The Facts: Following up on this week's Team Notes. ... Wilson has been benched. HC Sean Payton informed the team today that he is benching Wilson and will go with Jarrett Stidham as the starting quarterback on Sunday against the Chargers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Diehards Line: It’s a stunning move given what the Broncos gave up to acquire Wilson in a trade with the Seahawks, but it’s not stunning given that Wilson has failed to deliver: The Broncos are about to miss the playoffs in Year Two with Wilson, just as they did in Year 1. What Payton’s long-term plans are at the quarterback position aren’t clear, but what is clear is Wilson hasn’t gotten the job done, and Payton doesn’t want to risk Wilson suffering a serious injury and making it harder to move on from Wilson in the offseason.

The Facts: Following up on this week's Team Notes. ... The Commanders are officially making a quarterback change for Week 17. HC Ron Rivera announced at his Wednesday press conference that Jacoby Brissett will make his first start of the season against the 49ers, with second-year QB Howell moving to the bench.

Diehards Line: Howell has started all 15 games for the Commanders this year, but he’s had some significant struggles over the last three weeks. In that span, he’s completed just 40.9 percent of his passes for 285 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions.

The Facts: Lawrence’s status for this week’s game against the Panthers remains up in the air on Tuesday. HC Doug Pederson said that Lawrence has been diagnosed with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder after being injured in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers. Pederson said that Lawrence is “doing better today than he did yesterday,” but that he doesn’t expect Lawrence to practice on Wednesday.

Diehards Line: “It’s a little bit early,” Pederson said, via the team’s website. “He may do a little something tomorrow, but I would doubt that. It’s a little bit too soon, but we’ll see as the day, as the week, goes on. ...” It’s the third straight week that Lawrence is dealing with an injury as he suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 14 and a concussion in Week 15. The Jaguars, Colts and Texans all have 8-7 records, but the Jaguars will win the AFC South if they win both of their remaining games and having Lawrence at his best would be good reason to feel confident about their chances of doing that. The repeated injuries and their concurrent four-game losing streak aren’t doing much to inspire that kind of confidence, so they’ll be hoping for some good news in the coming days in Jacksonville.

The Facts: HC Kevin O'Connell announced that Hockenson suffered a season-ending ACL and MCL injury.

Diehards Line: This is obviously not the news we were hoping for. Time will tell if Hockenson is able to be ready for the start of the 2024 season. A brutal injury for the Vikings and fantasy managers.

The Facts: Purdy left Monday's game against the Ravens after suffering a stinger, Josh Dubow of The Associated Press reports.

Diehards Line: Purdy jogged to the medical tent early in the fourth quarter and had a conversation with coach Kyle Shanahan after exiting. His replacement, Sam Darnold, then took the field with the 49ers' offense following that conversation. The decision to appeared to be cautious with the MVP candidate as he remained on the sidelines for the remainder of the game. Purdy completed 18 of 32 passes for 255 yards and zero touchdowns, while also throwing four interceptions before exiting.

The Facts: HC Mike McDaniel announced Monday that Waddle suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Diehards Line: Waddle was dinged up in the third quarter and it was initially believed to be a shin injury, but it's an ankle ailment. Waddle's running mate, Tyreek Hill, has also been dealing with an ankle injury that sidelined him for Week 15. Whether Waddle misses any time remains to be seen as McDaniel said the team is still gathering info. Waddle crossed the 1,000-yard threshold on Sunday for the third straight season to begin his career. In the Dolphins' 22-20 win over the Cowboys, Waddle had one catch for 50 yards and a carry for 2 yards, with the latter being the play in which he was injured. The Fins clinched a playoff berth with their victory, but are still aiming for an AFC East title and potentially the AFC's No. 1 seed. They're no doubt hoping they'll have Waddle's assistance in tackling those goals.

The Facts: Pacheco was diagnosed with a concussion during Monday's game versus the Raiders and didn't return.

Diehards Line: At the time of his departure in the third quarter, Pacheco had 11 carries for 26 yards and one touchdown and four catches (on four targets) for zero yards to his name. With Jerick McKinnon (groin) on injured reserve, Clyde Edwards-Helaire handled the Chiefs backfield through the rest of Monday's loss.

The Facts: Jacobs (quad/illness) is out today against the Chiefs, a source tells NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Diehards Line: The team held out hope but he just couldn’t make it. Assuming Jacobs is indeed inactive (and you can verify that on our Inactives Page in the 90 minutes leading up to kickoff), then Zamir White is locked in for solid usage.

The Facts: Sutton (head) will not return to Sunday's game against the Patriots, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Diehards Line:Sutton was evaluated for a head injury in the first half of Sunday's contest in the first half, and it turns out his night has come to an early end. It remains to be seen if he will miss any further time, but he will have to clear the league's concussion protocol before taking the field again.