Ezekiel Elliott turned out to be the better backup than Mitch Trubisky on Thursday night as the New England Patriots upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18 at Acrisure Stadium.
Starting in place of running back Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle), Elliott accounted for 140 yards, including 72 on seven receptions, and a touchdown.
Starting in place of quarterback Kenny Pickett (ankle), Trubisky passed for 190 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 30 yards and another score. But he also had an interception, and Pittsburgh was only 3-of-14 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down.
Elsewhere, another team coming off a surprising home loss is hoping it will have its quarterback. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who fell to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, saw Trevor Lawrence leave the game with a right high ankle sprain. The Jaguars will wait until game time Sunday to see if he can play.
The injury news appears mostly good for an interesting interconference matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens. Sensational Rams rookie receiver Puka Nacua says he'll play despite a shoulder injury that knocked him out of last week's game for a stretch, and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson seems completely recovered from an illness that kept him out of Thursday's practice.
Here are more injury updates from our NFL Nation reporters as we head toward the Sunday matchups:
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Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Injury: Right ankle
Whether Lawrence plays against the Cleveland Browns will be a game-day decision, per head coach Doug Pederson. Lawrence practiced on a limited basis Thursday and Friday, and Pederson said he's optimistic that Lawrence will play. Lawrence suffered a toe injury against Detroit last season and didn't miss a start, and he sprained his left knee against Indianapolis earlier this season and played four days later in New Orleans. C.J. Beathard is the backup.
-- Michael DiRocco
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Injury: Shoulder
Nacua has an AC sprain, but he said it won't keep him from the field against the Baltimore Ravens. Nacua injured a shoulder in Week 13 but came back into the game. He was listed as limited on the injury report Wednesday but was a full participant in practice Thursday.
-- Sarah Barshop
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Injury: Illness
Jackson is set to start against the Los Angeles Rams after recovering from an illness that caused him to miss Thursday's practice. On Friday, he looked like himself, leaping to hit the crossbar after throwing some warmup passes. "He was feeling good -- full of life," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He looked good out there. He was back." Jackson is 18-1 against the NFC, throwing 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
-- Jamison Hensley
Maxx Crosby, DE, Las Vegas Raiders
Injury: Left knee
Despite coming off a bye week, Crosby did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and his injured left knee was still swollen this week. Still, the injury did not keep him from playing two weeks ago, when he was limited to a season-low 82% of the Raiders' defensive snaps. If Crosby can't go against the Minnesota Vikings and mobile QB Joshua Dobbs (keep in mind, fellow edge rusher Malcolm Koonce is nursing a sore ankle), Las Vegas will need first-round draft pick Tyree Wilson to show up. Plus, the Raiders elevated DE Janarius Robinson to the active roster from the practice squad.
-- Paul Gutierrez
Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
Injury: Concussion
Henry was pulled in the fourth quarter of last week's loss to the Indianapolis Colts because it was believed he had concussion symptoms. The Titans evaluated Henry after the game and ran symptom tests Monday. Henry showed no signs of a concussion so he wasn't placed into protocol. He didn't practice Thursday, a day when he typically rests. The veteran running back expects to play Monday against the Miami Dolphins.
-- Turron Davenport
Chris Olave, WR; Derek Carr, QB, New Orleans Saints
Injury: Illness; concussion, rib, right shoulder
Olave has missed the past two days of practice with the flu. Coach Dennis Allen said he's hopeful Olave can get better by Sunday, but the receiver is officially listed as questionable.
Carr practiced fully Friday and is questionable despite being in concussion protocol. Although Carr is also listed with rib and shoulder injuries, only the concussion would keep him out. This is the second time in a month that Carr has entered concussion protocol.
-- Katherine Terrell
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Injury: Groin
The Seahawks list Smith as questionable for their game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday because of a groin injury he suffered in practice Thursday. When asked if he thinks Smith will play, coach Pete Carroll said, "We'll see" and noted that Seattle rested him Friday. Smith was listed as a limited participant Thursday. Drew Lock will make his first start as a Seahawk if Smith can't go.
-- Brady Henderson
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Injury: Fractured forearm
Goedert is expected to return against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. He was injured in the Eagles' Week 9 win against Dallas, had surgery and missed the past three games. QB Jalen Hurts time before throw has gone up and his efficiency dipped with Goedert out of the lineup. It's probably not reasonable to believe Goedert will be 100 percent, but he plans to function at a high level and the goal is to get him right back into the mix.
