NFL Player News
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Desmond Ridder QB | GB
Raiders' Desmond Ridder: Serviceable in emergency duty
Ridder entered Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Buccaneers for Aidan O'Connell (knee) with 14:03 remaining in the fourth quarter and completed 12 of 18 passes for 101 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also rushed twice for three yards and fumbled once but recovered.
Ridder had most recently seen playing time in Week 12 against the Chiefs, so rust wasn't an issue for the third-year pro. Ridder was able to lead the Raiders to three points on his second possession, although he did see a would-be interception reversed on replay during the drive. Considering O'Connell's injured leg was placed in an air cast and the second-year signal-caller was carted off Sunday, Ridder appears to have a good chance of drawing a start against his former Falcons squad in a Week 15 home matchup Monday night, Dec. 16.
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Matthew Stafford QB | LAR
Rams' Matthew Stafford: Nearly perfect against Bills
Stafford completed 23 of 30 passes for 320 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 44-42 win over the Bills.
Despite the score and the stat line of Josh Allen, the Rams prioritized their running game. That limited Stafford's passing volume, but he made up for that by averaging 10.7 yards per attempt while completing four passes of more than 20 yards. He also found the end zone on passes of 17 and 19 yards to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, respectively. Stafford now has multiple scores in four straight games with no interceptions, though this was his first 300-yard performance since Week 1.
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Brock Purdy QB | SF
49ers' Brock Purdy: Bounces back as expected
Purdy completed 20 of 25 pass attempts for 325 yards and a pair of touchdowns while rushing five times for 11 yards in Sunday's 38-13 win over the Bears.
Purdy did suffer an injury scare in the fourth quarter on a roughing the passer penalty that saw the quarterback's body bend backward in an awkward fashion between two Chicago defenders. The star QB was writhing in pain on the ground following the hit, but he wound up missing just one play before returning to the field, as reported by 49ers' reporter Cam Inman. Aside from the brief injury scare, Purdy was firing on all cylinders against the scuttling Bears, which comes as a relief to fantasy managers following last week's dud against the Bills in the snow. Assuming that there are no lingering effects from getting clotheslined Sunday, Purdy could be in store for another high score in a potential shootout against the Rams on Thursday Night Football in Week 15.
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Kyler Murray QB | MIN
Cardinals' Kyler Murray: Two TDs, two INTs in Week 14 loss
Murray completed 25 of 38 passes for 259 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in Sunday's 30-18 loss to the Seahawks. He added three rushing attempts for 16 yards and ran in a two-point conversion.
Murray threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Michael Wilson on the opening drive, but the quarterback was picked off on the next two possessions, which helped Seattle build a 24-10 halftime lead. Murray closed the gap to 27-18 in the third quarter with a two-yard touchdown pass to James Conner followed by a Murray rush for a two-point conversion, but that's as close as Arizona would get. While Murray tossed multiple touchdown passes for only the third time this season, he also finished with multiple interceptions for the second consecutive game after having no multi-interception games through Week 12. He'll look to clean up the mistakes in Week 15 against the Patriots.
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Caleb Williams QB | CHI
Bears' Caleb Williams: Pads stats late in blowout loss
Williams completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for 134 yards and two touchdowns while rushing four times for 27 yards with a fumble in Sunday's 38-13 defeat to San Francisco.
Williams and Chicago's offense were nearly invisible Sunday, netting just four yards over five drives (all of which ended in a punt) in the first half. The first-overall pick from this year's draft was able to pad his stats out of the break with a pair of touchdown throws that never threatened the 49ers' lead. On the bright side, Williams has now thrown seven touchdowns over his last three contests after failing to generate one over his previous four appearances. Things won't get any easier for the Bears as they prepare to visit the Vikings next Monday.
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Josh Allen QB | BUF
Bills' Josh Allen: Historic showing in loss
Allen completed 22 of 37 passes for 342 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 44-42 loss to the Rams. He added 10 rushes for 82 yards and three more scores.
Allen had a prolific performance in the loss, accounting for all six of Buffalo's touchdowns on the day -- a pair of which came on 51- and 41-yard touchdown throws. He also completed a total of six passes that went for more than 20 yards, leading to his highest yardage total of the campaign and his second performance of more than 300 yards. Allen supplemented his work through the air by getting more aggressive with his legs, as his 82 yards on the ground were a season high. He also has at least one rushing score in four straight contests. All told, Allen became the first NFL player to account for three passing and three rushing touchdowns in a regular-season game in NFL history, per NFL.com.
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Geno Smith QB | NYJ
Seahawks' Geno Smith: Leads team to important win
Smith completed 24 of 30 pass attempts for 233 yards and a touchdown while attempting one rush for no gain in Sunday's 30-18 victory over the Cardinals.
Smith kept the chains moving against a division rival with efficient play from the pocket while going 7-for-15 on third-down attempts, helping his team hold onto sole possession of first place in the NFC West following the victory. The veteran signal-caller let Seattle's rushing attack do the heavy lifting against Arizona on the back of Zach Charbonnet's standout effort (22-134-2). Smith hasn't been asked to do much over the Seahawks' current win streak, but he could be in store for more work against a high-powered Packers offense next Sunday.
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Russell Wilson QB | NYG
Steelers' Russell Wilson: Two touchdowns in win
Wilson completed 15 of 26 passes for 158 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 27-14 win over the Browns. He added six rushes for 17 yards.
Wilson started the game slowly as he had just 46 yards on 16 attempts at halftime. However, he led the Steelers on an eight-play, 67-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 10-yard pass to Van Jefferson on the team's first offensive possession. One drive later, he took advantage of a short field and delivered a 20-yard score to Pat Freiermuth. This wasn't Wilson's most prolific performance, but he managed the offense well and threw for multiple scores for the fourth time in seven starts on the campaign.
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Jalen Hurts QB | PHI
Eagles' Jalen Hurts: Produces three TDs in win
Hurts completed 14 of 21 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns while adding 59 rushing yards and a TD on eight carries in Sunday's 22-16 win over the Panthers.
For the third straight game and the sixth time this season, Hurts failed to throw for 200 yards, with Sunday's total being his lowest of the year. He made up for it by producing three TDs, including a four-yard strike to Grant Calcaterra early in the fourth quarter for what proved to be the winning score. Hurts has 13 rushing touchdowns on the season, leaving him two short of tying the NFL quarterback record of 15 he shares with Josh Allen, a mark they both reached in 2023. Hurts faces a stingy secondary in Week 15 against the Steelers.
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Jameis Winston QB | NYG
Browns' Jameis Winston: Mistakes pile up in loss
Winston completed 24 of 41 passes for 212 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in Sunday's 27-14 loss to the Steelers.
As is typically the case, Winston had impressive moments but also made a couple of backbreaking mistakes. The former came midway through the first quarter when he stepped up into the pocket and delivered a strike down the seam to Jerry Jeudy for a 35-yard score. Winston also led a long touchdown drive in the final quarter that concluded with a 15-yard toss to David Njoku to find the end zone and keep the Browns' hopes of a comeback alive. However, he turned the ball over multiple times for the third straight game and the fourth time in six starts on the campaign, and his first turnover changed the momentum of the contest. After the game, coach Kevin Stefanski declined to confirm that Winston would start in Week 15 against the Chiefs, per Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.