NFL PLAYER NEWS

NFL Notes: Manning not making trip to Chicago

The Sports Xchange

November 20, 2015 at 6:10 pm.

Sep 27, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) throws the ball during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Peyton Manning won’t be on the road with his teammates this weekend. (Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports)

Injured quarterback Peyton Manning isn’t making the trip to Chicago for Sunday’s game between the Denver Broncos and the Bears.

Manning is suffering from a torn plantar fascia in his left foot and Brock Osweiler will start in his place. There isn’t yet a timetable for Manning’s return and the team wants him focused on his rehabilitation efforts.

Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware also isn’t making the trip to Chicago as he deals with a back injury. It will be the third game Ware has missed this season.

Receiver Emmanuel Sanders is listed as questionable for the game due to ankle and finger injuries. He nearly missed last Sunday’s game against Kansas City because of the ankle injury but suited up and departed after suffering a concussion.

—Bears receiver Eddie Royal will miss his third straight game with a knee injury and two other key offensive players were listed as questionable against the Broncos.

Receiver Alshon Jeffery (groin, shoulder) didn’t practice on Friday and running back Matt Forte (knee) was a limited participant. Coach John Fox isn’t sure if either of the two offensive standouts will be available when he faces his former team.

Forte has missed the past two games. Rookie Jeremy Langford has played well in his place and would draw the start.

—Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has insisted all week that his sore right shoulder will be fine, and he was officially listed as probable for Sunday’s critical NFC North showdown against the Vikings in Minneapolis.

Rodgers took part in full practice for the second straight day Friday, while running back Eddie Lacy was a full participant for the third straight day. He is also listed as probable after missing last week’s loss to Detroit due to a groin injury. James Starks is expected to start in the backfield, with Lacy tentatively slated to play the second series against the Vikings.

The receiving corps remains banged up, with Jared Abbrederis ruled out with rib and chest injuries. Rookie Ty Montgomery is questionable with the ankle injury that sidelined him last week, while James Jones (quadricep) is probable.

—Vikings running back Adrian Peterson likes his team’s mental toughness and sees a positive shift heading into the game against the Packers.

Peterson rushed for 203 yards last Sunday against the Oakland Raiders and scored on an 80-yard sprint to seal the victory as the Vikings (7-2) won their fifth straight game. The Vikings moved a game ahead of Green Bay (6-3) and will face the Packers at home as they try to increase their lead in the NFC North. The Packers have lost three straight.

“I feel like there’s a shift,” Peterson told the Pioneer Press on Thursday. “Being able to take advantage of those opportunities, they’re slim. You don’t get to have too many opportunities in this league, especially when you’re playing a game like Sunday against Green Bay. I’m definitely feeling a shift in terms of the mentality of the team, the way we continue to approach it with the fight, the will and the desire to win no matter what.”

Peterson leads the NFL with 961 yards rushing and is averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He missed 15 games in 2014 following his child abuse indictment and league suspension.

—Running back Darren McFadden was listed as questionable on the Dallas Cowboys’ injury report with a groin injury.

McFadden has been limited in practice the past two days, leaving in question Dallas’ backfield plan for Sunday’s game at the Miami Dolphins. McFadden has been the team’s unquestioned lead back since the release of Joseph Randle, and the team also parted with Christine Michael this week.

Wide receiver Dez Bryant was limited for the third consecutive day with knee and foot issues, but is listed as probable and expected to play.

The Cowboys will be without cornerback Morris Claiborne (hamstring/ankle), wide receiver Brice Butler (hamstring) and defensive end Ryan Russell (abdomen).

Quarterback Tony Romo, who is returning to the lineup after recovering from a broken collarbone, is not on the injury report.

—Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell wants quarterback Ryan Tannehill to become a bigger threat with his legs.

Tannehill has just 44 yards on 17 carries this season, ranking 24th among NFL quarterbacks in rushing yards, compared to 311 yards on 56 carries last year.

Campbell said Tannehill, who was the team’s second-leading rusher a year ago, can help the Dolphins’ running game by using his speed.

