Arizona Cardinals

The Texans won their sixth consecutive game, beating up on the Cardinals 40-20 on Sunday afternoon.

Houston improved to 9-5, while Arizona fell to 3-11.

Houston dominated from start to finish, taking a 10-0 lead before the Arizona offense ever took the field. The Texans outgained the Cardinals 399 to 307 and forced two turnovers.

It could have been worse. The Texans went only 3-of-6 in the red zone, and kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn had a 52-yard field goal attempt blocked on the final play of the first half.

C.J. Stroud went 22-of-29 for 260 yards and three touchdowns. He had touchdown throws of 57 yards to Nico Collins, 4 yards to Dalton Schultz and 4 yards to Collins.

Collins caught three passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns, and Schultz had eight receptions for 76 yards and a score. Woody Marks was credited with a 1-yard fumble recovery touchdown after the snap bounced to him in the wildcat formation, and he ran it in the end zone.

Jacoby Brissett was 27-of-40 for 249 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Trey McBride caught 12 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, giving him more than 100 catches and 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season.

Cardinals wide receiver Andre Baccellia was transported to a Houston hospital for further evaluation after being injured on a kickoff return late in the first half.

The Cardinals report that Baccellia was “alert and had full movement of all this extremities.”

He has a neck injury.

Baccellia was injured a the end of a 26-yard kickoff return with 1:38 remaining in the first half. He was stretchered off the field on a backboard but gave a thumbs-up as he left.

The Cardinals also updated injuries to linebacker Cody Simon (knee) and running back Bam Knight (ankle), ruling both out for the second half.

The Texans still have problems in the red zone, but today it won’t matter.

Houston leads Arizona 23-7 at halftime despite going 1-for-3 in the red zone. The Texans kicked field goals on drives that ended at the Cardinals 12 and the Cardinals 3, and Ka’imi Fairbairn had a 52-yard attempt blocked by Calais Campbell on the final play of the half.

The Texans had 35 plays for 230 yards in the first half, while the Cardinals had 26 for 94.

C.J. Stroud is 13-of-17 for 177 yards and a touchdown. He hit Nico Collins for a 57-yard touchdown on the second play, and after the Cardinals fumbled the ensuing kickoff, the Texans led 10-0 before the Cardinals offense ever took the field.

Jacoby Brissett is 12-of-17 for 74 yards and a touchdown. Trey McBride has seven catches for 69 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown. Michael Carter has five carries for 23 yards, with Bam Knight in the training room with an ankle injury.

McBride now has 100 catches and 1,006 yards for the season, his second consecutive with at least 100 catches and 1,000 yards.

Cardinals special teamer Andre Baccellia was injured on a kickoff return near the end of the half. Medical personnel removed Baccellia’s facemask, strapped him to a backboard and placed him on a stretcher. He raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up as he left the field.

The Cardinals, who trail the Texans 17-0 in the first quarter, have had injury added to insult.

Running back Bam Knight was carted to the X-ray room with a left ankle injury. The Cardinals list him as questionable to return, but Knight could not put any weight on his left leg and appeared in significant pain as he left.

His only carry came on the Cardinals’ first play from scrimmage when Derek Stingley tackled him for a 2-yard loss.

Knight has 82 carries for 269 yards and four touchdowns this season.

Houston has 93 yards to minus-7 for Arizona and leads big on a 57-yard touchdown reception by Nico Collins, a 30-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn and a 1-yard touchdown run by Woody Marks in the wildcat after the snap bounced off the ground.

Well, that didn’t take long.

Only 49 seconds into the game, the Texans have a 7-0 lead on the Cardinals.

Jaylin Noel returned the opening kickoff 39 yards to the Houston 41. Woody Marks ran for 2 yards on first down before C.J. Stroud found Nico Collins downfield.

Collins ran 57 yards to the end zone for a quick-strike score.

The Texans kicked off, and Jalen Brooks fumbled. Jamal Hill forced the fumble, and Dare Ogunbowale recovered at the Arizona 27. Houston reached the Arizona 11 before stalling and settling for a 30-yard Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal.

The Texans lead 10-0 only three minutes into the game, and without the Cardinals offense seeing the field.

