NFC North

The Detroit Lions have activated rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams from the non-football injury list, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, setting up his return to the field.

Williams should be ready to suit up for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. It will mark his eagerly awaited NFL debut.

Williams suffered a torn ACL while playing for Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last season and has spent much of the last year rehabbing and watching practices.

The Lions should have a fully healthy wide receiver group for the first time this season Sunday. In addition to Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds have all missed time because of injuries.

St. Brown leads the team's receivers with 65 catches for 716 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games. Adding Williams to the lineup will give Jared Goff another talented target to rely on down the stretch.

Chark told reporters earlier this week that everyone is excited for Williams' debut:

"I definitely believe that he's a superstar, so anything I can do to help a guy like that, I'm here. He knows that, he knows that with all the receivers in the room. He's getting back into practicing, which is a huge step. Trust me, I understand. So, as soon as he's on the field, that's gonna be great for all of us. We all benefit from that, this team benefits from that. And the future, he's got a bright future.”

Detroit selected Williams 12th overall in the 2022 NFL draft, trading up to pick him despite his injury.

In his final season at Alabama, Williams caught 79 passes for 1,572 yards 15 touchdowns in 15 games. He spent the first two seasons of his college career at Ohio State but started just six games.

The Lions are second in the NFC North with a 4-7 record. The Jaguars are also 4-7.

An NFL executive believes the Green Bay Packers may not have been aware of wide receiver Davante Adams' true impact before trading him to the Las Vegas Raiders during the offseason.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, an anonymous NFL personnel executive said the Packers "perhaps didn't realize what their identity was," which was for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball up to Adams when a play was needed on offense.

The exec noted that the decision to trade Adams "did not work," and that Green Bay should have kept its No. 1 wideout for Rodgers' "peace of mind."

Rodgers and the Green Bay offense have been shells of their former selves this season, which is why the Packers have been arguably the most disappointing team in the NFL with a 4-8 record.

While Rodgers was NFL MVP in both 2020 and 2021, the 18-year veteran has largely looked average this season, completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 2,682 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Much of that seemingly has to do with a lack of established weapons. Without Adams in the fold, Rodgers has had to lean on Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins and rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs at receiver, although most of them have missed significant time due to injury.

That, in turn, has caused Rodgers to hold the ball longer than usual, and it has resulted in him getting sacked 24 times in 12 games.

Adams isn't enjoying much team success either this season, playing for the 4-7 Raiders, but he has continued to be a stud individually with Derek Carr throwing him the ball.

Through 11 games, Adams has made 71 grabs for 999 yards and 10 touchdowns, putting him in the mix to possibly be a first-team All-Pro for the third year in a row.

Adams has finished with double-digit touchdowns three years in a row and six of the past seven seasons, plus he had well over 100 catches in both 2020 and 2021, and a career-high 1,553 yards last season.

It is now blatantly obvious that Adams was the one who made the Green Bay offense go, and it is no coincidence that the Packers now look like a cellar-dwelling team after three straight 13-win seasons from 2019 to 2021.

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers wants to finish the season, but he told reporters Wednesday he would understand if the team wants to give Jordan Love more playing time.

"Hopefully we don't have to have that conversation, but if that conversation comes up, I'll approach it with an open mind without any bitterness or resentment," Rodgers said.

The Packers fell to 4-8 with Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and are three games behind the Washington Commanders for the final playoff spot. Rodgers is also dealing with rib and thumb injuries that prevented him from practicing on Wednesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Even with the injuries, Rodgers told The Pat McAfee Show that he plans to play this week against the Chicago Bears:

On the other hand, the injury and the poor record could be an opportunity for the Packers to see more from Love, the 2020 first-round pick who has made just one start in three seasons.

Love has played in three games this season and impressed late in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, totaling 113 yards and a touchdown on 6-of-9 passing.

The 24-year-old has one more year remaining of his rookie contract, but the Packers will need to make a decision in the offseason whether to pick up his fifth-year option. Otherwise, he can leave in free agency after the 2023 season.

Rodgers signed a three-year, $150.8 million extension last year after winning his second straight MVP award, although he has struggled more this season. The 38-year-old has just 21 passing touchdowns with nine interceptions after throwing 37 touchdown passes with just four picks a year ago. His 92.9 passer rating is the second-worst of his 15 years as a starter.

If the veteran can't turn things around against the Bears, the Week 14 bye could offer an opportunity for the Packers to make a switch at quarterback.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he expects to play Sunday against the Chicago Bears after receiving "good news" on his injured ribs.

“I got good news with the scans yesterday, so I plan on playing this week," Rodgers said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show.

Rodgers has been dealing with injuries for much of the 2022 season. He came into the weekend with an avulsion fracture to his right thumb and left Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a rib injury.

"It was in the first half and then got kind of reaggravated in the third quarter, just having a hard time breathing and rotating my upper body, I was worried about a punctured lung as well. So I wanted to get that checked out. I'll get a scan tomorrow," Rodgers told reporters after the game.

The reigning back-to-back MVP indicated Sunday he wanted to play through his injuries even though the Packers are 4-8 and on the verge of elimination from playoff contention.

"We have a five-game stretch, we need to win all five and probably need a little help," he said. "As long as we're mathematically alive, I'd like to be out there."

