Coming out of Week 14, the playoff picture is coming together, while one team shocked the league with a practice squad signing.
The Indianapolis Colts suffered a huge blow when quarterback Daniel Jones went down with an Achilles injury during their 36-19 loss to Jacksonville. Backup Riley Leonard was forced to finish the game as the only available quarterback, as Anthony Richardson remains out on injured reserve with an orbital fracture. Indy has lost three in a row, and the Jaguars are now in first place in the AFC South, with Jones’ injury the latest hit to the team’s hopes of a Super Bowl run.
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Enter…Philip Rivers? After a Monday night workout, the Colts are bringing the 44-year-old on to the practice squad after a five-year absence from the NFL. Rivers has history with Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who served as the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator when Rivers was with the team.
Elsewhere around the league, Washington was hit big time with the injury bug, losing Jayden Daniels once again to an elbow injury after he’d just returned in Week 14 from a dislocated elbow suffered in Week 9. Dan Quinn told reporters Wednesday that although the second-year signal-caller didn’t suffer structural damage to his left elbow this past weekend versus the Vikings, he aggravated it. Marcus Mariota is set to start his seventh game this season, this time against the Giants.
Commanders tight end Zach Ertz, 35, also left the game after suffering a leg injury on a low hit while jumping for a pass, feared to have torn an ACL, which would put an end to his season. Ertz was averaging 41.1 receiving yards per game heading into Week 14 — his highest average since his last Pro Bowl campaign in 2019 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Miami is barely hanging on at 6-7 after demolishing the Jets 34-10. The Dolphins got some bad news in the win as running back De’Von Achane left the game after injuring his ribs. Achane rushed for 92 yards on seven carries and scored a touchdown before leaving the game. Head coach Mike McDaniel shared that Achane could have returned in an emergency, reiterating his potential availability for Week 15, saying, “I promise you, he’ll be in there if he’s ready,” McDaniel said, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
The Dolphins are still alive in the wild-card race, but cannot lose another game.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest NFL news and injury updates coming out of Week 14.
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Andy Backstrom
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters Wednesday that quarterback Jayden Daniels will be sidelined Sunday against the New York Giants. Although the second-year signal-caller didn’t suffer structural damage to his left elbow this past weekend versus the Minnesota Vikings, he aggravated it.
Daniels made his return to the field last week, more than a month after he dislocated that elbow in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks. He’s already missed six games this season. In addition to his most recent three-game absence, a sprained left knee cost him a pair of games during the first month of the season. Plus, a right hamstring strain kept him out in Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Marcus Mariota will make his seventh start of the season Sunday for the 3-10 Commanders, who are currently on an eight-game losing streak.
Andy Backstrom
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that wide receiver Mike Evans has shown enough progress in his recovery from the collarbone injury he suffered in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions to be activated and make his return Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons, according to Greg Auman of Fox Sports.
Evans has played in only four games this season. He also dealt with a hamstring strain that he picked up in Week 3.
The six-time Pro Bowler came into the 2025 campaign with 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
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The Atlanta Falcons have signed Jordan Fuller to the practice squad.
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Tampa Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles gave updates on some player injuries:
Linebacker SirVocea Dennis will be out for Thursday’s game vs. Atlanta, while safety Tykee Smith and tight end Cade Otton are doubtful. The Bucs will platoon at the linebacker position between Deion Jones, John Bullock, and Nick Jackson.
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The New York Jets have signed former undrafted free agent defensive end Eric Watts to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. Watts has been with the Jets since 2024 and appeared in 14 games last season. This year, he’s appeared in one game, recording three tackles.
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The Indianapolis Colts have signed quarterback Brett Rypien and kicker Blake Grupe to the 53-man roster. They also placed cornerback Charvarius Ward on injured reserve due to a concussion. Center Jimmy Morrissey was also signed to the practice squad.
Chris Cwik
Zach Ertz’s season is officially done. The Washington Commanders placed the tight end on Injured Reserve on Wednesday due to a torn ACL, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The move was expected after the team announced Ertz tore his ACL in Week 14.
Ertz, 35, finishes the season with 50 receptions for 504 yards and four touchdowns. All four of his touchdowns came with Jayden Daniels under center.
Ertz will now spend the offseason rehabbing from the injury.
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The LA Rams waived linebacker Nick Hampton on Tuesday and let tight end Nick Muse go from the practice squad.
