Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is officially out.

This is not surprising news given the way this week has gone. Owners waiting on Rodgers will have to continue to put a band aid on the QB position. Kirk Cousins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Tannehill, Joe Flacco and Jason Campbell are all decent-to-good streaming options. Even Matt Flynn and Matt Cassel are worth consideration. Check our QB rankings to see how we believe these players will perform this week.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco (knee) took limited practice reps again Thursday. Flacco was able to finish the game against the Lions, so we expect him to play in a nice matchup with the Patriots. He apparently has a “mild” MCL sprain, but he should be able to play through it.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco walked to the interview room following the Ravens’ 18-16 victory over the Detroit Lions with a slight limp but looking significantly better than he did after he took a helmet to his left knee about midway through the fourth quarter.

“It wasn’t really bothering me once the initial hit,” Flacco said. “I was probably more scared than anything from just what I felt and also just trying to get a couple of yards out of it. Yeah, it feels fine. It feels strong.”

Asked if he may need more testing on his left knee, Flacco said, “I have no idea. I’ll have to talk to the trainers and see what the protocol is. I’m not used to anything like this.”

Flacco took a helmet to the knee in the fourth quarter. He has started every game in his NFL career, a streak that reached 107 on Monday night, the story said. The piece also pointed out that no one around the team seemed concerned about his status for next week, a home game against the Patriots, but it's probably something to keep an eye on as Flacco should be a QB2 option.

Ravens

Omar Brown DB
Ryan Jensen C
Bernard Scott RB
John Simon LB
Deonte Thompson WR
Brynden Trawick DB
Brandon Williams DT

Lions

Leroy Harris C
Chris Houston CB
Mikel Leshoure RB
Kellen Moore QB
Darius Slay CB

Reggie Bush (calf) is good to go for Monday Night Football and per Adam Schefter reported that Bush is expected to get his usual amount of work this week. Due to workload/injury concerns heading into Sunday, Bush was our #20 RB in standard formats. If he plays a full game, he should produce solid RB2 numbers (at a minimum). On the defensive side of the ball, the Lions are down their two starting corners, Houston and Slay, so the table is set for Joe Flacco and the Baltimore receivers.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta was activated from the injured reserve-designated to return list, which will make him available to play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

It's a remarkable comeback for Pitta, whose dislocated hip was originally considered a season-ending injury in late July. He returned to practice on Nov. 20 and increased his workload in practice this week. On Friday, coach John Harbaugh said Pitta had a "reasonable chance" of playing.

Pitta, the second-leading receiver on last season's Super Bowl team, will provide a boost for quarterback Joe Flacco and the NFL's 29th-ranked offense, the story pointed out. Pitta has been on the injured reserve-designated to return list since dislocating his hip on July 27, the Ravens' first contact practice of training camp. It would make sense for him to be on some sort of snap count his first game back, but even so, those snaps could include the red zone. Even so, we have Pitta well down our list of TEs this week making him a risky play in what is likely a playoff game.

Although Ravens TE Ed Dickson is big, strong and fast, his hands have been extremely suspect this season with his unreliability showing up again Sunday during a 23-20 road loss to the Buffalo Bills. Dickson allowed an accurate Joe Flacco pass to bounce off his hands for one of Flacco's five interceptions.

For the season, Dickson has caught only three passes for 25 yards and has dropped at least six passes.

It's been a rude awakening for Dickson and the Ravens, who have started him every week through four games and haven't given up hope that he'll snap out of this funk and start catching the football.

Ravens T Michael Oher left Thursday's game with a sprained right knee.

If Oher is out for any length of time, it will likely impact Ray Rice in the running game and Joe Flacco in the passing game.

Ravens WR Jacoby Jones sprained his knee in the second quarter; he didn't return.

Jones indicated he'll undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam Friday.

"I don't know," Jones said when asked how long he thinks he'll be sidelined. "I got to find out."

On a punt return, Ravens rookie safety Brynden Trawick with his head down in his first NFL game, barreled into Jones as he signaled for a fair catch. Both players were shaken up on the play and left the field slowly.

The Marlon Brown buzz continues. With Jones out, the undrafted rookie turned six targets into 4-65-1. Jones was targeted four times before the injury, so in total the Ravens' WR2 was targeted on 10 of Joe Flacco's 62 pass attempts. Brown will be a hot waiver pickup pending the results of Jones's MRI.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh announced Monday that FB Vonta Leach was re-signing with the team.

Good news for Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce. This news will be also welcome in the locker room, perhaps even cheering up a "disconsolate" Joe Flacco. The Ravens offense looks like it will rely on the running game more following the loss of tight end Dennis Pitta, and Leach should only help matters there.

Ravens TE Dennis Pitta is expected to be out for the year with a dislocated hip, per ESPN source.

This is terrible news for Pitta, his owners and the Ravens organization. Ed Dickson will step in as the starter and will be an interesting TE2-type. Joe Flacco obviously takes a big hit after losing Anquan Boldin in the offseason.