The Latest: Broncos' Bridgewater taken off on stretcher

Updated Dec. 19, 2021 6:36 p.m. ET

Associated Press

The Latest from Week 15 of the NFL (all times EST):

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6:30 p.m.

Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was strapped down on a body board and carted off the field in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

He was taken to a hospital as a precaution for further evaluation of a head injury.

With 5:34 left in the third quarter, Bridgewater scrambled to his right on second-and-5 from his 30-yard line and Bengals linebacker Joe Bachie came up and squatted as he was about to make the tackle.

They collided and Bridgewater went airborne, falling on his face and laying motionless as Bachie did the same several feet away.

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5:45 p.m.

The matchup between the Bengals and Broncos had no touchdowns scored in the first half.

The Bengals took a 6-3 lead into halftime when they turned Brandon McManus' miss from 54 yards into a 58-yard field goal by Evan McPherson just 9 seconds later as the first half expired. McPherson's boot with room to spare was a franchise record.

McPherson’s second field goal of the game was preceded by a 19-yard throw from Joe Burrow to Tyler Boyd at the Denver 40 with 4 seconds left.

Both teams are 7-6 and are seeking to stay in the thick of the logjammed AFC playoff chase.

— Arnie Stapleton reported from Denver.

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5:45 p.m.

Tyler Huntley has fought Aaron Rodgers to a draw — for a half, at least.

Huntley started for Baltimore in place of injured quarterback Lamar Jackson and threw two touchdown passes to Mark Andrews, helping the depleted Ravens to a 14-all tie at halftime. Huntley is 15 of 22 for 137 yards.

Rodgers is 11 of 15 for 147 yards and a TD. The Ravens, ravaged by injuries everywhere but in the secondary especially, are having a hard time stopping Green Bay, but they’ve put together enough long drives of their own to keep Rodgers on the sideline.

— Noah Trister reported from Baltimore.

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5:25 p.m.

Jalen Ramsey has been cleared to play for the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday night in their delayed game against Seattle.

The 2020 All-Pro defensive back was the biggest name on the Rams’ vast reserve/COVID-19 list, which has contained at least 29 players over the past two weeks. He went on the list a few hours before the Rams’ victory at Arizona last Monday night.

Ramsey plays an important, do-everything role on the Rams’ defense, and his absence was obvious against the Cardinals. Kyler Murray passed for 383 yards in the Rams’ 30-23 win.

The Rams still have 23 players on the reserve/COVID -19 list, most prominently linebacker Von Miller, safety Jordan Fuller, right tackle Rob Havenstein and tight end Tyler Higbee.

The Rams also activated running back Jake Funk from injured reserve, and coach Sean McVay said the rookie will play Tuesday. Funk was thought to be out for the season after he injured his hamstring early in the year.

Los Angeles (9-4) will move even with the Cardinals (10-4) atop the NFC West if it beats the Seahawks (5-8), although the Cardinals hold the tiebreaker through division victories.

— Greg Beacham reported from Los Angeles.

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5:10

The Seattle Seahawks placed six more players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including starting cornerback D.J. Reed and starting right tackle Brandon Shell.

Also placed on the COVID-19 list were special teams standout Travis Homer, defensive lineman Kerry Hyder Jr., and practice squad offensive lineman Pier-Olivier Lestage and cornerback Mike Jackson.

The six players join wide receiver Tyler Lockett and running back Alex Collins who were placed on the list on Thursday.

Seattle was originally scheduled to play the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but the game was moved to Tuesday because of COVID-19 issues with the Rams.

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4:40 p.m.

The Chicago Bears placed cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of their Monday night game.

The Bears now have 14 players on the list, including the entire starting secondary, with Johnson and Gipson joining safety Eddie Jackson and cornerback Artie Burns.

The list includes receiver Allen Robinson, backup quarterback Andy Dalton, right tackle Larry Borom and defensive end Mario Edwards Jr.

The Bears could also be without their three coordinators when they host Minnesota. Bill Lazor (offense), Sean Desai (defense) and Chris Tabor (special teams) tested positive during the week.

— Andrew Seligman reported from Chicago.

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3:25 p.m.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton scored on a 4-yard run to extend his streak to five straight games with a rushing touchdown.

The second-quarter TD cut Buffalo’s lead to 14-8. Newton joined Kyler Murray in becoming the only two QBs in the Super Bowl era to score TDs rushing in five consecutive games. Murray set the record last season.

