A number of NFL teams punched their playoff ticket in Week 16. Things are starting to take shape in the NFC, where the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are all in.
Things are more open in the AFC, where the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots are the only teams guaranteed playoff spots for now.
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If you weren’t a fan of one of those teams in Week 16, well, the news likely wasn’t so positive. For the Cleveland Browns, rookie running back Quinshon Judkins underwent surgery on Tuesday morning to repair a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle. He will be able to return to football activity in 4-6 months.
It ends a promising season for the second-round draft pick and potentially puts him in jeopardy of missing the start of the 2026 NFL season, depending on how quickly he can recover.
The Las Vegas Raiders will also be without one of their stars on offense this week, reportedly placing All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers on season-ending injured reserve ahead of Week 17. Bowers has battled a knee injury throughout the 2025 season.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson sat out practice for a second straight day on Wednesday with a back contusion.
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On Monday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh called Jackson “day-to-day” after the quarterback took a knee to the back in Week 16 and left the game against New England early.
Tyler Huntley will be QB1 for Saturday’s game against the Green Bay Packers should Jackson be unable to play.
Follow along for the latest NFL news and injury updates coming out of Week 16:
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Sean Leahy
Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton remain in concussion protocol and have been placed on injured reserve, ending their seasons. Joining the on IR will be cornerbcks Trent McDuffie (knee) and Jaylen Watson (groin).
Andy Backstrom
Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt returned to practice Wednesday, as reported by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
Watt missed the past two games while recovering from surgery that stabilized and repaired a partially collapsed lung that he suffered after a dry needling treatment session at the Steelers’ facility earlier this month, according to his brother and former NFL star J.J. Watt.
Sean Leahy
Jackson is dealing with a back contusion and sat out practice for a second straight day.
On Monday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh called Jackson “day-to-day” after the quarterback took a knee to the back in Week 16 and left the game against New England early.
Harbaugh said Wednesday it’s “undetermined” whether Jackson will play.
Tyler Huntley will be QB1 for Saturday’s game against the Green Bay Packers should Jackson be unable to go.
Sean Leahy
Marcus Mariota, starting in place of Jayden Daniels, who is done for the season, injured his hand and quad on the same play during Sunday’s loss to the Eagles. On Wednesday, Commanders head coach ruled him out for Christmas Day and said veteran quarterback Josh Johnson will get the start.
Johnson went 5-for-9 for 43 yards and an interception filling in for Mariota on Sunday.
The 39-year-old has played for 14 different NFL teams and is in his second stint with Washington.
Quinn said that the team is hopeful that Mariota will be healthy enough to start Week 18 against the Eagles.
Kate Magdziuk
The Las Vegas Raiders are shutting down TE Brock Bowers for the remainder of the 2025 season, reportedly to place him on injured reserve today, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday.
Bowers has dealt with a knee injury that’s limited him to just 12 games played this season.
The news comes at a bad time for fantasy football managers hoping to have the star tight end available for Week 17 (championship week for most leagues). Bowers has scored four touchdowns over the last four games, ranked as the overall TE4 in fantasy over that span despite a relatively slow start to the season.
Sean Leahy
Jordan Love remains in concussion protocol after getting injured Sunday against the Bears. Willis was limited in Tuesday’s practice with a shoulder injury suffered in Week 16.
Sean Leahy
Gardner has missed three straight games for the Colts with a calf issue.
Ryan Young
Despite an injury scare last week, Josh Allen is good to go.
The Buffalo Bills quarterback said on Tuesday that he “will be playing, planning on playing” against the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend. That came after he went down with a foot injury in last week’s game that also kept him out of Tuesday’s walkthrough.
“I mean, [it’s] still sore,” Allen said. “Walk-through today, so really not practice in general. So yeah, … feeling good.”
For more on Josh Allen’s injury, click here.
