NFL NEWS
CHIEFS QB PATRICK MAHOMES HAS HIGH-ANKLE SPRAIN, STATUS FOR HOUSTON REMAINS UNCLEAR, AP SOURCE SAYS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has a high-ankle sprain, additional testing confirmed, and his status for this week’s game against Houston remains in question, a person familiar with the results told The Associated Press on Monday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team did not announce any updates. The Chiefs did not have any usual availability Monday, but are scheduled to practice Tuesday ahead of their Saturday matchup with the Texans.
Mahomes was hurt when his ankle was rolled up on while being tackled by the Browns’ Dalvin Tomlinson on a fourth down play late in the Chiefs’ 21-7 win Sunday. Mahomes limped to the sideline and Carson Wentz played the rest of the way in his place, but the two-time MVP insisted afterward that he would have lobbied to play if the Browns had gotten within one score.
“I feel like I could have finished the game in different circumstances,” Mahomes said afterward, “but I thought the smart decision, I think we talked about, was to put Carson in, and he’s played a lot of football, and he finished the game well.”
Mahomes has a history of ankle injuries, including a similar one against Jacksonville in Week 1 of the 2019 season. But perhaps most memorable was the playoffs in the 2022 season, when Mahomes hurt his ankle in a divisional-round win over the Jaguars, then played through the pain in beating Cincinnati for the AFC title and Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.
“I mean, they’re all different. Every injury is different,” Mahomes said. “You know what you have to do to get back. And I think that is the most important thing. And now we just get back to the rehab part — the treatment part — and try to get ourselves ready on a short week against a good football team.”
Indeed, the schedule is doing the Chiefs no favors. They have one less day of recovery this week because of their Saturday game against Houston, then they have another short week with a trip to Pittsburgh scheduled for Christmas Day.
“We’ll just see how it goes,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after Sunday’s game. “We are going to go day to day as we go through it. I don’t know how much swelling he has or any of that, so we don’t know what will come.”
The Chiefs (13-1) have a two-game lead over Buffalo for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, though the Bills hold the tiebreaker. The Texans have clinched the AFC South while the Steelers lead the AFC North and have clinched a playoff berth.
Kansas City wraps up the regular season with a trip to the Broncos, who are also closing in on a spot in the postseason.
If the Chiefs play it safe by resting Mahomes on Saturday — and even next week against Pittsburgh — they feel confident in the ability of Wentz to win a game. He was a Pro Bowl pick in 2017 during his first five seasons in Philadelphia, and he is 47-45-1 as a starter, including his year in Indianapolis, another in Washington and a single spot start last season for the Rams.
Wentz, who signed a $3.325 million contract with Kansas City to replace Blaine Gabbert as Mahomes’ backup, completed both of his pass attempts for 20 yards and helped the Chiefs run out the clock against the Browns on Sunday.
“I have a lot of trust with Carson,” Mahomes said. “I mean, he’s played football and he’s won football games and put him out there and they did a great job moving the football running time off the clock, and putting us in position to win the football game.”
REPORT: LIONS’ MONTGOMERY OUT INDEFINITELY, MCNEILL LOST FOR SEASON
Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery is out indefinitely after suffering an MCL sprain in Sunday’s 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Montgomery is undergoing more tests and getting a second opinion, but there’s a possibility he’ll miss the rest of the season. Some in the organization believe he’ll be out for the year, Schefter adds.
The running back was one of several injury blows delivered to the Lions on Sunday: Defensive lineman Alim McNeill will miss the rest of the season due to a torn ACL, and cornerback Carlton Davis is out six weeks after fracturing his jaw, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports.
McNeill and Davis join a long list of injuries Detroit’s defense has had to endure this season.
Montgomery has formed an outstanding duo with running mate Jahmyr Gibbs. The latter has rushed for 1,047 yards and 11 touchdowns while Montgomery has tallied 775 yards and 12 scores.
Davis’ six-week recovery timeline would potentially put him on track to return this campaign if the Lions make a deep playoff run.
McNeill started 14 games this season with 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble. The 2021 third-round pick has been an integral part of Detroit’s defensive front, with the team signing him to a four-year, $97-million extension in October.
Davis, who was traded to the Lions this past offseason, has recorded two interceptions and 13 starts in 2024.
