We’re down to the final three weeks of the 2025 NFL regular season, with each bit of news across the league becoming more and more critical.
Who’s hurt? Who’s practicing? Who’s starting? Who’s on the hot seat?
Here’s the latest on what’s happening around the league entering Week 16:
Rams list WR Davante Adams as doubtful
Wide receiver Davante Adams is officially listed as doubtful for the Rams’ game against the Seahawks on Thursday night. Adams sustained a hamstring injury on Sunday and did not practice this week, but Los Angeles wanted to leave the possibility open that he’d play. It was a tall ask in a short week. While Adams isn’t expected to play, it’s a good indication that he’ll be available before the end of the regular season.
Jets to start QB Brady Cook again on Sunday
Book will start for the second game in a row for the Jets on Sunday against the Saints. Head coach Aaron Glenn announced his decision Wednesday, saying he wants to give the undrafted rookie more experience and playing time. “I want to continue to evaluate him and see exactly how he’s going to operate on a consistent basis,” he said.
Tyrod Taylor (groin) and Justin Fields (knee) sat out last week, giving Cook his first regular-season start. He had an uneven performance in the 48-20 loss, going 22-for-33 for 176 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions.
Glenn said the team will see how Taylor and Fields progress from their injuries this week to determine who will back up Cook in New Orleans. “I want to make sure that we get the person that’s going to be the most healthiest and be able to operate as the (No.) 2,” Glenn said.
The Dolphins were officially knocked out of playoff contention when they lost to the Steelers on Monday. Now, there’s a quarterback change. Tagovailoa is being benched for 2025 seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers, per ESPN. Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters on Tuesday that “everything is on the table” when he was asked if Tagovailoa would be benched over the final three weeks of the season.
This move could potentially mark the end of Tagovailoa’s time with the Dolphins. We’ve seen other teams in recent years bench their starting quarterbacks in the final weeks of the regular season before releasing them (Raiders with Derek Carr in 2022, Broncos with Russell Wilson in 2023). It’s typically a move meant to prevent the team from having to pay an injury guarantee down the line.
Tagovailoa has three years remaining on the four-year, $212.4 million extension he signed in 2024. If the Dolphins were to cut him this offseason, they would just have over $99 million in dead cap, per OverTheCap.com. Ewers gets the starting nod over former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson.
Lazard and the Jets “mutually” parted ways after the wide receiver requested his release, per SNY. Lazard was in the third season of a three-year, $44 million deal, which the veteran signed after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Packers (2018-22); Lazard took an $8.5 million pay cut before the 2025 season. Through 10 games played for New York this season, the now-30-year-old Lazard totaled 10 receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown and tallied a combined 70 receptions for 911 yards and eight touchdowns over 36 games played for the Jets.
The Cardinals announced Knight has been placed on season-ending IR due to an ankle injury he sustained in Week 15. Knight exited Arizona’s 40-20 loss to the Texans after getting injured on the first play from scrimmage. The veteran back has played a key role since the Cardinals lost James Conner (ankle) in Week 3, logging 82 carries for 269 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games played (eight starts).
Daniels won’t be taking the field for the rest of the 2025 campaign. The quarterback will be sidelined for Washington’s final three games, head coach Dan Quinn told reporters on Monday. Quinn said the decision was partly made by the team’s medical staff and partly made by the organization as a whole. Daniels has dealt with multiple injuries this season, as the Commanders have failed to repeat the magic they had in their run to the NFC Championship Game last year. His most recent ailment was an elbow injury that initially sidelined him for three games before reaggravating the injury in Week 14. Daniels has missed three other games this season due to hamstring and knee injuries.
The Vikings’ edge rusher will have season-ending surgery on a left shoulder injury, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced Monday. The Vikings were eliminated from playoff contention before Sunday’s win over the Cowboys. Greenard missed two games last month with the injury before returning for the last two games. The 2024 Pro Bowl pick had a sack and three hits on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott before he was hurt again in the fourth quarter during a fourth-down stop by the Vikings.
