Rams fire Jeff Fisher. One day after he tied the NFL record for most losses by a head coach, Jeff Fisher was handed his walking papers by the Rams, who fired him and installed special teams coordinator John Fassel as interim head coach. Los Angeles is said to be searching for a new coach with experience on the offensive side of the ball, and PFR’s Zach Links looked at 10 of the most likely candidates for the job. Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden is thought to be willing to listen to the club’s pitch, while Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has already ruled himself out.
Brock to the bench. The Texans have finally seen enough of quarterback Brock Osweiler, and benched him today in favor of Tom Savage. Houston signed Osweiler to a four-year, $72MM contract that contained $37MM in guarantees over the offseason, but he’s responded by completing less than 60% of his passes and tossing 14 touchdowns. With Savage leading the way, the Texans pulled out a victory over the Jaguars and remain in the thick of the AFC South race.
Rex done in BUF? The Bills are “preparing to move on” from head coach Rex Ryan after the season, as Adam Scheter of ESPN.com reported this morning on the heels of last week’s report that Ryan was unlikely to return in 2017. Ryan’s relationship with general manager Doug Whaley is reportedly strained, and given that Whaley has built a relationship with the club’s ownership, Ryan looks to be on the outs. Whaley, for what it’s worth, is not thought to be on the hot seat.
Back comes AP. Adrian Peterson made a surprise announcement on Friday, telling SiriusXM NFL Radio that he would come off IR and play in the Vikings’ Week 15 contest against the Colts. Peterson had returned to practice earlier in the week, but it was unclear whether he’d be ready to go on Sunday. Despite Peterson’s appearance, Minnesota took a beating today, losing to Indianapolis 34-6 as Peterson managed only 22 yards on six carries. The Vikings’ playoff hopes are just about over, as FiveThirtyEight gives the club less than a one percent chance of making the postseason.
Michael Floyd changes teams. After being arrested for DUI, Michael Floyd was waived by the Cardinals, but landed in a better situation just one day later as he was claimed by the Patriots. New England will pay Floyd less than $1MM for his services over the rest of the regular season and the postseason, giving him something of an audition before he hits free agency next spring. Floyd is expected to be handed a suspension in 2017, however, which could limit his market.