Detroit is 12-2 on the season and holds the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
REPORT: 49ERS SUSPENDING CAMPBELL FOR FINAL 3 GAMES
The San Francisco 49ers are planning to suspend linebacker De’Vondre Campbell for three games for refusing to enter Thursday night’s game, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The 49ers’ decision would effectively end Campbell’s season after he wouldn’t enter the contest in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams and instead headed to the locker room. The club had asked the veteran to replace Dre Greenlaw, who exited with Achilles tightness in his first game since tearing his Achilles in last season’s Super Bowl.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday that Campbell would no longer be part of the team, though they had to work through semantics before deciding on the linebacker’s future. Suspending the 31-year-old instead of releasing him keeps him off waivers, negating the possibility he lands on another squad.
Many 49ers players were outspoken about Campbell’s actions, with tight end George Kittle saying: “I don’t like distractions on the sideline. I think that’s ignorant. I think it’s just dumb, it’s just stupid. It’s very immature, and I don’t see how you can do something like that to your team.”
Cornerback Charvarius Ward called Campbell’s move “sucker shit.”
Campbell signed a one-year contract worth $5 million with San Francisco during the offseason. He notched 79 tackles over 13 appearances and 12 starts.
TITANS COACH NONCOMMITTAL ABOUT STARTING QB IN WEEK 16
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan would not commit to a starting quarterback for their Week 16 game.
Callahan told reporters Monday that he’ll take the next two days to decide if Will Levis or Mason Rudolph will start next week’s game at the Indianapolis Colts (6-8).
Callahan yanked Levis in the third quarter of Sunday’s 37-27 loss to the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, dropping the Titans to 3-11. Levis threw for just 89 yards and three interceptions, including a pick six.
“Today wasn’t his day,” Callahan said of Levis. “He had a couple of bad picks, put us in some tough spots. So, I made the decision to sit him down and try to give us a little bit of a spark.”
Rudolph completed 21 of 26 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns — one on the final play of the game — and an interception.
On the season, Levis has thrown for 1,916 yards with 12 TDs and 12 INTs. He is 5-15 as the starter in his first two seasons in the NFL.
Rudolph is in his first season in Tennessee after spending his first four in Pittsburgh. He is 9-6-1 as the starter in his career, including 1-2 in 2024.
REPORT: BRONCOS CB PATRICK SURTAIN II HAS MILD ANKLE SPRAIN
Denver All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II has a mild ankle sprain sustained in the Broncos’ 31-13 home victory over the Indianapolis Colts, NFL Network reported on Monday morning.
Surtain injured the ankle in the fourth quarter on Sunday after making an interception, according to reports, and exited the game, returning later and making a tackle.
The Broncos (9-5) have a short week with a road game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night.
Denver coach Sean Payton was asked after the game about Surtain continuing to play against the Colts.
“Anything we do relative to a player’s injury is always if the medical staff feels like he can go back in and he’s healthy enough,” Payton said. “There is never any, ‘Well we don’t need him now.’ It is just strictly, is he healthy enough to play? If he’s not, he won’t. If he is, he will play. I think that is the only way you can approach things like that.”
The Broncos played the game without starting cornerback Riley Moss, who was ruled out with a knee issue.
Surtain, 24, made one interception and one tackle with two passes defensed against the Colts. He has 32 tackles, 11 passes defensed and four interceptions for a league-leading 132 return yards in 13 games (all starts) this season.
A Pro Bowl selection in 2022 and 2023, Surtain was first-team All-Pro in 2022. He has 219 career tackles with 11 interceptions — two returned for touchdowns — and 47 passes defensed in 63 games (62 starts).
SEAHAWKS: QB GENO SMITH’S KNEE LOOKS OK AFTER HIT
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith’s knee looks like it’s “structurally” OK after a low hit and awkward landing in Sunday night’s loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Smith’s status for Week 16 is unclear until additional testing takes place.
Smith left in the third quarter of Seattle’s 30-13 loss to the Packers and did not return.
“It was severe enough for him not to come back in the game. We’ll do all the tests tomorrow and kind of figure it out as we go. But right now, structurally it looks like it’s OK, but we’ve got to get it imaged and all that stuff,” Macdonald said after the game.