Ryan Young
DK Metcalf will miss the rest of the regular season after all. The NFL upheld Metcalf’s two-game suspension on Tuesday, which will now officially keep him out of the Steelers’ Week 17 and Week 18 matchups.
Metcalf got into it with a Lions fan on Sunday and swung at him on the sidelines at Ford Field. The suspension will cost Metcalf more than $555,000 over the next two weeks and more than $45 million in guaranteed money over the next two years.
For more on Metcalf’s suspension, click here.
Criss Partee
LA Chargers offensive lineman Mekhi Becton did not participate in practice on Tuesday due to a knee injury.
Ryan Young
It wasn’t an official practice, but Lamar Jackson was an estimated “DNP” today with his back injury.
The Ravens will take on the Green Bay Packers this weekend. If Jackson can’t go, it’ll be Tyler Huntley in his place at Lambeau Field.
Jason Owens
The New York Jets have placed quarterback Justin Fields on injured reserve with a knee injury, potentially ending his tenure with the team. Head coach Aaron Glenn announced the news on Tuesday.
Fields wasn’t likely to play again this season regardless of his injury status. The Jets benched him in favor of Tyrod Taylor following a Week 11 loss to the Patriots that concluded a 2-7 record with Fields as their starting quarterback. He’s been inactive the last three games with what the team has called knee soreness.
The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract in the offseason hoping to revive the career of the former first-round pick. Instead, he got benched midseason and is a cut candidate in the offseason ahead of the second year of his contract.
Criss Partee
LA Chargers running back Kimani Vidal missed a second day of practice this week due to a neck injury. Vidal is suffering from a neck strain sustained in Sunday’s win over Dallas.
Jason Owens
The San Francisco 49ers reportedly received relatively good news Tuesday ahead of the critical stretch run of their season.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, All-Pro tight end George Kittle avoided a high-ankle sprain in Monday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts. Kittle is dealing with a “mid-to-low ankle sprain,” per the report, which still leaves his status in doubt ahead of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
But he’s reportedly avoided the high-ankle sprain diagnosis that frequently comes with multi-week absences.
Criss Partee
The New England Patriots have signed veteran running back Elijah Mitchell to the practice squad. Mitchell was a sixth-round pick for the 49ers in 2021 and spent his first three years in San Francisco. He appeared in one game with Kansas City earlier this season.
Sean Leahy
Watson will not be activated by the Cleveland Browns before his 21-day practice window closes, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Tuesday. The decision means the quarterback will not play at all this season and will continue recovering from his Achilles injury suffered last season.
Watson had his 21-day practice window opened on Dec. 3 and the Browns had until Wednesday to elevate him to the active roster or his chances at playing this season would be over. He will now remain on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list for the final two weeks of the regular season.
Criss Partee
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a hairline fracture in his hand during Sunday’s win over the New York Giants and will miss the team’s Week 17 matchup on Christmas Day with the Detroit Lions.
Rookie backup quarterback Max Brosmer is now expected to get his second career start on Christmas Day.
Criss Partee
Houston Texans running back Woody Marks returned to practice on Tuesday after missing Week 16 with an ankle injury.
Sean Leahy
Judkins underwent surgery on Tuesday morning and will be able to return to football activity in 4-6 months, according to the Browns.
The Browns rookie running back suffered a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle during Sunday’s loss to the Bills.
The painful play took place late in the second quarter. Judkins got tackled on a screen pass in the open field and his lower right leg twisted in the wrong direction. He was down in immediate pain, and athletic trainers tended to him on the field.
Sean Leahy
There is no new updated on the status of Pro Bowler T.J. Watt, according to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Watt is reportedly expected to return to practice this week, but it’s too soon to tell if he’ll be available for Pittsburgh’s Week 17 meeting with the Browns.
It’s been nearly two weeks since Watt underwent surgery to stabilize and repair a partially collapsed lung. Watt had been undergoing a dry needling treatment session at the team’s practice facility when he began to feel discomfort and was sent to a local hospital for testing.