Newton has scored in each of his five games since signing with Carolina.

Buffalo leads 24-8 early in the fourth quarter.

— John Wawrow reported from Orchard Park, New York.

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3 p.m.

Lamar Jackson is inactive for Baltimore’s game against Green Bay because of a sprained ankle.

Jackson left last weekend’s loss at Cleveland because of the injury, and Tyler Huntley replaced him. Jackson was listed as questionable after missing practice time this week.

The Ravens have lost two straight but remain in first place in the AFC North. Green Bay can clinch the NFC North with a win at Baltimore.

The depleted Ravens also put cornerback Jimmy Smith on the COVID-19 list before the game. Fullback Patrick Ricard, offensive linemen Patrick Mekari and Ben Powers, and defensive tackle Calais Campbell are inactive.

— Noah Trister reported from Baltimore.

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3 p.m.

New York Jets safety Elijah Riley has been taken off the field on a backboard after being injured during the third quarter of his team’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

Riley was injured on a play where he collided with Jets teammate Kyle Phillips. The injury came with 11:18 left in the third quarter.

Riley’s head was stabilized before he was removed from the field on a cart, and as players from both the Jets and Dolphins went to his side to offer a kind word he appeared to raise his right arm skyward.

The rookie from Army had 28 tackles in his most recent four games entering Sunday.

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2:15 p.m.

just before James Robinson scored from a yard out early in the second quarter.

The fan was jumping up and down — he was indeed wide open — when the real No. 16, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, snapped the ball and handed it to Robinson.

The fan was quickly met by security, taken into a tunnel and expected to be arrested for trespassing.

The Texans led Jacksonville 14-10 after the extra point.

— Mark Long reported from Jacksonville.

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1:50 p.m.

Ben Roethlisberger has passed 2004 draft classmate Philip Rivers for fifth on the NFL’s career passing list.

Roethlisberger’s 3-yard completion to Najee Harris in the second quarter on Sunday against Tennessee gave the 39-year-old Roethlisberger 63,442 yards passing to move him past Rivers’ total of 63,440.

Roethlisberger is already the NFL’s career leader in yards passing among players who have spent their entire careers with one team.

While Roethlisberger did track down Rivers, there’s no chance of him cracking the top four unless he plays for another few years. Brett Favre is fourth on the career yards passing list with 71,838.

— Will Graves reported from Pittsburgh.

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1:45 p.m.

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins broke his right ankle during a kickoff return and was carted off the field in the first quarter against Houston.

Jenkins’ lower leg was placed in an air cast, and team officials quickly ruled him out for the remainder of the game. Rookie Andre Cisco is expected to fill in for Jenkins, a team captain.

Tremon Smith returned the kickoff 98 yards for a score, somehow escaping a crowd of five tacklers at the 30-yard line. Jenkins was in the group of defenders trying to tackle Smith and seemed to get leg whipped.

It was Houston’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since Oct. 4, 2009, when Jacoby Jones returned one 95 yards in a 29-6 win against the Oakland Raiders.

It’s also the first time the Texans have scored two touchdowns in the first quarter since their season opener against Jacksonville.

— Mark Long reporting from Jacksonville, Florida.

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12:30 p.m.

Carolina Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez was ruled out after he appeared to hurt his groin during pregame warmups.

Gonzalez was attempting a kick from the 20 when he grabbed at the inside of his leg and fell to the turf. He required help from a teammate and team officials to make his way up the tunnel.

Punter Lachlan Edwards came out shortly afterward and began practicing kickoffs.

Gonzalez has hit 20 of 22 field-goal attempts and each of his past 17. His most recent miss was a 54-yarder in a 36-28 loss at Dallas on Oct. 3.

John Wawrow reported from Orchard Park, New York.

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12 p.m.

Cleveland is getting at least one key piece back for Monday’s game against Las Vegas — starting right guard Wyatt Teller is coming off the COVID-19 reserve list.

Teller was one of 12 Browns starters to go on the list over the past few days.

The Browns game against the Raiders was moved by the NFL from Friday to Monday following a major outbreak on Cleveland’s roster.

The Browns are scheduled to start a critical game for their playoff hopes with third-string quarterback Nick Mullens after both Baker Mayfield and his backup, Case Keenum, tested positive.

The Browns also put defensive end Jadeveon Clowney on the COVID-19 list. He tested positive on Friday and could miss Monday’s game.

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