The Bills will be missing a key defensive piece as they try to keep the Patriots from clinching the AFC East in New England on Sunday.

Cornerback Christian Benford is inactive for the game. Benford was added to the injury report on Thursday with a toe issue and he missed practice on Friday before being listed as questionable.

Benford had a big hand in each of the Bills’ last two wins. He returned a fumble for a touchdown and had an interception to help them beat the Steelers in Week 13 and he returned an interception for the go-ahead score against the Bengals in the fourth quarter last Sunday.

Bills at Patriots

Bills: CB Christian Benford, LB Terrel Bernard, WR Gabe Davis, S Darnell Savage, OL Tylan Grable, DT Phidarian Mathis, OL Chase Lundt

Patriots: LB Bradyn Swinson, OL Marcus Bryant, DT Eric Gregory, TE C.J. Dippre, WR Efton Chism, QB Tommy DeVito

Ravens at Bengals

Ravens: WR Rashod Bateman, CB Keyon Martin, OL Joseph Noteboom, DT Aeneas Peebles, QB Cooper Rush

Bengals: WR Tee Higgins, QB Jake Browning, S PJ Jules, DT Jordan Jefferson

Jets at Jaguars

Jets: QB Tyrod Taylor, QB Justin Fields, WR Tyler Johnson, EDGE Braiden McGregor, DL Mazi Smith, TE Mason Taylor, LB Kiki Mauigoa

Jaguars: LB Yasir Abdullah, OL Walker Little, TE Hunter Long, DL Emmanuel Ogbah, DL Austin Johnson

Chargers at Chiefs

Chargers: WR Quentin Johnston, S Elijah Molden, WR Derius Davis, CB Nikko Reed, LB Kyle Kennard, OL Trey Pipkins, WR Dalevon Campbell

Chiefs: CB Trent McDuffie, WR Hollywood Brown, OT Jawaan Taylor, TE Jared Wiley, G Trey Smith, RB Elijah Mitchell, DT Zacch Pickens

Cardinals at Texans

Cardinals: CB Max Melton, WR Marvin Harrison Jr., S Jalen Thompson, S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, OL Evan Brown, OT Paris Johnson, WR Xavier Weaver

Texans: OL Jarrett Kingston, WR Braxton Berrios, RB Nick Chubb, QB Graham Mertz, CB Ameer Speed, LB E.J. Speed, DE Solomon Byrd

Browns at Bears

Browns: CB Denzel Ward, RB Dylan Sampson, G Zak Zinter, G Wyatt Teller, T Jack Conklin, TE David Njoku, DT Adin Huntington

Bears: QB Tyson Bagent, RB Travis Homer, WR Jahdae Walker, LB Ruben Hyppolite, DE Dominique Robinson, DT Jonathan Ford

Commanders at Giants

Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels, DE Drake Jackson, OL George Fant, CB Jonathan Jones, OL Trenton Scott, RB Chris Rodriguez

Giants: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, WR Ryan Miller, P Jamie Gillan, OL James Hudson, WR Gunner Olszewski, DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches, QB Russell Wilson

Raiders at Eagles

Raiders: QB Geno Smith, CB Greedy Vance, RB Zamir White, OL Jordan Meredith, TE Ian Thomas, WR Alex Bachman, DL Leki Fotu

Eagles: LB Josh Uche, QB Sam Howell, CB Mac McWilliams, RB A.J. Dillon, OT Lane Johnson, DT Jalen Carter

The Texans will be without running back Nick Chubb today against the Cardinals.

Chubb, who is listed as questionable with a rib injury, is not expected to play, according to multiple reports.

It will be the first missed game this season for Chubb, who returned to health this season after a 2023 knee injury caused him to miss 15 games that year and much of the 2024 season as well.

The Texans will rely heavily on running back Woody Marks today. Marks had already moved ahead of Chubb on the running back depth chart, and without Chubb available Marks should get a major workload today.

Houston is a 10.5-point favorite at home against Arizona today.

The Texans activated tight end Harrison Bryant from injured reserve, the team announced Saturday.

Bryant was designated to return from injured reserve this week after working his way back from neck and shoulder injuries.

