NFL Player News

McKivitz was limited in Thursday’s practice, meaning he’s moving in the wrong direction heading into the weekend. The 49ers could be without three starting linemen this week if McKivitz sits. Left tackle Trent Williams and left guard Aaron Banks are both injured as well.

Iosivas appeared to give the Bengals a late lead with a long touchdown on third down with under five minutes to play but the play was called back for illegal motion. He otherwise had a quiet evening as Tee Higgins (three touchdowns), Ja’Marr Chase (103 yards on 15 targets), and Mike Gesicki (10-of-12 for 86 yards) handled the bulk of the passing load against a solid Broncos defense.

Gesicki was utilized heavily from the start as the two teams played to a chess match int he first half, with Pat Surtain shadowing Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins mostly erased on the perimeter. The second half and overtime were a different story, with both teams trading blows on their ways to a wild 30-24 finish. Gesicki remained a consistent part of the pass offense throughout but took a relative backseat to Higgins (three touchdowns) and Ja’Marr Chase (103 yards on 15 targets) as the offense began to kick into high gear. Gesicki remains unlikely to return consistent production in his current role but he could continue with sporadic mini-eruptions like this one in the right matchup.

Chase drew shadow coverage from arguably the top coverage corner in the league in Pat Surtain, which confined most of his work to the short-to-intermediate areas of the field to leverage Chase’s elite separation skills in close. That is, until Chase got behind the defense for a 38-yard reception on the team’s third possession of overtime, eventually leading to Tee Higgins’ third touchdown grab of the evening in walk off fashion. The win keeps the Bengals alive in the AFC playoff picture, now needing to beat the Steelers in Week 18 and to have the Chiefs beat the Broncos.

Higgins caught all three of quarterback Joe Burrow’s touchdown passes, the most important of which came on the team’s third overtime possession following a missed field goal by backup kicker Cade York. The walk off touchdown kept the Bengals in contention for the No. 7 seed in the AFC, with the team now needing to beat the Steelers in Week 18 and have the Chiefs handle the Broncos while likely resting their starters in a meaningless game. Higgins continues his bid for a contract extension while playing on the franchise tag yet again in 2024.

Brown escaped for his longest rush of the game late in the fourth quarter in a tie game but attempted to slide down at the one to draw more time off the clock. His right cleat appeared to get stuck in the turf as he attempted the slide and he would stay down on the field with training staff for minutes before eventually walking under his own power to the sideline. He would not play another snap as the team saw three possessions in overtime, with Khalil Herbert handling the rest of the snaps in his stead. Fantasy managers considering playoff contests or sick enough to play in Week 18 championships will want to monitor his practice status in the coming week ahead of a meeting with the Steelers.

This one was a battle, and Burrow led the victorious side through numerous setbacks. Burrow took seven sacks from the team leading the league in total sacks this season, Ja’Marr Chase saw shadow coverage from arguably the top coverage corner in the league in Pat Surtain, and the team missed a field goal in overtime as it appeared their season was slipping through their fingertips. Burrow fought through it all while accounting for four touchdowns, all three passing scores of which were caught by Tee Higgins. The Bengals kept their season mathematically alive but will need to beat the Steelers in Week 18 while getting some help from the Chiefs over the Broncos to sneak into the No. 7 seed out of the AFC.

Conner was questionable for this contest with a knee injury, and appears to have either aggravated it or just didn’t feel comfortable. There’s a good chance he won’t return, and Michael Carter along with DeeJay Dallas will fill in for the remainder of Saturday night.

Vele was the only starting Denver wide receiver to fail to return a usable fantasy score in championship week as Courtland Sutton went 5-55-1 and Marvin Mim erupted for 8-103-2. Either way, it appears Vele will remain in the team’s plans into the future after earning more snaps through numerous bodies this season. Perhaps Vele can return better counting stats after it matters in fantasy leagues when the Broncos host the Chiefs in Week 18.

The Broncos largely struggled to move the ball in the first half as they let their defense do most of the heavy lifting, eventually taking a 7-3 deficit into the break. They would emerge from the locker room with renewed fervor, with Sutton getting the team even on a six-yard touchdown reception near the end of the third quarter. Both teams went bonkers in the final frame, scoring two touchdowns a piece, before Cincinnati sealed the victory towards the end of overtime following their own missed field goal. Sutton gets another difficult test against the Chiefs in Week 18, although they could be resting key players considering they already locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Mims was having another pedestrian game through three quarters before catching a 51-yard touchdown behind corner and safety coverage up the seam half way through the fourth quarter. He would then catch the game-tying touchdown from 25 yards out with only eight seconds remaining to play over two defenders on what amounted to a jump ball, securing the ball and maintaining possession as he fell to the ground inbounds. The heroics would not last in a wild overtime that ultimately saw the Bengals emerge victorious. Mims has fought tooth and nail to receive more playing time this season and appears to be capitalizing on the opportunity when it matters most for the Broncos.