2007 on Thursday night in Cincinnati.