NFL notebook: Rams say RB Gurley (knee) will be game-day decision

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley has not practiced all week because of a knee injury, but coach Sean McVay said the decision on whether Gurley will play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals will be made that morning. McVay said earlier this week that the Rams will not do anything to jeopardize Gurley's availability for the playoffs, which would seem to suggest that Gurley will have to show a lot in the pregame workout in order playing against the Cardinals. "We're not going to do anything that isn't smart for Todd," McVay said. "I thought he said it perfectly yesterday. It's a team effort -- trusting how he feels, what our doctors say, and what is best for our football team. The one thing that is really good about him, is he's not going to do anything to put himself in harm's way. He knows his body. "We're certainly not interested in doing anything of that nature. But we're going to give ourselves about that 48 hours that we do have until we kickoff on Sunday." Justin Davis (shoulder), one of Gurley's backups, is also listed as questionable for Sunday's game. That could mean C.J. Anderson might start in his first game since signing with the team. "That's a possibility," McVay said. --San Diego Chargers running back Austin Ekeler was ruled out of Saturday's game against the Baltimore Ravens because of a concussion and a neck injury. Initially on Friday, the Chargers listed Ekeler as doubtful, but later in the day he was downgraded to out as he remains in concussion protocol after being injured last week. Ekeler, in his second year after signing with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent out of Western State in Colorado, has filled in for injured starter Melvin Gordon and played well. He has rushed for 496 yards and two touchdowns in addition to catching 39 passes for 404 yards and three scores. He is averaging 4.1 yards per carry and 10.1 yards per reception. However, there is good news for the Chargers because Gordon is expected back against the Ravens after missing the last three games because of a knee injury. Gordon has rushed for 802 yards and nine touchdowns, and caught 44 passes for 453 yards and four more scores. Rookie Justin Jackson is expected to take the backup role for the Chargers. --Raj Mathai of NBC Bay Area reported that the Oakland Raiders are in talks with the San Francisco Giants about the possibility of playing at AT&T Park next season. The Sports Xchange confirmed that talks have taken place. A Raiders source told Mathai that the Raiders playing on the other side of San Francisco Bay for one season is a "distinct possibility." Owner Mark Davis is moving the Raiders in 2020 to Las Vegas, where a new stadium is being built, and the City of Oakland recently sued the Raiders and the rest of the NFL over the move. That prompted Davis to opt out of a contract to have the Raiders play one more season in Oakland. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported, according to unnamed sources, that the Raiders can't unilaterally move to San Francisco because it falls within the San Francisco 49ers' territorial market. That means that the 49ers might try to block the move, which might mean the NFL could tell the 49ers to let the Raiders play in San Francisco or share Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara with the 49ers. --Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid said in a Twitter post on Friday that he was fined $20,054 by the NFL for a hit on New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas, who was on his way out of bounds. Reid posted video of the play from Monday night's loss to the Saints that shows Thomas being tackled by Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly on the sideline. Reid came in at the end of the play and made contact with Thomas once he reached the sideline. No flag was thrown on the play by game officials and Reid has implied that he is being singled out by the league. "It's blatant at this point," Reid said after he was fined earlier this season for a hit on Adam Humphries of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "I think everybody can see it. That's a play that wasn't flagged on the field. I hit him in the chest." Reid also was fined by the league and ejected from the game for a hit on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and fined for another hit on Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz. The fine for his hit on Ertz was rescinded after Reid appealed, but he didn't say if he will appeal the fine for the hit on Thomas. --Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner was ruled out for the third straight game on Friday and to make matters worse for the offense, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints. Smith-Schuster sustained a groin injury during practice on Thursday and was limited in practice on Friday. He leads the Steelers with 95 catches for 1,274 yards and six touchdowns this season. If Smith-Schuster is unable to play against the Saints, the Steelers would start James Washington in his place, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Conner, who has stepped up with Le'Veon Bell sitting out this season in hopes of landing a new contract, has been out because of an ankle injury after rushing for 909 yards and 12 touchdowns in the first 12 games. Rookie running back Jaylen Samuels is expected to start in place of Conner after rushing for 142 yards on 19 carries last week. --Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones returned to practice Friday, but his status remains uncertain for Sunday's game at the Carolina Panthers. Jones was a limited participant in Friday's practice because of a hip injury. Falcons coach Dan Quinn told reporters he expects his star wideout to be a game-time decision. "Usually, when he gets some work in on Friday, that's a good thing," Quinn said. The NFL leader with 1,511 receiving yards, Jones did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. He