“That’s certainly still in our package,” Campbell said of Tannehill running the ball. “Would we like to run him more? Yeah. We somewhat hit a brick wall last week (against the Eagles). We averaged 3.8 per carry, and that’s not good enough. We need to be averaging a minimum of four.”

—Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch is questionable with an abdomen injury for the Seahawks’ game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Lynch has been ailing all week but coach Pete Carroll said the veteran feels he can play against the 49ers.

Lynch was a game-day decision the previous week against Arizona and ended up playing and had 42 yards on eight rushes.

Meanwhile, receiver Paul Richardson has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Linebacker Bruce Irvin was declared out earlier this week after suffering a knee injury against Arizona.

—San Francisco running back Carlos Hyde will miss his third straight game due to a foot injury.

Hyde was expected to return to practice this week but was unable to due to soreness. He suffered a stress fracture against the New York Giants on Oct. 11 and last played 11 days later when the 49ers lost to Seattle.

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin (hamstring) is expected to return after missing the previous two games. He is listed as questionable.

—Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien officially ruled out quarterback Brian Hoyer and named T.J. Yates as the starter for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

Hoyer returned to the practice field Friday for the first time since suffering a concussion that caused memory loss, but he worked off to the side with a trainer.

Hoyer was injured in Monday night’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He was unable to recall plays during the game, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Quarterback Brandon Weeden, who was claimed off waivers this week by the Texans after the Dallas Cowboys released him, is expected to be the backup.

—Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith said the team will wait until Sunday before deciding the game-day status of wide receiver Vincent Jackson and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jackson returned to limited practice this week after missing two games with a knee injury.

Seferian-Jenkins has participated in limited practice for the past three weeks, but has yet to be medically cleared for contact.

—Quarterback Sam Bradford and running back Ryan Mathews are out against the Buccaneers, meaning the Eagles will use backup Mark Sanchez behind center.

Sanchez was 4-4 was a starter for Philadelphia last season when Nick Foles suffered a collarbone injury. He had 14 turnovers.

Bradford separated his left shoulder and was diagnosed with a concussion in Week 10. He was not cleared to participate in on-field workouts this week and his status for next week is in doubt.

—The Indianapolis Colts will be without standout safety Mike Adams due to an ankle injury when they face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Adams is tied with Oakland’s Charles Woodson for the NFL lead with five interceptions. He injured his left ankle during the Nov. 8 victory over the Denver Broncos.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano said that injured quarterback Andrew Luck (kidney, abdominal muscle) will make the trip to Atlanta and assist the offense during the contest. Luck also was injured against the Broncos.

—Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban praised NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his handling of Deflategate involving New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

The Mavericks were in Boston on Wednesday night, and reporters took the opportunity to ask the outspoken NBA owner about Goodell and his suspension of Brady.

“As an owner, it was obvious to me that it was up to Roger Goodell to take the heat and take responsibility,” Cuban told reporters at TD Garden. “And he handled in masterfully. The fact that it all got reversed and all that is irrelevant.

“The NFL always loses their court cases the first time. Always. And then they end up winning when it doesn’t matter, but you can’t — I don’t know if Brady lied or not, who knows, with the whole phone thing and everything — but the reality is it’s all about the good of the game and that’s what Roger’s responsible for and that’s what the owners pay him so much money to do. And he’s going to do to the best of his ability what he thinks he can, and I think that’s what he did. It’s not about Brady, it’s not about anything else. It’s, ‘How do you manage the golden goose?’ That’s what he’s trying to do. I give him credit for taking all of the bullets.”

—New Detroit Lions president Rod Wood admitted he is “not a football guy” when he met with the media and faced questions about his qualifications.

The Lions hired Wood, the former CEO of Ford Estates who has dealt with finances for the owners of the team, on Thursday. The move came two weeks after the Lions fired team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew after a 1-7 start to the season.

Team owner Martha Ford had said the team would hold a national search to find a replacement for the Lewand.

“As most people have noted, I’m not a football guy, that’s not in my background,” Wood said Friday. “What I am pretty good at is hiring great people and letting them do their job. I would expect that we’ll do that by finding a great GM to lead the football side.”