Team news: New England Patriots | Page 7

The Vikings are officially turning to Nick Mullens.

Related players: Joshua Dobbs

Head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that Mullens will start against the Bengals on Saturday afternoon. Mullens came in to finish Sunday’s 3-0 victory in Week 14, completing 9-of-13 passes for 83 yards as he led them on the drive that produced the only points of the game. The Vikings had also traded for Mullens, wanting a better backup for Kirk Cousins. Mullens recently came off IR but the team had already traded for Dobbs, who started his Viking career off hot but has since struggled. Mullens and the Vikings could also have Justin Jefferson for this week's game, which would give the QB a huge boost.

Steelers RB Najee Harris (knee) didn't practice for a second consecutive day and is officially listed as questionable for Thursday night vs. the Patriots, who ruled out RB Rhamondre Stevenson.

Related Players: Jaylen Warren, Godwin Igwebuike, Anthony McFarland

Jaylen Warren would be in for a full bellcow workload if Harris were to miss, though the Patriots' run defense has been stout, even with teams sticking to the ground against them. New England ranks third in rushing yards allowed and first in yards per carry (3.2). Regardless, Warren should maintain plenty of passing work to make him a solid RB2 without Najee Harris.

Patriots ruled out for Thursday night's game vs. the Steelers: RB Rhamondre Stevenson, WR Demario Douglas, WR Kayshon Boutte and OL Riley Reiff.

Related Players: Ezekiel Elliott, JaMycal Hasty, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster

Phew. An offense that needs all the help/luck they can get is dug even deeper with the absence of some key pieces. Ezekiel Elliott should get a huge percentage of the running back work, but even that is likely to keep him in the low RB2 considerations.

Starting any Patriots wide receivers should be a stay-away at this point, though Hunter Henry can be considered a de facto TE streamer with the team rolling out an extreme lack of consistent options.

The Vikings are sticking with Josh Dobbs as their starting QB this week against the Raiders.

The team mulled a possible change over the bye. But with All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson back this week, the “Passtronaut” finally gets to play with full weaponry.

Related Players: Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall

Dobbs had a shaky, four-interception performance heading into the bye, so the trepidation feels worthwhile, despite his incredible performances in his first two weeks with the Vikings. It will be fun to see what he can do with Justin Jefferson against this Raiders defense.

Tests showed that Patriots’ RB Rhamondre Stevenson suffered a high ankle sprain.

Related players: Ezekiel Elliott, Ty Montgomery, JaMycal Hasty

The post went on to say Stevenson is expected to miss, in the words of a source, “a few weeks,” according to Schefter. Elliott looks to be in store for a bigger workload but we all know how the Patriots can operate at running back. And, the situation is further complicated by a not-so-good offense overall, so Montgomery and/or Hasty could also get involved at times. Stevenson owners should keep in mind there really isn't a need for the team to rush him back and it remains to be seen if he's a candidate for IR given his timeline.

Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson suffered a sprained ankle during Sunday's loss to the Chargers.

The Patriots have a short week coming up, so it's probably safe to assume Stevenson will not play Thursday against the Steelers, meaning Ezekiel Elliott will be in line to start. An MRI Monday will help determine how much time Stevenson will miss. It's the latest in what's been an extremely miserable season for New England, who fell to 2-10 after their 6-0 loss to the Chargers.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) and Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) both left the field Sunday.

Stevenson was injured on a hip-drop tackle against the Chargers, a tackle the NFL may look to ban next offseason and the tackle that took out Ravens TE Mark Andrews. The Patriots were shutout 6-0 by the Chargers to fall to 2-10 on the year. Robinson left the game against the Dolphins in the second quarter after seven rushes for 53 yards, which still led the team in their 45-15 loss to Miami to fall to 4-9.

WR Demario Douglas did enter concussion protocol, per source. He and RB/WR Ty Montgomery were the only players missing at Patriots practice.

Related Players: DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton

Douglas was trending towards being the only bright spot on the Patriots offense, but it's clear that they're not meant to have nice things in the 2023 season. Douglas has 133 yards and 12 catches on 18 targets over the last two weeks, but he may have a hard time suiting up in Week 13. Parker is the strongest bet to receive a higher target share if he misses, but New England is currently rotating three quarterbacks in at practice, hinting towards more bad game script.

Vikings will “evaluate” their QB position during their upcoming bye week."

Related players: Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall

Schefter's post went on to say after watching Dobbs throw four interceptions in the 12-10 loss to the Bears, HC Kevin O'Connell said he will spend the bye week reviewing the best path forward. “We're going to take a look and really evaluate the inventory of plays we have of Josh,” said O'Connell, who thought about making an in-game QB change. Hall is back in the fold, as is Mullens, who the team also traded for, at the time to provide a better backup option for Kirk Cousins.

Commanders RB Antonio Gibson, a game-time decision and questionable with a toe injury, is active today. A boost for Washington.

Related Players: Brian Robinson, Chris Rodriguez

This limits Robinson's ceiling, particularly in the passing game. He should remain a low-end RB2, as Gibson can be plugged into desperate FLEX positions.