The Texans waived running back Cody Schrader in a corresponding move. The team claimed Schrader off waivers this week, and he practiced the past three days.

Bryant has two catches for 7 yards in eight games this season.

The Texans also announced they elevated running back Jawhar Jordan and safety K’Von Wallace from the practice squad to the game-day roster.

Jordan will help with depth at the position if Nick Chubb can’t play. He is questionable with a rib injury. Wallace is needed with Jaylen Reed and M.J. Stewart on injured reserve.

On Thursday night, Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins did it again to the Buccaneers, beating them for the third straight time since signing with Atlanta. And it was another Thursday night masterclass, following last year’s franchise-record 509 passing yards with 373 and three touchdowns in a 29-28 win.

The latest string of Cousins starts wasn’t supposed to happen. He returned to the role of QB1 after the Falcons lost Michael Penix Jr. for the season. And while Cousins’s performances in seven 2025 games have been mixed, there’s something to be said for showing up under the lights against a team that is trying to win the division crown.

Here’s the question for Cousins and the Falcons. What happens next year?

Under the four-year deal Cousins signed in 2024, the Falcons owe Cousins $45 million in 2026. Already, $10 million of it is fully guaranteed.

It’s widely believed he’ll be released. With the guaranteed payment subject to offset, Cousins will likely make more than $10 million on the open market. Especially after Thursday night, during which he showed he still can perform at a high level. That would allow the Falcons to avoid the extra $10 million they’re already required to pay him on the fifth day of the 2026 league year.

He has already earned a bronze bust in the broken-bank Hall of Fame, with $321 million in career earnings through 2025. And he has proven to be a shrewd businessman, even though his first foray into free agency was unavoidable; the Commanders were willing to tag him twice, but they weren’t inclined to offer him a commensurate long-term deal.

Cousins opted for the Falcons in large part because they put multi-year financial security on the table, with $90 million fully guaranteed over two seasons. (The Vikings wanted to go year to year.) With the Falcons unlikely to pay him another $45 million, which would push his three-year haul to $135 million, he’ll likely be a free agent, for the third time.

Cousins will be hitting the market at a very good time. The supply of veterans with starting experience won’t meet the demand. Someone will consider making a run at the 37-year-old.

Teams that will (or at least could) be looking for a potential QB1 include the Jets, Steelers, Browns, Bengals (if Joe Burrow’s recent comments portend an exit from Cincinnati), Colts, Raiders, Saints, and Cardinals.

Then there’s the Vikings, who need a viable veteran alternative to J.J. McCarthy, in the event the cork never comes out of the bottle for him. Would they want to bring Cousins back? Would he be inclined to return?

It’s also possible he’ll stay in Atlanta under a reworked contract, especially with the jury still out on Penix, the eighth overall pick in the 2025 draft.

However it plays out, Cousins will likely get paid out another sizable contract. While it surely won’t be market level, Justin Fields got $20 million per year from the Jets in 2025. That should be the floor for Cousins, who may eventually creep toward $400 million in career earnings.

The Colts’ practice week has come to an end and head coach Shane Steichen is not ready to publicly announce a starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.

Via multiple reporters, Steichen did not say in his Friday press conference whether it will be Philip Rivers or Riley Leonard behind center to start in Week 15.

“We’re going to work through that right now,” Steichen said, via Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star.

Rivers, of course, signed to the practice squad this week after Daniel Jones went down with a torn Achilles. While Leonard has also been dealing with a knee injury, he’s been a full participant in practice this week.

Multiple reporters have noted that Rivers was the first quarterback up in drills during the limited portion of practice open to media, which suggests the 44-year-old QB will start Sunday.

Via Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan, Steichen said Rivers’ week of practice was “pretty impressive to watch.” The head coach added that when it comes to Rivers’ readiness for in-game cardio, “You got to go out there and do it.”

Rivers has not played a game since the 2020 postseason — the lone year of his career with the Colts.

Leonard, a sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame in this year’s draft, would be making his first start.

Steichen did rule out cornerback Sauce Gardner, offensive lineman Braden Smith, and receiver Anthony Gould. Additionally, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner will not be activated this week.