During today’s Cardinals-Texans game, Andre Baccelliasuffered a neck injury. The Arizona receiver will not return as further testing takes place.
Baccellia was taken off the field on a stretcher, and he was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest. The 28-year-old has been transported to a hospital for further evaluation. Per an update from the team, Baccellia is alert and has movement in all of his extremities.
A former UDFA signed by Kansas City, each of Baccellia’s 17 regular season appearances have come with the Cardinals. He operated on a part-time offensive and special teams basis for 2022 and ’23. After not seeing the field last year, Baccellia was among Arizona’s roster cuts following training camp. To little surprise, he was immediately retained via a practice squad deal. In November, Baccellia was signed to the Cards’ active roster.
Since then, he has once again chipped in as a depth option on offense. Baccellia also saw the field for 24 special teams snaps heading into today’s game. The Washington product is under contract through 2026, so his status will have an impact not only on the closing games of this season but also next year.
Injuries have been a major issue across the board for the Cardinals in 2025. The team entered Sunday’s game with a record of 3-10, and the receiver depth chart has been thinned out with Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s heel injury. Losing Baccellia will not have as large of an effect on Arizona’s offense, but his absence will still be felt. For all involved, attention will now turn to Baccellia’s prognosis.
Nichols began the year on the reserve/PUP list. The eight-year veteran has been hampered by injuries since signing with the Cardinals in 2024. After playing just six games last year, Nichols’ 2025 campaign will end after only four appearances.
Bryant makes his return to the Texans’ offense to replenish a thinned out tight ends group, while in Seattle, the Seahawks place their second-round rookie tight end, Arroyo, on injured reserve with a knee injury.
In Buffalo, this will be Jackson’s third and final standard gameday practice squad elevation. If the team wants to see him in another game this season, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster. The same is true for Strong in Green Bay, Jackson and Mafi in Las Vegas, Smyth in New Orleans, Sam in Philadelphia, and Jones in Seattle.
On the flip side of that, in Denver, Turner has been signed to the 53-man roster after running out of elevations last week.
Thomas suffered a shoulder injury in Week 14 and it will end his season. The third-round rookie confirmed on social media today he is set to undergo surgery in the near future. Thomas made five starts in 2025, totaling 22 tackles and seven pass deflections.
DesmondKing‘s NFL career has come to an end. The veteran cornerback and return specialist took to X to announce his retirement.
King has not played in 2025, and his retirement announcement confirms he will not look to make a late-season return to the league. Nearing his 31st birthday, he will instead turn his attention to his post-playing days. King saw time with five different franchises over the course of his eight-year career.
A Chargers fifth-round pick in 2017, his NFL tenure began in Los Angeles and remained there until a November 2020 trade. King was dealt from the Chargers to the Titans, the team with which he finished playing out his rookie contract. During his first trip to free agency, a one-year Texans pact was worked out. King operated as a defensive starter during his debut Houston campaign, and he did so again the following year upon re-upping with the team.
After being released shortly before the start of the 2023 season, King had a brief spell with the Steelers. That was followed by a return to Houston which covered the remainder of the campaign. In 2024, similarly, King was cut after training camp before making one appearance with the Texans. His final NFL games took place as a member of the Ravens while serving as the team’s punt returner. Third phase success was a key factor early in King’s career; the Iowa product earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2018 for his work as a returner.
In all, King made a combined total of 113 regular and postseason appearances during his time in the NFL. He departs the game with $14MM in career earnings.
Gipson is changing clubs for the third time this season after getting claimed off waivers by the Giants for the second time this year. After starting the season with the Jets and getting cut after a crucial fumble in Week 1, Gipson found his way across town to the other New York team. The Giants waived him after about two and a half weeks, and he was claimed by Philadelphia. His stint with the Eagles has been his longest with any team this year, but he’ll return to the Giants after getting waived once again.
The Texans’ offense is getting healthy at just the right time. Despite not making much of an impact in the passing game, Bryant started three of eight game appearances earlier this year for the Texans and returns to a thin position group. Watson is coming back from a 13-week absence and will hope to continue working his way into a new offense.
The Eagles waived replacement long snapper Cal Adomitis yesterday, so it stands to reason that Hughlett will find himself back on the 53-man roster soon. Hinton’s 21-day practice window closed today, so he’ll add insult to injury in Philadelphia as he reverts to injured reserve without the ability to be activated while still using up one of the team’s eight allotted activations, since they designated him to return before final roster cuts.
Week 14’s action brought about a few notable updates to the standings at both ends of the NFL’s conferences. Another four teams are officially out of playoff contention, while wins by Tennessee and New Orleans could prove to be rather important once the campaign has ended.
The Jets, Browns, Falcons and Commanders were eliminated from the postseason through the results of recent days. Of course, each of those teams have been out of the running for a playoff push for some time now. Still, that group will be worth watching closely over the closing four weeks of the season as the top-10 order for Day 1 of the draft gradually comes into focus.