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The Las Vegas Raiders have signed cornerback Chigozie Anusiem and are placing cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly on injured reserve with a knee injury. Kelly played in 13 games this season (started eight) and posted 40 total tackles, 6 passes defended, and 3 interceptions. In 2023, Kelly was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 10:00 AM PST
The Indianapolis Colts have signed previously retired quarterback Philip Rivers to the practice squad in the wake of Daniel Jones’ season-ending Achilles injury.
Rivers retired following his one season with the Colts in 2020. He’s also a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026.
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Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson underwent core muscle surgery on Tuesday morning and will miss the remainder of the 2025 season. Hendrickson had been sidelined with the injury since late October. The four-time Pro Bowler also had trade rumors swirling around him leading up to November’s deadline, but no one bit.
In August, Hendrickson signed a one-year deal with the Bengals worth $30 million which means he’ll be a free agent at the end of the season.
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The Philadelphia could get some help back on the field soon, with All-Pro tackle Lane Johnson potentially returning from his Lisfranc sprain. The Eagles are 0-3 without Johnson and lost on Monday Night Football to the Chargers in overtime, 22-19.
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Arizona Cardinals left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. has a sprained MCL and is week-to-week, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Johnson is currently the leader in fan voting for the Pro Bowl at the tackle position.
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Baltimore Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell’s MRI on his injured knee came back clean and is considered minor moving forward.
Chris Cwik
The Indianapolis Colts are reportedly working out 44-year-old Philip Rivers with their quarterback room decimated by injuries. While there are a number of weird quirks involved in signing Rivers, who is a grandpa and hasn’t played in the NFL in five seasons, the strangest one might involve his Hall of Fame status.
Rivers is currently one of the 26 semifinalists for the class of 2026. The long-time quarterback has both the numbers and pedigree to elicit a lengthy Hall of Fame conversation and could get in on his first try.
But if Rivers does sign with the Colts, his Hall eligibility would be pushed back five more seasons.
NFL players need to be retired for five years before being considered for the Hall of Fame. If Rivers signs with the Colts, his window would be pushed back five more seasons. Being on the team’s practice squad would not affect Rivers’ Hall of Fame eligibility, however.
The Colts are looking into signing Rivers after Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard went down with injuries in Week 14.
Ryan Young
This is apparently a real thing that’s happening. Philip Rivers, the longtime San Diego Chargers quarterback and potential future Hall of Famer, is flying to Indianapolis on Tuesday for a workout. The Colts, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, may bring Rivers in.
Rivers, who turned 44 on Monday, hasn’t played in the league since 2020. He was last with the Colts, however, and could be a decent emergency option for the franchise — which lost starter Daniel Jones to a season-ending injury on Sunday.
Mon, December 8, 2025 at 3:43 PM PST
Tarohn Finley
Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul reunited with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after working out with the team on Monday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Pierre-Paul, 36, played for the Buccaneers from 2018 to 2021, where he won a Super Bowl in his last year with the team.
Pierre-Paul last played in 2023, where he split time between the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins. Pierre-Paul was unsigned last season.
The Buccaneers are 7-6 and currently in first place in the NFC South. The Buccaneers will take on the Falcons on Thursday.
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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Riley Leonard is dealing with a knee injury after finishing Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars for the injured Daniel Jones. Since Jones will miss the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, and Anthony Richardson has been out with an orbital fracture since October, Riley’s status is even more crucial now than ever for Indy.
As of now, Riley’s status is uncertain. The Colts play in Seattle for Week 15 in the late Sunday afternoon window at 4:25 p.m.
Mon, December 8, 2025 at 1:11 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Los Angeles Chargers have been plagued by injuries this season, but now they’re about to get one of their biggest names back.
The Chargers officially activated rookie running back Omarion Hampton off injured reserve Monday. Hampton, the Chargers’ 2025 first-round draft pick, has not played since suffering an ankle injury in Week 5. He was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 7 and had his 21-day practice window opened two weeks ago.
Hampton is expected to suit up against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Jason Owens
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward is entering concussion protocol for the third time this season. Head coach Shane Steichen announced the news on Monday.
Upon his return from his second concussion in November, Ward told reporters that the brain injury was a “traumatic injury” that knocked him out cold and left him throwing up and dizzy for a month.
It’s not clear when or if Ward will be able to return to football.