Smith was hit in the right leg by Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper on a first down throw, knocking Smith back and causing his knee to hyperextend. No penalty was assessed because both of Smith’s feet were in the air at the point of contact, according to a rules analyst.
Smith was able to limp off the field. He was replaced by Sam Howell, who went 5-for-14 for 24 yards and an interception.
Smith was 15 of 19 for 149 yards and an interception before leaving. Smith is completing 69.9 percent of his passes for 3,623 yards and 14 touchdowns against 13 INTs on the season.
The loss dropped Seattle out of a playoff spot at 8-6 with three games remaining, including one against now NFC West division leader Los Angeles Rams in Week 18. The Seahawks host the Minnesota Vikings (11-2) next week.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
NEBRASKA WILL PLAY CINCINNATI IN 2025 SEASON OPENER AT KC’S ARROWHEAD STADIUM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nebraska will play its 2025 season opener against Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium, the schools and the Kansas City Chiefs announced Monday.
The game is set for Aug. 28, a Thursday. Kickoff time will be announced later. The game originally was scheduled for Nippert Stadium on the Cincinnati campus. A move to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis was set before the most recent change to Kansas City.
Nebraska and Cincinnati also announced they have changed the date of a previously scheduled matchup in Lincoln. The teams will now meet Sept. 10, 2033, after previously being scheduled to play in 2032.
“Opening the 2025 season at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is an incredible chance to showcase Bearcats football in one of the NFL’s most iconic venues,” Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham said. “This game is a unique opportunity that not only significantly benefits the program financially but also puts the Bearcats in the national spotlight. This matchup reflects our commitment to thinking big and maximizing possibilities for our program in the ever-changing college athletics landscape.”
This will mark the second meeting between Cincinnati and Nebraska. The Cornhuskers defeated the Bearcats 41-0 in 1906.
“We are pleased to partner with the University of Cincinnati and the Kansas City Chiefs to bring our 2025 season-opening matchup to Arrowhead Stadium,” Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said. “Since arriving at Nebraska, one constant message I have heard from our fans is they miss having road football games that are within driving distance. This game offers an excellent opportunity for our great fan base to make a short trip to watch the Huskers open the season and enjoy Labor Day weekend in Kansas City.”
LONGTIME AUBURN FOOTBALL TEAM PASTOR DIES IN AN ACCIDENT ON AN ALABAMA LAKE
ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (AP) — The longtime pastor of the Auburn University football team died Sunday after falling into the water on Lake Martin in central Alabama.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said the Rev. Chette L. Williams fell into the water from his pontoon boat Sunday evening. His body was found about 90 minutes later. He was 61. The accident occurred near a dock at Kowaliga’s Restaurant on Lake Martin in Elmore County.
Williams, a former Auburn linebacker, had served as the Auburn football team chaplain since 1999. According to a biography on Auburn’s website, Williams was also the Auburn campus director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the State Director for Urban Ministries for FCA.
He played for the Auburn football team from 1982 to 1984.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who was Auburn’s head football coach from 1999 to 2008, said Williams was a “remarkable man who led hundreds of young people to the Lord through the years.”
“His leadership has been a steady part of Auburn athletics for more than two decades. But more than sports, Brother Chette helped athletes understand that their purpose was much greater than anything they could ever accomplish on the field,” Tuberville wrote in a statement posted on social media.
ALABAMA QB JALEN MILROE DELAYS NFL DRAFT DECISION
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe plans to push back a decision on entering the draft or returning to the Crimson Tide until after the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan on Dec. 31.
Milroe told 247 Sports his focus is on beating the Wolverines, who ended Alabama’s 2023 season in the Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinals.
“My thought process right now is finish this game out,” said Milroe, who turned 22 and graduated with a Masters degree last week.
Milroe, who backed up 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young for his first two seasons, is projected as a first-round draft pick if he opts to enter instead of returning to Alabama for his redshirt senior season in 2025.
In 2024, Milroe played for his third different offensive coordinator since landing at Alabama. He racked up 3,371 total yards, 20 rushing touchdowns with 15 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.
Should first-year coach Kalen DeBoer lose Milroe to the draft, Alabama has Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell on the QB depth chart.
Milroe edged Simpson for the starting job in 2023 and Mack transferred from Washington to follow DeBoer.
A five-star recruit ranked No. 2 overall in the nation, Russell was named the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year last week.