Uncertainty regarding the quarterback class of 2026 will no doubt remain a talking point over the coming months. Fernando Mendozastrengthened his case to be QB1 in April’s draft, although it remains to be seen if other top signal-callers like Dante Moore and Ty Simpson will turn pro or elect to remain in school for one more season. Decisions on those fronts will be central storylines carrying significant implications for the teams near the top of the order which find themselves in need of a quarterback investment.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
The Ravens announced today that offensive lineman BenCleveland was slapped with a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Substances of Abuse Policy. While it’s uncertain if it’s related, Cleveland was arrested this past offseason on DUI chargers (per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic). The veteran has appeared in 10 games this season, with the majority of his reps coming on special teams.
The 49ers got some good news today, as seventh-round QB KurtisRourke had his practice window opened. The Indiana product continues to recover from offseason surgery on his torn ACL. While the 49ers realistically have 21 days to activate the quarterback to their active roster, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group says the rookie is still expected to be redshirted for the 2025 campaign.
Brevin Jordanhas not played in 2025, but he will not be changing teams this offseason. The veteran tight end remains in the Texans’ plans for next year.
Jordan and the Texans have agreed to a one-year extension, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. As a result, he will not reach free agency during the spring. Instead, Jordan will be able to compete for a role upon returning to full health.
A 2024 ACL tear limited the former fifth-rounder to just two games that season. Jordan managed to recover in time for training camp this past summer, but a torn patellar tendon suffered in practice resulted in the Texans placing him on injured reserve. The timing of that move ensured he would be sidelined for the entire campaign. Houston is confident Jordan will be able to contribute in 2026, however. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports the recovery process has gone to plan so far.
Jordan, 25, played out his rookie contract with the Texans, logging a rotational role on offense during that time. The Miami product did not serve as a consistent presence in the passing game, but his work as a run blocker helped lead to a one-year extension being worked out almost exactly one year ago. That 2024 pact was worth $2.1MM and included $850K guaranteed. It certainly stands to reason this new deal will be worth less on both counts.
Injuries at the tight end spot have been an issue for Houston during much of this season, although Dalton Schultzand Cade Stoverare healthy at the moment. Those two will be counted on to lead the way at the position as the Texans aim to continue their five-game winning streak. Top spot in the AFC South is possible despite the team’s 0-3 start to the year. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, Jordan will remain in the fold through to 2026.
As a back-to-back AFC South champion, Houston entered the 2025 season as the odds-on favorite to rule the division again. While few expected either the Jaguars or Colts to seriously contend, they’re ahead of the Texans entering Week 14. With the exception of the 1-11 Titans, who may be on their way to a second straight No. 1 overall pick, the AFC South is anyone’s to win with five games remaining.
Jacksonville and Indianapolis, both 8-4, will meet on Sunday with first place on the line. They’ll also square off in Week 17. The Texans (7-5) will go on the road to face the Chiefs (6-6) in something resembling a do-or-die game for the reigning conference champions. Having already beaten the Colts in Indianapolis last Sunday, the Texans will host them in a game that could decide the division or a playoff berth in Week 18. The Texans and Jaguars split their season series. They won’t see each other again unless they match up in the postseason.
The Colts have been atop the division for most of 2025, but they dropped to second place in Week 13. Thanks in part to an unexpected resurgence from quarterback Daniel Jones, a free agent addition who previously flamed out with the Giants, the Colts stormed to a 7-1 start. They held the No. 1 seed in the AFC at that point.
Acquiring star cornerback Sauce Gardner from the Jets before the Nov. 4 deadline was supposed to bolster the Colts’ chances of at least winning the division. They’ve now lost three of four, though, and Gardner could miss multiple weeks with a calf strain. Jones is playing through a fibula injury, meanwhile, and league-leading rusher Jonathan Tayloris coming off back-to-back mediocre showings.
While the shine has come off the Colts in recent weeks, the Jaguars and Texans have surged. Despite losing prized first-round rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter to a season-ending knee injury in early November, the Jaguars have won three in a row. They’ve succeeded despite underwhelming numbers from quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a major downturn in production from second-year receiver Brian Thomas.
The Texans have survived despite a significant injury to C.J. Stroud, who returned last week. The third-year signal-caller missed three full games with a concussion. The Texans went undefeated in that span under backup Davis Mills, who led a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback over the Jags in Week 10.
Mills’ heroics proved crucial against Jacksonville, but the Texans’ top-ranked defense is the main reason they’re still in the race. Winners of seven of nine and four straight, the Texans have a legitimate chance to become the latest team to rally for a playoff berth after starting 0-3. Only six, including the 2018 Texans, have done so since 1979.
Although Indianapolis is reeling while Jacksonville and Houston are trending up, the Colts are still slight favorites to conquer the South, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. At 41%, they’re narrowly edging out the Jaguars (40%) ahead of Sunday’s showdown. The Texans (19%) are a distant third.
How do you expect this three-team battle to play out over the final month of the season? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
