When the Titans need a play toward the goal line, the solution is clear — run Derrick Henry.
That’s what they did to cap a long drive in the first quarter and take a 7-0 lead over the Panthers.
Henry ran in his fifth touchdown of the season from 1-yard out, capping a 15-play, 91-yard drive that took 9:36 on the clock.
The Titans kept the chains moving by going for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 30-yard line, with Henry taking a pitch to the left side for a 3-yard gain.
The club then converted third-and-3 with a 12-yard pass from Will Levis to Chris Moore. And Levis got the club inside the red zone when he sustained a hit from Brian Burns and still delivered an accurate ball to tight end Chin Okonkwo down the left side for a 25-yard gain.
A couple of plays later, Henry powered his way in for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
So far, Levis is 8-of-10 for 99 yards. Henry has 18 yards on eight carries, but he’s gotten the tough yards when needed.
Every week we bring you all the inactives from the 1 p.m. ET games in one post, constantly updated with the latest information.
The Buccaneers had a couple of defensive starters listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Colts, but they will both be in the lineup.
Linebacker Devin White (foot) and cornerback Carlton Davis (hip) both avoided the inactive list for Tampa. Their presence will be all the more significant since the Bucs ruled linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Jamel Dean out on Friday.
Running back Rachaad White was added to the injury report due to a knee issue on Saturday, but he is also active for Sunday’s game.
Steelers at Bengals
Steelers: QB Mason Rudolph, RB Anthony McFarland Jr., S Minkah Fitzpatrick, LB Blake Martinez, DT Montravius Adams, T Dylan Cook
Bengals: WR Tee Higgins, RB Chris Evans, CB Cam Taylor-Britt, OL Trey Hill, OL D’Ante Smith, DT Jay Tufele
Jaguars at Texans
Jaguars: WR Elijah Cooks, CB Tyson Campbell, DT DaVon Hamilton, LB Yasir Abdullah, OL Cole Van Lanen
Texans: S Jimmie Ward, QB Case Keenum, RB Mike Boone, LB Jake Hansen, DE Myjai Sanders, G Nick Broeker, WR Noah Brown
Buccaneers at Colts
Buccaneers: RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, CB Jamel Dean, LB Cam Gill, LB Lavonte David, OL Brandon Walton, DL Mike Greene, QB John Wolford
Colts: C Ryan Kelly, CB JuJu Brents, TE Drew Ogletree, WR Juwann Winfree, LB Cameron McGrone, OL Arlington Hambright
Patriots at Giants
Patriots: RB Jamycal Hasty, CB Alex Austin, T Vederian Lowe, WR Jalen Reagor, DE Sam Roberts
Giants: RB Jashaun Corbin, S Gervarrius Owens, LB Boogie Basham, T Evan Neal, DL Dexter Lawrence
Saints at Falcons
Saints: DE Isaiah Foskey, DE Kyle Phillips, TE Jimmy Graham, QB Jake Haener, RB Kendre Miller, G Nick Saldiveri
Falcons: WR Mack Hollins, CB Clark Phillips, OL Jovaughn Gwyn, DL Travis Bell, TE John FitzPatrick, DL Joe Gaziano
Panthers at Titans
Panthers: RB Raheem Blackshear, CB CJ Henderson, T Ricky Lee, TE Hayden Hurst, WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
Titans: WR Treylon Burks, QB Malik Willis, DB Terrell Edmunds, LB Caleb Murphy, LB Trevis Gipson
Last Sunday, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports surprised by many by claiming that Panthers coach Frank Reich occupies the hottest seat in the league. Few, however, will be surprised if Panthers owner David Tepper yet again issues pink slips after the season ends, or sooner.
It’s Tepper’s way. He fired Ron Rivera. Tepper hired, then fired during his third season, Matt Rhule. Now, Tepper might fire Reich during or after his first season with the team.
And it’s not just an American football thing. Tepper’s MLS team has played only two seasons. And he has fired two head coaches — including one who just took the team to the postseason.