reached 100 catches for the season with six receptions 82 yards and a touchdown in last week's 40-14 drubbing of Arizona. Jones has nine 100-yard games this season, tying his own franchise record. All six of his touchdown receptions have come in the past seven games. He set an NFL record earlier this season by becoming the first receiver in history with five consecutive seasons of at least 1,400 yards. He shared the previous mark with Marvin Harrison. --The Cincinnati Bengals received some much-needed good news on the health front when running back Joe Mixon was a full participant in Friday's practice. Mixon had been limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday because of wrist and thigh injuries, but he was taken off the injury report Friday and will likely receive a heavy workload in Sunday's matchup at the Cleveland Browns. Mixon, the AFC's leading rusher, needs five yards to reach 1,000 for the season. He is coming off a season-high 129 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the win over the Raiders. It was the second straight 100-yard game and third of the season for Mixon, who missed two games earlier this season with a sprained knee. The Bengals ruled out leading wide receiver Tyler Boyd for Sunday's game because of a knee injury suffered in last week's 30-16 win over the Raiders He has posted career highs in receptions (76), receiving yards (1,028) and touchdowns (seven) this season. The injury, reportedly a low-grade MCL sprain, could sideline Boyd for the rest of the season. Cincinnati already lost top wideout A.J. Green for the season. --New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said his team must move on from the suspension of Josh Gordon, terming the trouble wide receiver's latest issue an "unfortunate situation." The NFL announced Thursday that Gordon was suspended indefinitely for violating terms of his reinstatement under the substance abuse policy. The move came shortly after Gordon tweeted he was stepping aside from playing to focus on his mental well-being. "I spoke with Josh yesterday morning, as I have several times since he's been here," Belichick said Friday at his weekly media briefing. "It's obviously an unfortunate situation, and personally, I wish him the very best, as we all do on this team. He's made a statement, the organization's made a statement, the league's made a statement. I've spoken on him at length over the last three months, and so I don't really have anything at this point to add to that. It's a private matter, and I hope that he's able to deal with it successfully." Quarterback Tom Brady, upon learning of the suspension, said, "There wasn't much reaction. ... We all wish him the best. I think that's kind of how we all feel. We want to do what's right for him." --New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will sit out his third straight game Sunday. The Giants on Friday ruled out Beckham for the matchup at the Indianapolis Colts because of a quadriceps injury that has sidelined him for the past two games. Earlier this week, Giants coach Pat Shurmur dismissed the idea of shutting down Beckham for the season because the team had nothing to play for. Beckham told reporters on Thursday that he planned to play if he was healthy. Beckham initially was hurt in a 25-22 loss at Philadelphia on Nov. 25 but played the following week against the Chicago Bears, posting three catches for 35 yards and a touchdown in a 30-27 victory. Beckham also was ruled out of last week's game after undergoing valuation at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Beckham said the tests were conducted to double-check the injury and ensure that he was healing. The injury was described as being consistent with a hematoma, where a mass of blood pools in one area, according to the New York Daily News. --Quarterback Aaron Rodgers practiced all week despite knee and groin injuries, but the Green Bay Packers did not list him on the injury report Friday and said he will start against the New York Jets on Sunday. There was speculation that the Packers (5-8-1), with nothing to play for but pride, might hold their franchise quarterback out of the last two games of the season. This is the first week Rodgers has not appeared on the Friday injury list since the opening week of the season. Running back Jamaal Williams was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday because of a toe injury but practiced on Friday without limitation and removed from the injury report. Williams took over as the starting running back after Aaron Jones was placed on injured reserve because of a torn MCL, and had 97 yards total yards and a touchdown in the Packers' loss to the Chicago Bears last Sunday. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga is returning after missing the last two games because of a torn MCL, but the Packers ruled out defensive lineman Kenny Clark (elbow) and cornerback Will Redmond (shoulder). They list wide receiver Randall Cobb (concussion) and tackle Jason Spriggs (concussion) as doubtful, and wide receiver Jake Kumerow (hand) is questionable. --Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, who sat out this season in a futile attempt to get a new contract, will be free to sign with any team in March and reportedly is considering the Indianapolis Colts, according to Sports New York. "He has his eyes on the Colts, no doubt about that," an unnamed source told Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. "He sees (quarterback Andrew) Luck and that offense and all that cap room, and they're much closer than the (New York) Jets. He wants to go someplace he can win right away." Bell reportedly also has not ruled out signing with the Jets, a team that could be willing to pay much more than the Colts, and Colts general manager Chris Ballard might not inclined to overpay in the early days of free agency. In addition, the Colts have a very good running back, Marlon Mack, who is not nearly as expensive as Mack and is signed through 2020, at salaries of $645,000 and $735,000 for the next two years.