The Pittsburgh Steelers showed plenty of life during their Week 15 win over the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. Despite fans expressing plenty of frustration in Week 13, the Steelers have won their last two games, and now sit at 8-6 with three weeks to play. That’s quite the turnaround, considering fans wanted to fire long-time head coach Mike Tomlin in early December.
As for the Miami Dolphins, they may be done with the Tua Tagovailoa experiment after head coach Mike McDaniel announced that Tagovailoa is benched and rookie Quinn Ewers will get the start in Week 16.
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With Pittsburgh closing out Week 15 in command of the AFC North, here are some of the biggest storylines coming out of the week.
Unfortunately for fans, Week 15 was headlined by injuries to star players, comebacks, and clarity on playoff positioning. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes left Sunday’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers with a torn ACL, and his team was eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in his career. Mahomes already underwent surgery to repair the issue.
On the NFC side, Green Bay Packers trade acquisition Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s 34-26 loss to the Denver Broncos. Parsons has totaled 12.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in his first season with the Packers.
The Bills and Rams both had second-half comebacks on the road, both of which could have massive playoff implications down the line. The Bills’ 21-point comeback gave them a 35-31 win over the Patriots, ending New England’s 10-game winning streak and a 120-game winning streak when leading by 17+ points at home. The Rams cut a 10-point deficit to beat the Lions 41-34.
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The playoff chances for the Lions, Panthers and Colts took a huge hit after each suffered tough losses on Sunday. The Lions stumbled in the second half against the Rams in Jared Goff’s return to LA, while the Panthers were stunned by the Saints. Forty-four-year-old Philip Rivers’ return after a five-year absence was spoiled when a costly interception sealed a win for the Seahawks.
The Rams and Broncos both clinched their spots in the playoffs with their respective wins on Sunday, currently sitting as the No. 1 seeds in the NFC and AFC, respectively.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest NFL news and injury updates coming out of Week 15:
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The New York Jets have signed quarterback Hendon Hooker to the practice squad. Hoker was a third-round pick for the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson returned to practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday’s session with an illness.
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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed is back after missing Wednesday’s practice due to a personal matter. Wideout Christian Watson (chest/shoulder) is practicing for the second consecutive day.
Running back Josh Jacobs, safety Evan Williams, offensive lineman Zach Tom, and tight end Josh Whyle did not participate in Thursday’s practice.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed linebacker Jeremiah Moon and waived defensive tackle Brodric Maring. Moon appeared in 13 games with the Steelers in 2024. He’d spent a portion of this season with the Carolina Panthers and played in one game.
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Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams told reporters he suffered an MCL sprain against Denver last week, and it just so happened to take place on the same play where Micah Parsons tore his ACL.
“I look up thinking there’s going to be a couple trainers, there’s one holding a water bottle.”
According to Williams, his status is day-to-day.
Sean Leahy
Evans, who will be 32 in August, is in his 12th NFL season, all with the Buccaneers.
He’s surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in 11 of those 12 seasons and reached double digits in touchdowns six times. The 2025 season is the only one where he will not have 1,000 receiving yards after missing six weeks due to a broken collarbone.
Sean Leahy
The Seahawks could clinch a playoff spot on Thursday night when they take on the Rams.
Seattle needs a win or a tie against LA or see the Lions lose to tie against the Steelers on Sunday.
More NFL playoff scenarios for the AFC and NFC can be found here.
Ryan Young
The Los Angeles Rams are supposed to be leaving for Seattle this afternoon, but are now apparently facing an equipment issue with their plane.
Ryan Young
The Los Angeles Rams will likely be without Davante Adams on Thursday night in Seattle. The team has listed Adams as doubtful for their contest with the Seahawks due to a hamstring injury he suffered on Sunday.
Rams coach Sean McVay said on Tuesday that they were going to give Adams “every chance” to play on the short week, and that they would take it “all the way up to game time” before making a decision. Now, though, it seems unlikely that he’ll play on a short week.
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Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald announced that Josh Jones will start at left tackle on Thursday night against the Rams. Left tackle Charles Cross is dealing with a hamstring injury. Jones was a third-round pick for Arizona in 2020.
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Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen did not participate in practice on Wednesday due to an illness and a shoulder injury. Hines-Allen has not missed a game this season and has recorded 40 total tackles, 23 QB hits, 11 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, and 2 passes defended.
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Green Bay has activated running back MarShawn Lloyd to the 53-man roster. Lloyd’s window was set to expire this week, so the team activated him to give them more time and will place him back on injured reserve to allow him more time to recover and potentially return to the field. He’s been out all season iwth dealing with a hamstring injury.
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When it comes to the future of the quarterback position in Atlanta, coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday that “everything is on the table.”
Michael Penix is currently recovering from an ACL surgery last month. It’s unclear if he will be ready in time for the start of the 2026 season.
Veteran Kirk Cousins, who the team signed a four-year, $140 million deal with, has been starting in his place and has two years left on his contract. He’s due to make about $35 million in each of the next two seasons.
While a lot here will almost certainly depend on Penix’s recovery, there are clearly a lot of unknowns as to who will be leading the Falcons’ offense next fall.
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Lamar Jackson was not practicing with the Baltimore Ravens again on Wednesday, this time due to an illness.
He’s missed at least one practice now in six consecutive weeks. While he’s been able to consistently bounce back during this stretch, whether he’s ready to go for Sunday night’s matchup with the New England Patriots — a critical contest in their quest to make the playoffs — remains to be seen.
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Higgins missed Sunday’s game after suffering his second concussion in a three-week span. The receiver remains in concussion protocol, but is expected to practice on Wednesday ahead of their Week 16 game against the Dolphins.
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The 24-year-old has played in each of the past two weeks, both resulting in Jets losses. He’s thrown for 339 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions in 63 attempts.
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Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said that wide receiver Drake London will take part in practice on Wednesday. London has not played in a month while dealing with a PCL sprain. His return to practice is a good sign that he could play in Sunday’s game against Arizona.
Andy Backstrom
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters Wednesday that wide receiver Rashee Rice reported concussion symptoms Monday and entered the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Despite playing in only eight games during the 2025 campaign — after serving a six-game suspension — Rice leads all Chiefs wideouts this season with 53 receptions and 571 receiving yards. His five touchdown grabs are tied for a team high.
Andy Backstrom
Rick Burkholder, Kansas City Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance, said Wednesday that Patrick Mahomes’ recovery is expected to take approximately nine months, however, Burkholder also noted that it could be a month or two shorter or a month or two longer before Mahomes works his way back, according to The Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell.
Mahomes is healing up from a torn ACL in his left knee. The three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time NFL MVP quarterback reportedly had his LCL repaired during a Monday procedure as well.
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Cleveland released the pre-practice injury report and does not expect defensive end Myles Garrett to practice today, although he is not listed as injured. Garrett needs just one more sack to tie the single-season sack record (22.5) currently held by former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan (2001) and Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt (2021).
Other players not expected to practice include:
Tackle Jack Conklin (concussion), defensive tackle Mike Hall (illness), guard Teven Jenkins (shoulder), tight end David Njoku (knee), running back Dylan Sampson (hand), and cornerback Denzel Ward (calf).