At some point, it’s not them, it’s him. And, at some point, no football (or soccer) coach with options will opt to work for Tepper.
The good news is he’s driven and motivated and demanding and used to being successful. The bad news is the same.
Tepper is way too involved in the team. Every owner is involved, however. Some just do a better job of hiding it than others.
Tepper doesn’t really try. It oozes from his every pore. He made himself into a billionaire in one industry. Now, he’s determined to have the same success in another.
Of course, as it relates to the financial side of things, he will. It’s impossible not to. As it relates to winning enough games and chasing a championship, the team has regressed on his watch. The sooner he realizes that and makes changes, the better off the team will be.
Don’t count on him admitting it. He’ll think he just needs to put in more hours. Demand more from his coaches and front office. Process more iterations. Learn more lessons. More, more, more.
It’s too much. To step forward, Tepper needs to step back. He’s out of his element, straying beyond his lane.
It’s believed in some league circles that the Panthers drafted Bryce Young because Tepper wanted him, and that the people who work for him are saying they did, too, because they know what’s good for them. If/when Tepper fires Reich or others on the current coaching staff, it will be interesting to see whether reports emerge that, for example, key members of the football operation preferred C.J. Stroud or Anthony Richardson, but that they didn’t bother because the boss was getting whoever the boss wanted.
Yes, it’s one of the privileges of being the boss. Winning NFL games isn’t one of those privileges. For some owners, the harder they try, the worse it goes. Tepper would be wise to loosen his grip, trust his people, and create an environment that will be viewed as attractive for coaches — and not dysfunctional and radioactive.
That should be his biggest concern. If he fires Reich, no one will want that job. Unless he makes them a financial offer that no coach in his right mind could refuse, even if at that point no coach in his right mind should want to work for Tepper.
The 12th week of the 2023 NFL season kicked off on Thursday with wins by the Packers, Cowboys and 49ers, and it continued with the league’s first-ever Black Friday game. There will be 11 more games on Sunday, which means that the 22 teams in those games submitted their final injury reports of the week on Friday.
The Bears and Vikings play on Monday and their final injury reports will be released on Saturday.
Steelers at Bengals
S Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) and DT Montravius Adams (ankle) are out for the Steelers. CB James Pierre (shoulder) is their lone questionable player.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) will miss his third straight game. QB Joe Burrow (wrist) has not gone on injured reserve yet and was ruled out along with CB Cam Taylor-Britt (quad). RB Chase Brown (hamstring) and LB Germaine Pratt (illness) have questionable tags while T D’Ante Smith (knee) is listed as doubtful.
Jaguars at Texans
Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell (hamstring) won’t play. WR Zay Jones (knee) and DL Roy Robertson-Harris (ankle) are listed as questionable.
The Texans will play without WR Noah Brown (knee), LB Jake Hansen (hamstring, hand), and S Jimmie Ward (hamstring). QB Case Keenum (calf), RB Dameon Pierce (ankle), and C Juice Scruggs (hamstring) drew questionable designations.
Buccaneers at Colts
The Buccaneers ruled LB Lavonte David (groin) and CB Jamel Dean (ankle, foot) out for Sunday. CB Carlton Davis (hip), LB Devin White (foot), DT Mike Greene (calf), and DE Logan Hall (illness) are listed as questionable.
C Ryan Kelly (concussion), CB JuJu Brents (quad), and TE Drew Ogletree (foot) are out for the Colts. LB Grant Stuard (illness) is listed as questionable.
Saints at Falcons
The Saints will have QB Derek Carr (concussion) back, but CB Marshon Lattimore (ankle) and RB Kendre Miller (ankle) will not play. DE Isaiah Foskey (quad) is listed as questionable.
Desmond Ridder will start for the Falcons on Sunday and QB Taylor Heinicke (ankle) is questionable to back him up. WR Mack Hollins (ankle) has been ruled out.
