NFL Player News

Stafford completed 22 of 31 passes for 327 yards with four touchdowns and one interception and rushed four times for minus-1 yard in the Rams' 28-6 win over the Giants on Monday night.

Stafford shrugged off the absence of No. 1 receiver Puka Nacua (hip), delivering a stellar and nearly mistake-free performance while focusing heavily on Davante Adams, who was on the receiving end of half of the veteran signal-caller's touchdown passes. Stafford averaged 10.5 yards per attempt overall, and his scoring strikes came from 31 and 11 yards out to Adams, and from 10 and five yards on connections with Kyren Williams and Terrance Ferguson, respectively. Stafford has a thorny Week 3 assignment on tap irrespective of Nacua's availability, however, considering the Rams will pay a visit to the Broncos on Sunday night.

Dart is believed to have suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee during Monday's 28-6 loss to the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Dart underwent X-rays that were returned negative, and an MRI scheduled for Tuesday should either confirm or negate the initial diagnosis of an MCL sprain. The promising young quarterback logged just one offensive series Monday before getting hurt while throwing a third-down pass. Per Rapoport, Dart is expected to miss "some time," though he will likely be able to return this season if the injury is limited to a sprained MCL and no other ligament damage. In the likely scenario that Dart ends up missing games, Jameis Winston will be lined up to work as New York's starting quarterback.

Dart (knee) has been ruled out for the remainder of Monday's game against the Rams.

Dart suffered a left knee injury when he was sandwiched between two Los Angeles defenders as he threw a pass during the first quarter. The 23-year-old was able to walk off the field and eventually go to the locker room under his own power, but he was ruled out from returning just after halftime. Dart finished the contest having completed three of five passes for 20 yards. Jameis Winston is set to lead the Giants offense for the remainder of the game, and results of testing on Dart's knee should provide more clarity on his outlook for Week 3 and beyond.

Mullens did not play during the Jaguars' 20-13 loss at Denver on Sunday and reverted back to Jacksonville's practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

The veteran signal-caller would have been the next man up after starter Trevor Lawrence with Quinn Evers inactive, but the Jaguars didn't have to call Mullens' number in Week 2. Jacksonville can elevate him once more this season before he'd need to be signed to their 53-man roster to be eligible to play.

Johnson reverted to the Bengals' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Johnson was elevated for Sunday's Week 2 game against the Texans as a contingency plan in the event Joe Burrow was forced to sit out with a back injury. Burrow played and Johnson was declared inactive for the contest. Johnson is eligible to be elevated two more times before he must be signed to the active roster to participate in games.

Mendoza did not play a single snap during the Raiders' 26-14 win over the Chargers on Sunday.

As expected, Mendoza observed Sunday's win from the sidelines as Kirk Cousins led the offense, with the veteran quarterback competing 19 of 29 passes for 253 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Cousins has led the Raiders to a 2-0 start and should remain as the starter moving forward, but Mendoza could take over under center if the team's winning ways don't last.

Dart (knee) is officially questionable to return to Monday's matchup against the Rams.

Dart was hurt during New York's first offensive series when he was hit by a pair of Rams defenders while throwing a third-down pass that was incomplete. The second-year QB immediately went down to the ground and grabbed his left knee before heading to the medical tent and then to the locker room. Notably, Dart left the field without a cart and under his own power, but his return to Monday's contest is up in the air. Jameis Winston replaced Dart under center for New York's following turn on offense.

Simpson (coach's decision) is inactive but will serve as the Rams' emergency third quarterback for Monday's game against the Giants.

Stetson Bennett will once again serve as the Rams' backup to Matthew Stafford, leaving Simpson as the QB3. As the emergency third quarterback, Simpson will not be allowed to play Monday unless both Bennett and Stafford leave the game due to injury, illness or ejection.

Tagovailoa (ankle) was estimated as a limited participant in Monday's walk-through practice, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Earlier Monday, head coach Kevin Stefanski told Josh Kendall of The Athletic that Tagovailoa was "getting better" after missing the Falcons' first two games of the season due to the oblique strain. The quarterback appears to have backed up his coach's comments by getting upgraded to a limited listing on the practice report, but Tagovailoa could need to participate fully Tuesday or Wednesday to put himself on a path to play Thursday against the Packers. If he's available for the Week 3 contest, Tagovailoa will be relegated to a backup role after the Falcons named Michael Penix (knee) their starting quarterback, per Tori McElhaney of the team's official site.

The Falcons announced that Penix (knee) has been named the team's starting quarterback for Thursday's game against the Packers, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

Atlanta has determined that Penix is ready to make his 2026 debut, after he was held out for the first two games of the season while ramping back up from surgery last November to address a torn ACL in his left knee. Penix was cleared to resume taking part in 11-on-11 drills in late August, then avoided any setbacks while he was a full participant in practices throughout Weeks 1 and 2. With Penix back in the fold, Cooper Rush -- who started the first two games of the season -- could be inactive for Week 3 if Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) is deemed ready to handle the No. 2 role.