NFL Player News

Head coach Andy Reid confirmed Wednesday that Wentz will start Sunday's regular-season finale against the Broncos, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

With the Chiefs having clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed, Reid said that "it wasn't a hard decision" to rest normal starter Patrick Mahomes in Week 18, according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic. Wentz is thus slated for his first extended action with the Chiefs, after playing just nine snaps in total over his previous two appearances this season. Chris Oladokun will likely be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the backup to Wentz on Sunday while Mahomes is expected to be inactive as the emergency No. 3 quarterback.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday that Hurts (concussion) isn't likely to play Sunday against the Giants, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Sirianni relayed that the Eagles intend to rest a number of starters in the regular-season finale, a list that includes Hurts, who remains in the concussion protocol. It's unclear if Hurts has made any progress in his recovery from the concussion, but the Eagles are still deciding on who will be under center Week 18 after Kenny Pickett started in place of Hurts in last Sunday's win over the Cowboys but was forced out with a rib injury. Tanner McKee finished out that contest and would be next in line to start Week 18 if Pickett can't go, while Ian Book also is on the active roster.

Head coach Andy Reid said that Mahomes won't start in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Broncos, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Reid confirmed that Carson Wentz will direct the offense in Week 18, with the coach noting that the decision to rest Mahomes wasn't a difficult decision with the Chiefs having clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, per Nate Taylor of The Athletic. With Kansas City having earned a first-round bye, Mahomes' next game action won't come until the divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 18 or 19. An extended break should be beneficial for Mahomes, who suffered a mild high-ankle sprain Week 15 and had played through the injury in the Chiefs' last two contests.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday that he's hopeful Richardson (back) will be available for Sunday's season finale against the Jaguars, Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Back issues prevented Richardson from playing in Week 17, but the quarterback could return to action this weekend depending on how he fares in practice over the next three days. With the Colts holding a walk-through session Wednesday, what Richardson is able to do during Thursday's session will provide a better indication of which direction he's trending in for Sunday's contest. For his part, Richardson -- who dislocated that he's dealing with a disc issue -- said Wednesday that he's feeling much better this week compared to last, per Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that both Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (calf) could see snaps at quarterback in Saturday's game at Baltimore, Patrick Warren of the Browns' official site reports. "There's a scenario where we [play both], but I want to make sure we get through the week before making the final determination," Stefanski said.

Zappe was signed to the Browns' active roster Oct. 22 but has yet to make his team debut. He served as the emergency third quarterback initially upon his arrival, but Zappe was elevated to the backup spot the last two weeks with Jameis Winston (shoulder) being the emergency quarterback. Stefanski said that Winston will likely be inactive once again Saturday, but a determination on whether Thompson-Robinson or Zappe starts won't be made until the end of the practice week.

Stroud admitted to being banged up Tuesday as the Texans prepare for Sunday's game at Tennessee, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans acknowledged Stroud is dealing with soreness, as many NFL players are at this point of the season. The quarterback practiced Monday, and while he looks like he'll be available to play Sunday, Houston is locked in as the fourth seed for the AFC playoffs and can't improve its position. Though Ryans suggested that all players healthy enough to suit up will play -- including Stroud -- the Texans could turn the game over to backup players at some point during the contest.

Thompson-Robinson (calf) was listed as a limited participant in Tuesday's walk-through practice, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Thompson-Robinson suffered the calf injury in the Browns' Week 16 loss to the Bengals, but after opening Week 17 prep with a pair of limited practices, he upgraded to full participation Friday before heading into last Sunday's game against the Dolphins without a designation. While making a second straight start in Cleveland's 20-3 loss to Miami, Thompson-Robinson struggled to move the offense, completing just 24 of 47 passes for 170 yards, no touchdowns and one interception to go with 10 yards and a lost fumble on four carries. The calf issue shouldn't prevent Thompson-Robinson from being available Saturday in Baltimore, though head coach Kevin Stefanski said earlier Tuesday that he's still deciding on a Week 18 starter and could end up using both Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe in the season finale, per Cabot.

Burrow (wrist/knee) was a limited participant in Tuesday's walk-through session, Jay Morrison of SI.com reports.

For the fourth week in a row, Burrow is appearing on Cincinnati's injury report with both right wrist and knee issues, but neither injury is expected to keep him from suiting up for Saturday's game in Pittsburgh. In the Bengals' previous matchup with the Steelers back in Week 13, Burrow completed 28 of 38 pass attempts for 309 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while adding nine yards on two carries and losing two fumbles in a 44-38 loss.

Fields (abdomen) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Fields has been inactive for the Steelers' last two games, but head coach Mike Tomlin said earlier this week that he expects the quarterback to be ready to go for Saturday's regular-season finale versus the Bengals. Fields looks like he'll be ready to reprise his usual duties as the top backup to Russell Wilson. Before Fields missed time with the abdominal injury, the Steelers had been sprinkling him into the weekly game plans to take advantage of his rushing ability. Fields could have the opportunity to play more extensively Saturday if the Steelers elect to rest Wilson, which could become a consideration if the Ravens beat the Browns earlier in the day to clinch the AFC North crown and a home game in the wild-card round of the playoffs. For his part, Tomlin said earlier in the week that he's not yet in the mentality of resting players for the finale, but that could change closer to Saturday's 8 p.m. EST kickoff.

Head coach Sean McVay suggested Monday that Garoppolo will be the Rams' starting quarterback in Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports. "I think he's a really, really good football player and I'm looking forward to seeing him just go play the way he's capable of," McVay said of Garoppolo. "It's a great challenge against an excellent defense that's hitting their stride at the right time."

While they can claim the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs with a win over the Seahawks, the Rams are already assured no worse than the fourth seed -- and the home game in the wild-card round that comes with it -- after having already clinched the NFC West title. McVay suggested that he'll prioritize resting the team's top players and avoiding injuries rather than going all in to secure the No. 3 seed, meaning that Matthew Stafford will likely be inactive for the contest while Garoppolo steps in to direct the offense. With 63 career NFL starts on his resume, the 33-year-old Garoppolo is about as battle-tested as it gets for a backup quarterback, but he has yet to make his Rams debut, as Stafford has played every snap through Los Angeles' first 16 games.