Team news: New England Patriots | Page 13

The Vikings are sticking with Josh Dobbs as their starting QB this week against the Raiders.

The team mulled a possible change over the bye. But with All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson back this week, the “Passtronaut” finally gets to play with full weaponry.

Related Players: Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall

Dobbs had a shaky, four-interception performance heading into the bye, so the trepidation feels worthwhile, despite his incredible performances in his first two weeks with the Vikings. It will be fun to see what he can do with Justin Jefferson against this Raiders defense.

Tommy DeVito will get another start at quarterback for the Giants.

Related players: Tyrod Taylor

Giants head coach Brian Daboll made the announcement about the team’s plans for Week 14 on Tuesday. The story went on to say DeVito has started the last three games, but there was some question about who would get the nod for Monday night against the Packers because Taylor has been designated to return from injured reserve.

Tests showed that Patriots’ RB Rhamondre Stevenson suffered a high ankle sprain.

Related players: Ezekiel Elliott, Ty Montgomery, JaMycal Hasty

The post went on to say Stevenson is expected to miss, in the words of a source, “a few weeks,” according to Schefter. Elliott looks to be in store for a bigger workload but we all know how the Patriots can operate at running back. And, the situation is further complicated by a not-so-good offense overall, so Montgomery and/or Hasty could also get involved at times. Stevenson owners should keep in mind there really isn't a need for the team to rush him back and it remains to be seen if he's a candidate for IR given his timeline.

Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor is getting closer to a return.

Taylor is being designated for return from injured reserve and his 21-day practice window is being opened, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Taylor has been on injured reserve for the last four weeks after suffering a rib injury.

Related players: Tommy DeVito

The story expects Taylor to eventually be activated. However, the team has gone 2-1 over the last three games with DeVito as the starter so it would seem to make more sense for the Giants to stick with DeVito and evaluate him for the rest of the season.

Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson suffered a sprained ankle during Sunday's loss to the Chargers.

The Patriots have a short week coming up, so it's probably safe to assume Stevenson will not play Thursday against the Steelers, meaning Ezekiel Elliott will be in line to start. An MRI Monday will help determine how much time Stevenson will miss. It's the latest in what's been an extremely miserable season for New England, who fell to 2-10 after their 6-0 loss to the Chargers.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) and Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) both left the field Sunday.

Stevenson was injured on a hip-drop tackle against the Chargers, a tackle the NFL may look to ban next offseason and the tackle that took out Ravens TE Mark Andrews. The Patriots were shutout 6-0 by the Chargers to fall to 2-10 on the year. Robinson left the game against the Dolphins in the second quarter after seven rushes for 53 yards, which still led the team in their 45-15 loss to Miami to fall to 4-9.

WR Demario Douglas did enter concussion protocol, per source. He and RB/WR Ty Montgomery were the only players missing at Patriots practice.

Related Players: DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton

Douglas was trending towards being the only bright spot on the Patriots offense, but it's clear that they're not meant to have nice things in the 2023 season. Douglas has 133 yards and 12 catches on 18 targets over the last two weeks, but he may have a hard time suiting up in Week 13. Parker is the strongest bet to receive a higher target share if he misses, but New England is currently rotating three quarterbacks in at practice, hinting towards more bad game script.

Vikings will “evaluate” their QB position during their upcoming bye week."

Related players: Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall

Schefter's post went on to say after watching Dobbs throw four interceptions in the 12-10 loss to the Bears, HC Kevin O'Connell said he will spend the bye week reviewing the best path forward. “We're going to take a look and really evaluate the inventory of plays we have of Josh,” said O'Connell, who thought about making an in-game QB change. Hall is back in the fold, as is Mullens, who the team also traded for, at the time to provide a better backup option for Kirk Cousins.

On Monday, GM Joe Schoen said “the expectation moving forward” is that Daniel Jones, who signed a four-year deal with the Giants this offseason, will be the starter once he’s healthy.

Related players: Tyrod Taylor, Tommy DeVito

Schoen added there’s no firm timetable for when Jones will be healthy. The Giants will likely be making a move at the position in 2024, and Schoen said the team will likely have to do something in the draft or free agency in terms of quarterback.

The Giants first turned to Tommy DeVito at quarterback when Tyrod Taylor injured his ribs against the Jets in Week 8 and they may face a question about which one of them to start when they return to action in Week 14.

“We’re just getting started on that process now. We’ll have plenty of meetings tonight, tomorrow,” HC Brian Daboll said, via SNY.

Taylor has spent four weeks on injured reserve, so he is now eligible to return to active duty. After DeVito's first couple games, it was hard to believe the Giants would consider staying with him, but DeVito has progressed a bit over his last two starts, and at this point in the Giants lost season, they may be better off seeing what they have with DeVito over the final five games.