NFL roundup: Jeremy Maclin to return for Thursday Night Football
By Brad Weiss
The Kansas City Chiefs will have their star wide receiver back for the Thursday Night Football tilt against division rival Oakland to open Week 14 NFL action.
In a huge Thursday Night Football matchup, the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs will do battle inside Arrowhead Stadium. Luckily for Chiefs fans, their No. 1 wide receiver will be back in action, as Jeremy Maclin will make his return after missing four games. The game will feature the 10-2 Raiders and the 9-3 Chiefs duking it out as they continue to fight for supremacy in the very tough AFC West.
The Carolina Panthers may have Luke Kuechly back this week, as their star linebacker practiced on Wednesday. Kuechly is still in concussion protocol, however, and will need to be green-lighted by a neurologist before he is cleared for game action. The former Defensive MVP suffered a concussion during his team’s win back in Week 11 and has now missed time because of a concussion in both of the last two seasons.
Jason Pierre-Paul has come back with vengeance this season, as he has put his mangled hand behind him to become a dominant force in the New York Giants defense. However, JPP injured his groin during the team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers this past weekend and had to undergo surgery to fix it. Pierre-Paul will miss the team’s final four regular season games, and will likely only be back in action if the team makes it to the NFC Championship game.
Speaking of stars only returning for the playoffs, that will be the case for Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. Peterson has been injured since tearing his meniscus back in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers, though he appears ready to come back to the team. However, Peterson said he is only going to return if the team is in contention, as his Vikings have lost six of their last seven games after starting the year 5-0.
Finally, some good news for Atlanta Falcons fans, as star wide receiver Julio Hones should be ready to go this weekend against the Los Angeles Rams. Jones suffered some turf toe at the end of the team’s loss against Kansas City this past weekend and has had to miss some practice time this week. The Falcons are trying to fend off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South and will need all their weapons down the stretch if they hope to make it to the playoffs.