Cardinals tight end Todd Heap was inactive on Sunday afternoon against the Ravens, his former team. Heap spent 10 seasons in Baltimore before signing as a free agent with Arizona this year. This will be the third straight game Heap will miss with a hamstring injury.

The Patriots have placed rookie cornerback Ras-I Dowling on the injured reserve, further depleting their secondary. On Friday, they released veteran cornerback Leigh Bodden. New England used their two vacant roster spots to activate running back Kevin Faulk and defensive end Brandon Deaderick. The Patriots -- who rank at the bottom of the league in pass defense -- are left with six defensive backs on their roster and only two have significant starting experience.

The Cowboys waived injured running back Tashard Choice on Saturday morning. If Choice clears waivers, the team will then reach an injury settlement with him. The move was made to clear a roster spot for rookie linebacker Bruce Carter, who is expected to make his pro debut Sunday night at Philadelphia. Choice suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter against the St. Rams last week.

Pittsburgh running back Ray Graham will miss the rest of the season after injuring his right knee in the first quarter of Wednesday's 35-20 win over Connecticut. The school said Thursday that Graham, the Big East's leading rusher, will need surgery to repair the knee. Graham was averaging 134 yards a game for the Panthers.

Peyton Hillis did not practice Thursday, one day after he returned from a strained left hamstring that kept him out of last Sunday's game. On Wednesday, Hillis practiced for the first time since getting hurt in the Browns' Oct. 16 game at Oakland. Browns coach Pat Shurmur described Hillis as being a "little sore" and the team will "back him down" as it prepares for Sunday's game at San Francisco. Shurmur says he's hopeful Hillis, whose messy contract situation and injuries have sabotaged his second season with Cleveland, will be able to play against the 49ers.

The Colts have placed veteran quarterback Kerry Collins on the injured reserve, a move that could signal the end to his career once again. Collins came out of a brief retirement to sign with Indianapolis prior to the season. He suffered a concussion earlier this season.

Colts vice chairman Bill Polian, who was interviewed by Peter King of Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, said that it is still possible that quarterback Peyton Manning could play this season. In the interview, Polian said that Manning could begin jogging this week and that he has spoken to the quarterback about his plans beyond this season. Despite the team's 0-7 record, Polian insists that there is still a chance that Manning could take the field this season.

Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman has been placed on season-ending injured reserve because of a right Achilles' tendon injury. It's the same injury that forced Buffalo to place him on IR last November after they signed him as a free agent following his release from the Chargers. "Shawne has worked extremely hard, but unfortunately his Achilles flared back up and it doesn't appear that he will be able to return to the field anytime soon," Bills general manager Buddy Nix said in a statement. "We felt it was in the best interest of our team and for Shawne to put him on IR."

Broncos running back Willis McGahee suffered a fractured right hand during Sunday afternoon's win over the Dolphins. If McGahee needs surgery, he would miss significant time. The injury could pave the way for Knowshon Moreno to see more time after he dropped down the depth chart.

Redskins running back Tim Hightower is out for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. In addition, wide receiver Santana Moss will miss 5-7 weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. Washington has now lost five offensive starters to significant injuries in the last two games. Hightower's knee buckled during a third-quarter run in Sunday's 33-20 loss to Carolina.