Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray has been ruled out of Saturday’s wild-card game against the host Kansas City Chiefs, the team announced Thursday.
Second-year back Derrick Henry is expected to see a bigger workload in place of Murray, who sustained a slight tear in his MCL in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 24.
The 29-year-old Murray then sat out the regular-season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He rushed for a career-low 659 yards this season and averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. Murray rushed for 1,287 yards and nine touchdowns with Tennessee in 2016.
Henry, who led the team with 744 yards rushing, made his second start of the season against Jacksonville and managed only 51 yards on 28 carries. He did, however, take a screen pass and rumble 66 yards for a touchdown.
–LeSean McCoy shed his walking boot and told reporters that he is not feeling any pain from his injured ankle, but the Buffalo Bills running back wasn’t interested in getting ahead of himself.
“(I do) not want to make any promises,” McCoy said on Thursday, three days ahead of the Bills’ wild-card road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
McCoy was listed as a non-participant in practice on Thursday despite the positives.
McCoy was carted off the field with a right ankle injury in Sunday’s 22-16 win over the Miami Dolphins. McCoy rushed 287 times for 1,138 yards and six touchdowns this season.
–Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman is set to play in Saturday’s wild-card game at the Los Angeles Rams.
Coach Dan Quinn told reporters that no members of the team will be given injury designations on the final injury report of the week.
Freeman sat out Tuesday’s practice with an ailing knee before participating with the team in each of the past two practices. Quinn said Freeman had no limitations while running and cutting on Thursday.
Freeman led Atlanta in rushing with 865 yards and added seven touchdowns on the ground despite missing two games due to a concussion.
–The Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Marqise Lee is in line to return for this weekend’s game gainst Buffalo following a two-game absence due to an injured ankle, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
“You’re going to ask me if I’m thinking about Sunday and playing; I think I’ll be out there, but I can’t tell you what the coaches and the trainers are going to decide,” Lee said, per ESPN. “From my standpoint, I believe I should be fine and be out there.”
Lee leads the Jaguars (10-6) with 56 receptions despite injuring his ankle in the first quarter of Jacksonville’s win over the Houston Texans on Dec. 17.
–Television ratings for NFL games dropped nearly 10 percent during the 2017 regular season, ESPN reported based on Nielsen findings.
An NFL game was watched by an average of 14.9 million people this season, compared with 16.5 million a season ago. That is a drop of 1.6 million viewers, a 9.7 percent reduction.
This continues a decline in NFL viewership. An NFL game was watched by an average of 17.9 million people in 2015, and viewership dropped 1.4 million, or 8 percent, in 2016.
By comparison, the NBA has had a 20 percent increase in viewership in 2017-18 compared to last season.
–Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley said his involvement in an altercation at a bar was a “non-issue” for him and the team.
In his first public remarks since the incident on New Year’s Eve, Haley told reporters that his injuries will not affect his preparation for the postseason.
The Post-Gazette of Pittsburgh, citing a team source, reported that Haley suffered a shattered pelvis and badly bruised left side after being shoved outside the bar.
“A few nights ago unfortunately I was in a situation,” said Haley. “The situation, though not of my doing, has been made clear to me by the Steelers that it is a non-issue to both the team and the Steelers organization.”
–Perhaps fearing the wrath of coach Bill Belichick, every New England Patriots player made it to practice on time despite the treacherous weather in the Boston area.
Belichick did make one concession to the elements, though, as the Patriots practiced indoors. The coach provided a quick answer when asked when he made the decision to take the practice indoors.
“When I felt like that was the best thing for us to do today,” Belichick said.
The weather Thursday featured heavy snow and strong winds that caused the cancellation of the Boston Bruins’ home game against the Florida Panthers and hundreds of flights. It also leads to speculation that the Patriots’ playoff game in nine days in Foxborough, Mass., might be played in similar weather.
–Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg is returning to the team for the 2018 season, coach John Harbaugh announced.
The Ravens’ offense struggled during Mornhinweg’s first season at the helm, finishing 27th overall and 29th in passing despite a surge in the second half of the campaign.
Baltimore averaged an AFC-best 29.4 points since Week 8, and the Ravens ended up ninth overall in points (24.7) but missed out on securing a postseason berth.
Mornhinweg, 55, took over as offensive coordinator in October 2016, when he replaced Marc Trestman.
–New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan admitted interest in moving up in the 2018 NFL draft if a quarterback piques his interest.
When asked about that very situation regarding the Jets’ sixth overall pick in the draft, Maccagnan told New York 98.7 the following:
“The simple answer to that question is yes,” Maccagnan said. “If that was a player we felt strong about, we would have no qualms of potentially trying to go up and get him.”
Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield out of Oklahoma, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and USC’s Sam Darnold have declared for the 2018 NFL draft.
–The Los Angeles Chargers are taking a wait-and-see approach on tight end Antonio Gates’ future with the team.
Chargers general manager Tom Telesco told the media that he plans to sit down with Gates to get a sense of the 15-year veteran’s mindset.
“We’ll see what his thoughts are and what’s he’s thinking,” said Telesco, per the team’s official website. “He’s one of the greatest Chargers of all time. He’s still playing at a really good level. He’s a special, special guy.”
Gates, who will turn 38 in June, appeared in all 16 games this season, starting four, and finished with 30 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns, including the 112th of his career to set a record for the most all-time by a tight end.
—Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for December despite sitting out the team’s season finale, the NFL announced.
Gurley rolled up 440 yards and five touchdowns on the ground and added 22 receptions for 309 yards with three scores in the impressive four-game stretch.
Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Le’Veon Bell was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month after rushing for 310 yards and four touchdowns. Bell finished third in league rushing at 1,291 yards this season.
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month after collecting 5.0 of his league-best 17.0 sacks. Buffalo Bills free safety Jordan Poyer earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors after reeling in three interceptions.
–The Dallas Cowboys coaching staff under head coach Jason Garrett continues to be overhauled.
Multiple media outlets reported that special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia will be allowed to leave even though his contract with the Cowboys runs through the 2019 season.
Bisaccia’s departure may be his choice, as he reportedly is likely to join Jon Gruden’s staff when Gruden is named the Oakland Raiders’ head coach, as expected. Bisaccia was Gruden’s special teams coordinator for all seven seasons Gruden was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach.
–LSU junior Arden Key declared for the NFL Draft, where he figures to be one of the most intriguing prospects as an edge rusher.
NFLDraftScout.com’s Rob Rang projected Key as going 14th overall to the Green Bay Packers in a first-round mock draft earlier this week.
–Stanford defensive lineman Harrison Phillips announced through social media that he will enter the NFL draft.
NFLDraftScout.com rates Phillips as the No. 34 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, but its mock draft has him projected to go in the first round with the 23rd overall pick.