-- Tim McManus
Vita Vea, DT; Lavonte David, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Injury: Toe; groin
Vea suffered a toe injury in last week's game against the Carolina Panthers and did not practice all week. Coach Todd Bowles said Vea is still potentially in play for Sunday, though, and he was not ruled out.
David missed the past two weeks with a groin injury, but he's expected to play, which would be huge given that the Bucs were down to one healthy inside linebacker last week. He was a full participant in practice all week and is unlikely to have any restrictions.
-- Jenna Laine
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
Injury: Ankle
Hall returned to practice Friday after missing two full days, but he's expected to play Sunday against the Houston Texans, according to coach Robert Saleh. The question is, how much? He could lose some carries to Dalvin Cook, who has been more effective than Hall over the past few games in a smaller sample size.
-- Rich Cimini
A.J. Terrell, CB; David Onyemata, DT, Atlanta Falcons
Injury: Concussion; ankle
Terrell is questionable after suffering a concussion last week against the New York Jets. Though Terrell practiced fully Friday, coach Arthur Smith said the Falcons will see how he responds before making a final decision. If Terrell can't go, either Tre Flowers or Clark Phillips III will take his place. Atlanta's other starting cornerback, Jeff Okudah (ankle), is also questionable. He told ESPN on Friday that he is trending in a positive direction but isn't sure if he'd play. CB Mike Hughes (hand) is also questionable.
Onyemata, who leads the Falcons with 14 quarterback hits, is out. He'll be replaced by a combination of Ta'Quon Graham, Albert Huggins and Zach Harrison. The Falcons also will be without starting linebacker Nate Landman (knee), who was injured against the Jets. Andre Smith is expected to take his place.
-- Michael Rothstein
Dawson Knox, TE, Buffalo Bills
Injury: Wrist
As of Friday, Knox has not been activated off injured reserve, but he was a full participant in practice all week coming off right wrist surgery after his 21-day window was opened this week. Coach Sean McDermott said Friday that "if [Knox] continues to progress, there's a good chance he'll play." The tight end has not played since October.
-- Alaina Getzenberg
Equanimeous St. Brown, WR; Tyler Scott, WR; Velus Jones Jr., WR, Chicago Bears
Injury: Pectoral; hamstring; illness
Chicago's wide receiver depth took a hit in practice late this week and leaves the Bears without St. Brown, who has a pectoral injury that kept him out of practice on Thursday and Friday. Scott, a rookie, popped up Friday with a hamstring injury, which is concerning given how vital his 4.4 speed has been for the receiver and return specialist. If Scott can't go and Jones isn't available, the Bears will be down to their third-string returner on kickoffs.
-- Courtney Cronin
Frank Ragnow, C, Detroit Lions
Injury: Knee, back, toe
The Pro Bowl center missed practice all week and has been ruled out against the Chicago Bears. Without Ragnow, the Lions will likely start veteran offensive lineman Graham Glasgow.
-- Eric Woodyard
Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Injury: Ankle
Boyd was limited Thursday and Friday, but coach Zac Taylor felt good about the receiver playing Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Taylor said Boyd had a lot of reps Friday and chalked up his limited availability to load management this late in the season. Boyd is officially questionable.
-- Ben Baby
Joshua Palmer, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Injury: Right knee sprain
Palmer returned to practice this week for the first time since he was placed on injured reserve ahead of the Chargers' Week 9 game against the New York Jets, but he has been ruled out this week. The Chargers have 21 days to activate Palmer from IR, but coach Brandon Staley said there is "no timeline" for his return.
-- Kris Rhim
Dexter Lawrence II, DT, New York Giants
Injury: Hamstring
The standout defensive lineman missed the latest game, but the bye week seems to have served him well. Lawrence is trending in the right direction after returning to practice as a limited participant Friday. He has a good chance to return Monday night against the Green Bay Packers.
-- Jordan Raanan
Pat Surtain II, CB, Denver Broncos
Injury: Left knee
Surtain, who briefly left the team's loss Sunday in Houston, was limited in Wednesday's practice, but practiced fully Thursday and again Friday. Surtain played the rest of the game against the Texans with a large sleeve on his injured knee. The Broncos need him any week, but this one especially given how much of the Los Angeles Chargers offense goes through wide receiver Keenan Allen, who has 91 more targets than the team's next player.
-- Jeff Legwold