Though Greenard’s sack total dropped from 12.0 last season to just 3.0 this year, his ability to generate quarterback pressure and stop the run continually set the tone for the defense. O’Connell called the 28-year-old Greenard a “foundational player.”
Left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who was inactive on Sunday for his fourth game missed this season, is still being assessed on a daily basis, with no plans to shut him down, O’Connell said. Swelling in his surgically repaired left knee last week kept Darrisaw from practicing.
WR Drake London could return for Falcons’ final three games
Head coach Raheem Morris offered hope that London could return after missing four games with a knee injury. Morris said on Monday that London remains “day to day but more hopeful.” Morris said London could return for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals if he has “a good practice week. We’ll get a chance to do that Wednesday and Thursday.”
London has 60 catches for 810 yards and six touchdowns. Those totals still lead Atlanta’s wide receivers, and his receiving yards lead all players on the team despite London missing four games.
Mahomes will get a second opinion on his torn left ACL before having surgery, head coach Andy Reid said Monday, and it remains unclear whether the two-time MVP quarterback could be available by the start of next season.
Mahomes tore the knee ligament when he was spun to the ground while trying to keep Kansas City’s postseason hopes alive late in a 16-13 loss to the Chargers on Sunday. Mahomes is scheduled to see Dr. Dan Cooper, a highly regarded orthopedist and the team physician of the Cowboys, before the procedure to repair the ligament. The decision to seek a second opinion is merely to confirm what will be done.
“I’ve had a good visit with him, a couple of different times. He’s in a good place,” Reid said on a Zoom call Monday. “You know, he always feels like he let people down, but he comes back and he’s ready for the challenge ahead, which is what is real right now. He’s just got to get through surgery, whenever it might be, and then move on from there.”
There are a number of factors that go into how long the recovery time will be, including the severity of the ACL tear and whether any other damage occurred within the knee. Most players cam return to the field in six to 12 months.
Rivers made the start for the Colts on Sunday against the Seahawks in his surprise return to the NFL, and the 44-year-old quarterback will do it again on Monday night against the 49ers, per head coach Shane Steichen. Rivers went 18-for-27 pass attempts for 120 yards with one touchdown and interception each against Seattle in the 18-16 loss.
Rivers, who retired from the NFL after the 2020 season and was eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, unretired to play for the Colts, as they had lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to an Achilles tear, and rookie quarterback Riley Leonard was dealing with a knee injury. Anthony Richardson, who competed with Jones for the starting spot in preseason camp, has spent the season on Injured Reserve due to an orbital fracture. While Richardson has now been cleared to return, per the Indianapolis Star, Rivers was given the nod to start once more.
After landing on IR on Nov. 22, Edmunds appears to be inching closer to a return. The team announced Friday that he has been designated for return and will have his 21-day practice window opened. Edmunds has been out of action since suffering a groin injury in a Week 11 win over the Vikings. In his starts this season, the 8-year pro has recorded four interceptions, 89 combined tackles, nine pass deflections and 1.0 sacks across 10 starts.
Buchanan has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the 2025 season, per ESPN. He’s set to undergo an MRI to confirm the extent of the injury. The rookie defender injured his leg during punt coverage on Sunday against the Bengals and was then carted off of the field before returning to the sidelines later in the game. Buchanan eventually replaced Trenton Simpson as a starting linebacker for Baltimore, and started in 13 of the 14 games that he’s played in while registering 93 combined tackles, the second-most on the Ravens in 2025.
Jets fire defensive coordinator Steve Wilks
Following a 48-20 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has made a shakeup to his coaching staff for the final few weeks of the regular season. The team has moved on from Wilks, it announced Monday.
“I thought it was time to make a change,” Wilks told reporters. “I’m going to make the decision that’s best for this organization at all times.”
In addition to giving up 48 points to the Jags, the Jets allowed 438 in the loss. New York ranks 20th in total defense and 30th in scoring defense following Sunday’s games. It also ranked 30th in defensive DVOA ahead of Week 15. Just as noteworthy, the Jets have only forced three turnovers this year and have yet to record an interception.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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