Patriots at Giants
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (hamstring), T Trent Brown (ankle), CB Jonathan Jones (knee), WR DeVante Parker (concussion), OL Riley Reiff (knee), WR Matthew Slater (ankle), and DL Deatrich Wise (shoulder) are listed as questionable for the Patriots.
Giants T Evan Neal (ankle) remains out and the team is also set to play without DT Dexter Lawrence (hamstring) and WR Darius Slayton (neck) after listing them as doubtful. RB Eric Gray (ankle) is questionable.
Panthers at Titans
The Panthers will not activate S Jeremy Chinn (quad) or EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) from injured reserve. CB Jaycee Horn (hamstring) is set to remain on IR as well after being listed as doubtful. TE Hayden Hurst (concussion) is out and CB CJ Henderson (concussion) is doubtful. S Sam Franklin (quad), LB Marquis Haynes (back), and LB Frankie Luvu (shoulder) are listed as questionable.
WR Treylon Burks (concussion) and T Chris Hubbard (biceps) have been ruled out by the Titans. S Terrell Edmunds (shoulder) and LB Luke Gifford (shin) drew questionable tags.
Rams at Cardinals
WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) is set to play for the Rams this weekend. RB Kyren Williams (ankle) is expected to be activated from injured reserve, but S Quentin Lake (hamstring) has been ruled out. WR Ben Skowronek (hip) is listed as questionable.
Cardinals WR Hollywood Brown (heel), S Joey Blount (knee), RB Emari Demercado (toe), DL Jonathan Ledbetter (shoulder), LB Jesse Luketa (ankle), and WR Zach Pascal (hamstring) are listed as questionable. CB Antonio Hamilton (groin), DL Kevin Strong (knee), and WR Michael Wilson (shoulder) won’t play.
Browns at Broncos
CB Denzel Ward (shoulder) and WR Marquise Goodwin (concussion) won’t play for the Browns. S Juan Thornhill (calf) and LB Anthony Walker (hamstring) are listed as questionable.
Broncos RB Dwayne Washington (illness) and S P.J. Locke (ankle) are listed as questionable.
Chiefs at Raiders
The Chiefs will play without RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) and WR Mecole Hardman (thumb).
Raiders DE Maxx Crosby (knee) is set to miss Sunday’s game after being listed as doubtful. S Marcus Epps (neck), T Kolton Miller (shoulder), LB Robert Spillane (ankle), and S Roderic Teamer (hamstring) make up their questionable group.
Bills at Eagles
The Bills ruled out CB Dane Jackson (concussion) and S Taylor Rapp (neck) on Friday.
TE Dallas Goedert (forearm), TE Grant Calcaterra (ankle), DB Justin Evans (knee), and DT Milton Williams (concussion) are out for the Eagles.
Ravens at Chargers
The Ravens listed a pair of wide receivers — Odell Beckham (shoulder) and Zay Flowers (hip) as questionable. CB Marlon Humphrey (calf), TE Charlie Kolar (illness), T Ronnie Stanley (knee, rest), and CB Damarion Williams (ankle) are in the same category. TE Mark Andrews (ankle) and LB Trenton Simpson (concussion) won’t play and LB Malik Harrison (groin) is set to sit out after being listed as doubtful.
Chargers TE Gerald Everett (chest) and WR Jalen Guyton (groin) are listed as questionable. TE Nick Vannett (concussion) and S JT Woods (illness) have been ruled out for this weekend.
The Panthers will remain shorthanded on defense against the Titans on Sunday.
The team released its final injury report of the week on Friday and it shows that they do not expect to activate cornerback Jaycee Horn from injured reserve. Horn is listed as doubtful as he works his way back from a hamstring injury and the Panthers said that neither safety Jeremy Chinn (quad) nor edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) will be activated either.
Cornerback CJ Henderson has returned to practice as a full participant, but remains in the concussion protocol and joins Horn with a doubtful designation. Tight end Hayden Hurst is also in the protocol and has been ruled out.
Safety Sam Franklin (quad), linebacker Marquis Haynes (back), and linebacker Frankie Luvu (shoulder) are listed as questionable.