Rodgers has been a diminished version of himself during the 2022 season, throwing for 2,682 yards and 21 touchdowns against nine interceptions. The nine picks tie his combined total from the past two seasons and are his highest single-season mark since 2010.

While some of the issues can be attributed to injury, Rodgers clearly misses wide receiver Davante Adams, who Green Bay traded to Las Vegas in the offseason. The Packers have not found a reliable top wideout to replace Adams, and Rodgers has expressed frustration with the slow growth of the wide receiver room.

Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers was forced to exit Sunday night's game against the Philadelphia Eagles early after sustaining an injury to his ribs, but head coach Matt LaFleur offered an optimistic prognosis on Monday.

LaFleur told reporters that Rodgers is "feeling better," but he added that they will continue to learn more over the next few days. LaFleur declared that if Rodgers is healthy, he will play Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

Rodgers entered the locker room in the third quarter against the Eagles as the Packers went on to suffer a 40-33 loss and fall to 4-8 this season. According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, there was "an initial fear" that Rodgers had suffered a punctured lung. He underwent X-rays at the stadium that showed he didn't have a punctured lung, but it was "hard to tell" if he had any fractured ribs.

After the game, Rodgers dismissed the notion of shutting it down for the remainder of the season. Green Bay has a slim chance of making the playoffs, but the two-time reigning MVP said he intends to play as long as the team is mathematically alive.

"We've got to win all five and probably need a little bit of help," said Rodgers, who also revealed last week that he's been playing with a broken bone in his thumb since Week 5.

Rodgers was replaced by Jordan Love against Philadelphia, and the third-year quarterback opened some eyes with a solid performance. Love finished with 113 yards and a touchdown on six-of-nine passing and helped Green Bay turn what could have been a blowout into a close game down the stretch.

Some are wondering if the Packers will give the 24-year-old more playing time if they are eliminated from playoff contention later this season. For now, it sounds like Rodgers intends to be under center as long as his body allows him.

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers told reporters he's expecting to play in next weekend's game after exiting Sunday's 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a rib injury.

Rodgers left the game in the third quarter. NFL Network's James Palmer reported Rodgers underwent X-rays at Lincoln Financial Field, and the Green Bay star did not return to the game.

Jordan Love replaced Rodgers, going 6-of-9 for 113 yards and one touchdown in the fourth quarter.

This is just the latest injury setback for Rodgers. He confirmed earlier this month he was playing through a broken right thumb, which occurred in Green Bay's 27-22 loss to the New York Giants in Week 5.

The four-time MVP downplayed how much the thumb injury was affecting him on the field. Meanwhile, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters he hadn't given any thought to resting Rodgers to allow his thumb to heal a bit.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Nov. 27 that the injury "is more severe than known" and "serious enough that surgery is almost always the answer."

This has been a season to forget for the Packers and Rodgers so far.

At 4-7, the team is on pace to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2018, and its starting signal-caller is having one of the worst years of his career. Through 11 games, Rodgers has thrown for 2,542 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He had 140 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions prior to exiting against Philadelphia.

As much as the 38-year-old has struggled, the alternative might not be any better.

In his only NFL start, Love went 19-of-34 for 190 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The offense mustered only seven points in a 2021 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Granted, given how things have gone for the Packers this season, it might not matter whether Rodgers or Love is lining up under center. A losing record looks more and more likely by the week.

Green Bay fell to 4-8 with Sunday's loss to Philadelphia.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Allen Robinson is reportedly unlikely to play in Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a foot injury.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news.

Robinson signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Rams in March after spending the last four seasons of his career with the Chicago Bears. Before that, he spent four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft.

In 10 games this season, Robinson has caught 33 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns.

Robinson has dealt with injuries at points throughout his eight-year career. He missed most of the 2017 season with a torn ACL and missed time during the 2018 campaign with groin and rib ailments.

However, the 29-year-old has been durable throughout the previous three seasons, appearing in all 16 games during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He caught 200 passes for 2,397 yards and 13 touchdowns in those years.

Robinson was inconsistent in 2021, though, catching just 38 passes for 410 yards and one touchdown in 12 games.

Despite Robinson joining star Cooper Kupp on the sidelines, the Rams still have plenty of receivers to rely on, including Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Jacob Harris and Ben Skowronek.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is considered a "long shot" to play Sunday's game against the New York Jets due to a left shoulder injury, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.

Fields, who has been limited in practice all week, will still be given the opportunity to warm up on Sunday before a final determination is made, per Rapoport and Garafolo.

Fields' health was the biggest storyline surrounding the team when he was carted to the locker room following a Week 11 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the injury was diagnosed as a left shoulder dislocation.

Considering the Bears are nowhere near playoff contention at 3-8, they will surely treat any injury to their franchise quarterback with extreme caution. His ability to live up to his long-term potential is far more important than winning any individual games down the stretch of what is a lost season for the team.

While there were some questions about the 23-year-old after his rookie campaign, he has taken significant strides in his second season.

The Ohio State product is at his best with his legs and has accounted for 834 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. He has also completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 1,642 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Look for Chicago to rely on Trevor Siemian under center until Fields is ready to return.