NFL Player News

The 49ers received contributions from several role players during Sunday's win over the Cardinals in Week 17.

Quinton Patton caught two of three passes for 34 yards and had one carry for a gain of 26 yards, which was good enough to lead the team in rushing. Kendall Hunter had two carries for 13 yards while Anthony Dixon rushed for minus-5 yards on two carries and caught two passes for 27 yards. Offensive lineman Joe Staley also had one catch for a 14-yard gain while LaMichael James caught his only targeted pass for 12 yards. Garrett Celek was targeted once but finished without a grab.

Chargers running back Ryan Mathews shredded the Chiefs' backups for 144 yards on 24 carries, his sixth 100-yard game this season. Mathews finished the regular season with career bests in carries (285) and rushing yards (1,255) as he became the first Charger to reach 1,200 rushing yards since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2007.

Mathews, who added two catches on three targets for 11 yards, ran for at least 99 yards in his last four games and lost only one fumble all year. He scored seven touchdowns, tying the career high he set as a rookie in 2010.

The Rams got a few minor contributions in their Week 17 loss at Seattle. Receiver Austin Pettis caught both his targets for 15 yards and running back Benny Cunningham had a 2-yard reception.

Wideout Chris Givens was targeted four times without a catch. He ran once for minus-4 yards. Receiver Brian Quick was unable to secure his lone target.

Eagles safety Earl Wolff leads the team's list of inactives at Dallas. Wolff re-injured his knee in last week's win over the Bears. 

Also sitting out are center Julian Vandervelde (back), safety Colt Anderson (knee), quarterback Matt Barkley, cornerback Curtis Marsh, running back Matthew Tucker and offensive lineman Dennis Kelly.

If Titans running back Chris Johnson isn't going to be returning to the team next season, as some reports have indicated, he did well to give them one last vintage performance in a Week 17 16-10 win over the Texans.

Johnson picked up just his second 100-yard game of the season in the finale, as he rushed the ball 27 times for 127 yards, his second-best performance of the year. He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark and then some in the game, and added his sixth touchdown of the season along with three receptions for 14 yards. 

Johnson finishes the year with 1,077 yards on 279 carries, leaving him with a 3.9 yards per carry average. He has now rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons, though 2013 featured his worst yards per carry average yet. 

Texans running back Jonathan Grimes thrived in his first extended action in Week 17, topping 100 all-purpose yards in a 16-10 loss to the Titans.

Grimes didn't have much success running the ball, finishing with just 50 yards despite 12 carries. He shined as a receiver, however, leading the team with six receptions for 76 yards. He added his first career touchdown on a 3-yard run in the first game.

Injuries pushed Grimes into action only recently, as he appeared in just the team's final two games. 

Both Colts running backs Donald Brown and Trent Richardson managed to score Week 17.

Brown carried the ball 12 times for 31 yards. He punched in a 1 yard touchdown in the first quarter to begin the scoring. Brown also caught three passes for 4 yards. Richardson carried eight times for 25 rushing yards. He scored on a 2 yard run in the first quarter. Richardson caught two passes for 17 yards. 

Redskins running back Roy Helu ran the ball three times for 24 yards in Sunday's 20-6 loss to the Giants. He also caught two passes for 14 yards. 

Wide receiver Aldrick Robinson was targeted 10 times, but only managed three catches for 33 yards. The 10 targets were a season-high for Robinson. 

Logan Paulsen caught four passes for 32 yards, and Santana Moss caught two passes for 13 yards. 

Washington finishes the season 3-13, and several changes to personnel and the coaching staff are expected in the offseason. 

Dolphins running back Lamar Miller received one of his heaviest workloads of the season in Week 17, with Daniel Thomas taking a backseat.

Miller rushed the ball 17 times for 73 yards, finishing with one more yard than he had in the teams' last meeting, despite five fewer carries. He added one reception for 4 yards, to finish with 16 more touches than Thomas, who finished with no yards on two carries.

The Dolphins split the carries between the two young backs this season, though neither excelled in the timeshare. Thomas finishes the season with 406 yards on the ground with six overall touchdowns, while Miller scored just twice but had 709 yards to lead the team. 

Vikings rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson had another big game Week 17.

Patterson flashed his big play ability early, scoring on a 50 yard run in the first quarter. He finished the day with 54 rushing yards. He was less of a threat in the passing game, finishing with just 31 receiving yards. He was clearly part of the team's game plan in the red zone. Patterson was targeted on a fade on one drive, and then scored on an 8 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.