NFL Player News
-
Kimani Vidal RB | LAC
Chargers' Kimani Vidal: Starts Sunday's WC loss
Vidal handled 11 carries for 31 yards while catching two of three targets for 20 yards in Sunday's 16-3 wild-card loss to New England.
Vidal got the surprise start in Sunday's playoff loss despite RB Omarion Hampton being available after resting in Week 18. The latter must have suffered a setback to his injured ankle after losing a yard on his only carry. Vidal couldn't take advantage of the opportunity like he did during the regular season when he posted a 155-643-3 rushing line while Hampton was mending on IR. The 23-year-old Vidal will be an exclusive rights free agent this upcoming offseason, meaning that the Chargers can tender a one-year contract to keep him in the organization. That seems like a likely scenario given the second-year rusher's success playing both behind and alongside Hampton this year.
-
TreVeyon Henderson RB | NE
Patriots' TreVeyon Henderson: Outplayed by Stevenson in win
Henderson rushed nine times for 27 yards and caught his only target for nine yards in Sunday's 16-3 wild-card game win over the Chargers.
Henderson struggled to find running room, with most of his rushing yards coming on a 15-yard carry on his final touch as the Patriots were running out the clock. He ceded most of the backfield touches to the much more efficient Rhamondre Stevenson, who turned 10 carries and four targets into 128 scrimmage yards. After an underwhelming playoff debut, Henderson will get an opportunity to pick up the pace in the AFC divisional round against either the Texans or Steelers while continuing to share backfield reps with Stevenson. Both of those defenses were stout against the run in the regular season and Henderson hasn't contributed much as a pass catcher recently, with only two targets in his last four games.
-
Rhamondre Stevenson RB | NE
Patriots' Rhamondre Stevenson: Compiles 128 scrimmage yards
Stevenson rushed 10 times for 53 yards and caught three of four targets for 75 yards in Sunday's 16-3 wild-card game win over the Chargers.
Stevenson was much more effective than TreVeyon Henderson, who had just 36 total yards on 10 touches. The Patriots rode the hot hand on the ground, helping Stevenson finish with the team lead in carries in addition to his usual role as the primary pass catcher among the team's running backs. Stevenson and Henderson will likely continue to split carries in the AFC divisional round, when New England will face a stout run defense, regardless of whether that's the Texans or Steelers. In each of his last six games dating back to the regular season, Stevenson has produced at least 77 scrimmage yards.
-
Christian McCaffrey RB | SF
49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Hits pay dirt twice in WC win
McCaffrey rushed 15 times for 48 yards and caught six of eight targets for 66 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 23-19 playoff win over the Eagles.
TE George Kittle (Achilles) went down midway through the second quarter of Sunday's wild-card game, so the 49ers had to rely on its remaining superstar in order to overcome the Eagles' dominant defense. McCaffrey responded to the moment and generated well over 100 yards from scrimmage while catching a pair of touchdown passes -- including the game-winning score -- to advance his club to the next round. The 49ers' dual-threat running back was bottled up against the Seahawks when these two division foes met in the regular-season finale (16 touches for 57 yards), but McCaffrey should find himself busier as a receiver in the divisional round rematch with Kittle expected to miss the remainder of the postseason.
-
Saquon Barkley RB | PHI
Eagles' Saquon Barkley: Tops 100 yards in playoff loss
Barkley rushed 26 times for 106 yards and caught three of six targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 23-19 wild-card game loss to the 49ers.
Barkley ripped off a 29-yard run on Philadelphia's second offensive play to help set up a one-yard Dallas Goedert rushing touchdown on the team's first drive, and the star running back topped 100 yards on the ground after doing so in only three of 16 regular-season games. Despite Barkley's best efforts, he suffered his first playoff loss in an Eagles uniform after winning Super Bowl LIX in his first season with the team. Barkley remains one of the league's best running backs and should maintain a workhorse role for the Eagles in his age-29 season.
-
Ray Davis RB | BUF
Bills' Ray Davis: Special-teams impact in win
Davis recorded four kickoff returns for 119 yards and lost a fumble in Sunday's 27-24 wild-card win over the Jaguars.
Davis didn't garner any touches on offense as James Cook handled the entirety of the backfield work versus Jacksonville. Davis did return four kicks, the first of which he put on the ground, and it was recovered by the Jaguars. The running back will look to be more involved in the Bills' offensive attack in the AFC divisional round.
-
Omarion Hampton RB | LAC
Chargers' Omarion Hampton: Active versus New England
Hampton (ankle) is listed as active for Sunday's night's playoff opener against the Patriots, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.
After being listed as a non-participant both Wednesday and Thursday, Hampton -- who was sidelined in Week 18 -- was able to return to a limited practice Friday while sporting a brace on his right ankle, per Kris Rhim of ESPN.com. Though officially listed as questionable on Los Angles' final injury report, the running back subsequently noted that he planned to play Sunday. With the 2025 first-rounder's active status versus the Patriots now confirmed, Rhim previously indicated that the Chargers are expected to split their backfield workload between Hampton and Kimani Vidal, with Hassan Haskins and Jaret Patterson available in reserve.
-
Travis Etienne RB | NO
Jaguars' Travis Etienne: Hits paydirt in wild-card loss
Etienne carried the ball 10 times for 67 yards and caught all five of his targets for 49 yards and a touchdown in the Jaguars' 27-24 loss to the Bills in the wild-card round Sunday.
The 26-year-old back capped his first playoff appearance since 2022 with a 14-yard TD catch from Trevor Lawrence in the fourth quarter that briefly gave Jacksonville a 24-20 lead, but which left over four minutes on the clock for Josh Allen to answer back. Etienne heads into potential free agency this offseason having produced 1,399 scrimmage yards and a career-high 13 TDs (seven rushing, six receiving) over 17 regular-season games, and he could draw significant interest from teams in need of backfield help if the Jags elect to let him walk away.
-
James Cook RB | BUF
Bills' James Cook: Stymied by Jags in wild-card win
Cook carried the ball 15 times for 46 yards and caught two of three targets for five yards in the Bills' 27-24 win over the Jaguars during the wild-card round Sunday.
After amassing a career-high 1,621 yards during the regular season to secure his first career rushing crown, Cook had trouble finding room to roam against an elite Jags run defense, with his longest gain going for just 11 yards. Not counting a Week 18 contest in which he made only a cameo appearance, it was the first time Cook had been held below 50 yards since Week 11. The Bills won't know who they're playing next until after the weekend's games are over, but Cook is likely to face another tough opponent next weekend, with the Broncos and Texans among their potential divisional-round matchups.
-
DeeJay Dallas RB | JAC
Jaguars' DeeJay Dallas: Sitting out playoff opener
Dallas (coach's decision) is a healthy inactive for Sunday's wild-card game against the Bills.
Dallas suited up for the Jaguars over the final three games of the regular season and had been a key contributor on special teams, but Jacksonville has opted to make him a healthy scratch for the playoff opener in order to prioritize depth at other positions. Between his stops with Carolina and Jacksonville during the regular season, Dallas played in six total games and carried twice for 21 yards while failing to haul in his lone target. He also brought back 12 kickoffs for 321 yards.