Adrian Peterson has been ruled out for Week 16 for the Minnesota Vikings against the Green Bay Packers.

Peterson returned for Week 15 from his meniscus surgery and rushed six times for 22 yards.

Peterson had said earlier this month he would only play if the Vikings were in playoff contention, adding it would be "pointless" to play if the Vikings weren't able to make the playoffs. 

Peterson, who turns 32 in March, is on a team option for the 2017 season that includes a $6 million roster bonus on the third day of the league year. Peterson would carry an $18 million cap figure in 2017, and it seems likely the Vikings would pursue a restructured contract with the three-time NFL rushing leader, rather than picking up the option as it currently exists.

Ryan Mathews suffered a herniated disk in Week 16 and will miss the Philadelphia Eagles' Week 17 finale against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Eagles are mathematically eliminated, while the Cowboys have clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. 

Mathews rushed for 661 yards on 155 carries and eight touchdowns in 2016.

Julio Jones will play in Week 16 for the Atlanta Falcons against the Carolina Panthers as he works his way back from a toe injury.

Jones practiced for the third straight time on Thursday.

It is not yet clear how many snaps Jones will play as Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel have played well in his absence.

A.J. Green plans to play in Week 16 for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Houston Texans.

Green has been out since suffering a Grade 2 hamstring tear two snaps into the Bengals' Week 11 game against the Buffalo Bills.

"It's big. Like yesterday, I was very excited to get back out there [at practice]," Green said Thursday. "Not playing for that long, no matter what our season is, I'm just happy to get back out there with my teammates."

The Bengals have already been eliminated from the playoffs.

"I'm not the type of guy to try to just shut it down, just to bail on my team because we're not having the season we wanted to have," he said. "That's like a cowardly move to me. If I'm healthy, I'm going to play. And I feel like I'm healthy."

The Atlanta Falcons are optimistic Julio Jones will play in Week 16 after sitting out Week 15 with a toe sprain.

Jones also sat out Week 14.

"I'm hopeful that he's back," Quinn said of Jones. "So, I think that he will [return]. We're going to take it all the way through, practice Tuesday and Wednesday, and then we'll have a good shot. But I am hopeful for that.

"I can't say it's for sure until he can explode like he can, but I think he's a heck of a lot closer than he has been over the last two weeks."

The Falcons have received strong production from Taylor Gabriel, Nick Williams and Aldrick Robinson in place of Jones.

Adrian Peterson will play in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts.

“I’m gonna go ahead and go this week,” Peterson said. “I’m getting back out there and looking forward to joining my team as we continue on this journey to make the playoffs.”

Peterson hasn't played since Week 2 when he tore his meniscus and underwent surgery.

Julio Jones will miss Week 15 for the Atlanta Falcons against the San Francisco 49ers with a toe sprain.

Jones also missed Week 14 with the injury.

Jones leads the league with 1,253 receiving yards.

The Atlanta Falcons have changed the wording of Julio Jones' injury from turf toe to a "sprain."

Dan Quinn initially called Jones' injury "turf toe" after Jones was injured a few weeks ago against the Kansas City Chiefs. Turf toe is a sprain of the ligaments surrounding the big toe.

"Julio has a toe sprain, it's not turf toe," Quinn said in an interview on Atlanta's 92.9 The Game radio. "But he does have a toe sprain. For him, we're going to take him day to day. He'll maybe do some of the walkthrough today, but he won't participate in the full-team activity at practice. So, he's still dealing with that sprain. It's definitely improving. But in terms of full-speed cutting on it, we're not there yet."

Medical experts say such a mild sprain typically calls for one to four weeks of recovery.

Ryan Tannehill was diagnosed with ACL and MCL sprains in his left knee but no tears.

Adam Gase said surgery is not required and that the team doesn't have an exact timetable for Tannehill's recovery, but the quarterback is expected to miss at least the next couple of games.

"This is not going to be one game," Gase said. "It's going to be longer than that."

Campbell's hit on Tannehill has drawn criticism on social media but Bruce Arians defended his player Monday and said Campbell was blocked into Tannehill.

Arians said Campbell's hit "was just a football play."

Matt Moore will start for the Dolphins.

Matthew Stafford suffered a PIP (proximal interphalangeal) joint dislocation and torn ligaments to the middle finger of his throwing hand Sunday and will be required to play the rest of the season with a glove, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The top of Stafford's finger was bent downward at a 90-degree angle and he had no control over the top part of digit.

Stafford had the finger taped up and is determined to play through the injury.

Stafford injured the finger in the first quarter of Sunday's 20-17 win over Chicago when his right hand "clapped hands" with Chicago's Leonard Floyd on a play in which he also was called for intentional grounding.