NFL Player News

Jackson (ankle) wasn't present for the media-access portion of Wednesday's practice, Cordell Woodland of 105.7 The Fan Baltimore reports.

Jackson missed the Ravens' Week 5 win in Atlanta due to a left ankle injury suffered one week prior, and while head coach Jesse Minter told Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com on Monday that the quarterback is "definitely doing better," his potential lack of activity to begin Week 6 prep isn't a great sign. Wednesday's practice report will unveal whether or not Jackson was able to mix into drills.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson said that Williams (hamstring) will listed as a full practice participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report, Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Chicago is holding a walkthrough to begin Week 6 prep, but Williams' full listing on the injury report is a positive indicator that Johnson is preparing for him to start Sunday in Atlanta. Assuming Williams experiences no setbacks in his recovery from a Grade 2 right hamstring strain while practicing throughout the week, he should get the green light to return to action against the Falcons following a three-game absence. Chicago has gone 2-1 without their top quarterback over the past three weeks, with Tyson Bagent directing the offense for two of those contests and Case Keenum starting the other.

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Penix (ribs) will practice Wednesday but will be limited in some fashion, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Penix was sidelined for the extra period of Sunday's 30-23 overtime loss to the Ravens due to the rib injury, which he sustained when he was sacked late in the fourth quarter. While Stefanski didn't go into any specifics regarding the extent of Penix's injury, the coach said that the 26-year-old quarterback should be on track to start this coming Sunday against the Bears "as long as everything goes accordingly" in practice this week, per Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site. Penix looks as though he'll be listed as limited on the Falcons' initial Week 6 injury report, but he'll likely be locked in for the start if he's able to practice fully Thursday and/or Friday.

Mayfield (thumb) wasn't spotted on the field for Wednesday's practice, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

After recently transitioning into a smaller splint for his dislocated right thumb, Mayfield is expected to test his ability to grip and throw the football this week, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. However, Mayfield looks like he'll wait until at least Thursday to get back on the field, with his ongoing absence from practice likely setting the stage for undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels to make a third straight start this weekend against the Steelers.

Mayfield (thumb) "might do some stuff in practice this week" but appears unlikely to play Sunday against the Steelers, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

After dislocating his right thumb late in a Sept. 27 loss to the Vikings, Mayfield was given a rough recovery timeline of 3-to-6 weeks. The veteran quarterback recently transitioned to a smaller splint for his thumb, which the Buccaneers hope will allow him to resume gripping and throwing the football this week. While Mayfield might have an outside chance at suiting up Sunday if he ends up returning to practice within the next day or two and is able to throw without any limitations, undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels still appears to be trending toward a third consecutive start at this stage of the week.

Jackson (ankle) "has a realistic chance" to return to action Sunday against the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

It was reported Sunday that Jackson had "a real chance" to return in Week 6, and he appears to be in the same spot several days later. Jackson's involvement in practice -- or lack thereof -- before the end of the week ultimately figures to determine whether or not he will be back under center against the Browns.

The Seahawks listed Lock (forearm) as a limited practice participant on Tuesday's estimated report, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.

Lock is working through a right forearm injury, and Wednesday's practice report will provide clarity on his status for Thursday night's road game against the Broncos. Jalen Milroe would step up as Seattle's backup QB behind Sam Darnold if Lock is not cleared to play against Denver.

The Chargers signed Browning to the practice squad Tuesday, Noah Furtado of The Athletic reports.

Trey Lance (groin) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, so DJ Uiagalelei served as the Chargers' QB2 role behind Justin Herbert for Sunday's 23-17 loss to the Broncos. The Chargers have opted to bring in a more seasoned veteran in Browning, who appeared in 17 regular-season games (10 starts) with the Bengals between 2023 and 2025, during which he completed 68.5 percent of passes for 2,707 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Browning will open his Chargers tenure on the practice squad, although he could supplant Uiagalelei as the backup behind Herbert as soon as this Sunday against the Chiefs.

Stafford completed 40 of 54 passes for 383 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Rams' 37-34 overtime loss to the Bills on Monday night.

Stafford's stellar final line underscores he did everything within his power to lead the Rams to victory, as the reigning MVP finished with his second-highest passing yardage total of the season and third 300-yard effort of the campaign. The night also marked Stafford's third multi-TD tally over the first five games, with his scoring strikes going to Davante Adams (four and five yards) and Puka Nacua (two yards). Nacua also was on the receiving end of a whopping 17 of Stafford's completions and the intended target on 24 of his pass attempts, but all of those efforts went for naught thanks to the Bills' block of a Harrison Mevis 48-yard field-goal attempt in overtime that would have sealed the victory for Los Angeles. Stafford and the Rams now will look to bounce back in a Week 6 home divisional matchup against the Cardinals on Sunday.

Allen completed 12 of 19 passes for 210 yards with one touchdown and one interception while adding 10 carries for 121 yards and another score and a two-point conversion pass in the Bills' 37-34 overtime win against the Rams on Monday night.

Facing a Rams defense that had forced plenty of inefficiency through the air from both wide receivers and tight ends and operating without both DJ Moore (shoulder) and Joshua Palmer (shoulder), Allen unsurprisingly recorded a season low in completions. However, the prolific signal-caller more than made up for it on the ground with a season-high rushing yardage total, as well as his eighth rushing touchdown of the season. Allen's most crucial runs outside of his one-yard scoring dive early in the fourth quarter came on Buffalo's final drive in overtime, when he rattled off 19- and 13-yard scrambles to move the ball from the Bills' 41-yard line to the Rams' 27-yard line to set up an eventual game-winning field goal from Tyler Bass. Allen also added his seventh passing score of the season late in the third quarter on a seven-yard strike to Keon Coleman, and the two-time All-Pro will next turn his sights to a Week 6 road matchup against the Raiders on Sunday.