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• 'I think so' - Rodgers expecting to play in 2025 despite poor Jets start

  New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers thinks he will still be playing in 2025, despite suffering one of the worst starts to a season in his career.

  The Jets are currently 3-7 and sit just above the New England Patriots in the AFC East, having lost 31-6 to the Arizona Cardinals in their last game.

  Rodgers, who is still coming back from Achilles surgery after missing last season through injury, has thrown just 15 touchdown passes, seven interceptions, and a career-low 6.4 yards per attempt so far.

  Rodgers is under contract with New York for 2025, but there are parts of his deal yet to be finalised if he does stay on.

  Despite the less-than-stellar start to the season, the 40-year-old says it has not changed his feelings "negatively" as he has not reached his standard yet.

  "I think so, yeah," he said when asked if he could see himself playing next year.

  "I'm not playing as well as I would've liked to play, for sure. The beauty in this game is it's a team game.

  "The frustrating part is that if you're a great competitor, you hold yourself to a standard that's not unrealistic, and I haven't reached that standard this year."

  Since firing Robert Saleh last month, the Jets are 1-4 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who also doubles as their defensive coordinator.

  They face another team with a losing record in the Indianapolis Colts (4-6) on Sunday, and Rodgers only had positive things to say about Ulbrich.

  "The verdict is still not out on this season yet," Rodgers added. "I feel like he's [Ulbrich] done some really good things.

  "I think Brick is an NFL head coach, whether it's here moving forward or down the line. I mean, he's a leader of men, and I'll stand by him. I'd love to play for him until the end. So have a lot of love and respect for him."

• Carsley focusing on positives after nine England drop-outs

  Lee Carsley wants the England players at his disposal to "make the most of the situation" after nine others dropped out through injury.

  Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite on Wednesday became latest player to withdraw from the Nations League games with Greece and Republic of Ireland.

  Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale and Levi Colwill have also dropped out.

  England captain Harry Kane has admitted to being unhappy with the large number of withdrawals for interim boss Carsley's final two games in charge.

  However, Carsley attempted to put a positive spin on the situation when speaking at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday ahead of facing Greece.

  "The focus all camp has been on the players that are here and it's important that we make the most of the situation," he told reporters.

  "With the amount of players that have pulled out, it gives other players an opportunity to be here.

  "We're really looking forward to the game and it's going to be a tough test for us and the focus has been purely on the players that are here.

  "With the amount of pull-outs we've had in the window, historically it's been like that in the past - November has always been a challenging window.

  "But the culture that Gareth [Southgate], Steve [Holland] and the rest of the lads created has made it a really positive environment and the players that are here thoroughly deserve to be here."

  Grealish was one of the first players to withdraw from the squad, having been called up despite not playing for club side Manchester City since 20 October.

  City boss Pep Guardiola questioned England's decision to include Grealish in their squad as he recovers from injury, but Carsley insisted he was justified in doing so.

  "The medical teams are constantly talking throughout squad selection, regardless of whether there are games or not," Carsley said.

  "We are constantly getting updates. The medical departments have brilliant communication between club and country.

  "It was always the case we were going to get the players who were potentially going to miss out in to the assessed. Jack was one of them. He was assessed and sent back and it was as clear as that."

  England trail Group B2 leaders Greece by three points with two rounds of fixtures to play, having lost the reverse fixture 2-1 at Wembley last month.

  The Three Lions have won on all four of their previous trips to face Greece, doing so by an aggregate score of 9-1 - only against Luxembourg (5/5) do they hold a better 100% win rate away from home.

  However, Greece are on the longest active winning run of any European nation in all competitions (five games) and could win six consecutive matches for the first time November 2013.

  Carsley, who will step aside for Thomas Tuchel after next week's home match with Republic of Ireland, said: "We're expecting a tough game against Greece and it’s one we have to win.

  "But we're really looking forward to it, we've had a good week's training, the players are in good spirits and it's going to be a sell out with a great atmosphere.

  "We've had to wait four or five weeks for this, but this next window is so important to us, not just tomorrow but Republic of Ireland as well, so it's a great challenge for us."

• Indianapolis Colts turning back to QB Richardson

  The Indianapolis Colts are reversing course once again in their search for stability at the quarterback position, as head coach Shane Steichen announced Wednesday that Anthony Richardson has regained the starting job for the remainder of the season.

  Steichen said Richardson will be under center for Sunday's key game against the New York Jets. The 2023 No. 4 overall pick was benched in favour of veteran Joe Flacco for the team's two previous contests, losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills.

  "He will start this week," Steichen said of Richardson. "He will start the rest of the season, and we're going to go from there."

  Richardson was removed from the starting role after noticeably struggling in Indianapolis' 23-20 loss to the AFC South-rival Houston Texans in Week 8, a game in which he completed just 31.3 per cent of his pass attempts and had two turnovers.

  The offence has failed to receive a spark from Flacco, however, as the 39-year-old managed just 179 passing yards in the loss to Minnesota and was intercepted three times in last week's 30-20 defeat to the Bills.

  Steichen told reporters on Monday that Flacco would remain the starter, but said he changed his mind after witnessing improvement in Richardson's work habits and focus.

  "I've said the process, the process for a long time, and what I mean by that is the attention to detail in everything [Richardson] does," Steichen said Wednesday. "From the classrooms, to the walk-throughs to practice, the weight room, all those little things just got to be at a higher standard. That was discussed with him two weeks ago. Those were the conversations that took place. And over the last two weeks he's made strides in those areas, big-time strides, becoming a pro's pro.

  "Is he a finished product? No, he's not, and it's my job to help him get there along with the rest of the coaching staff. But he's a hell of a talent. We never lost faith and belief in him and his abilities, and he's shown strides, he really has."

  Richardson's second NFL season has been plagued by inconsistent play. Among all quarterbacks with at least 125 pass attempts in 2024, the 22-year-old ranks last in completion percentage (44.4), interception percentage (5.3) and passer rating (57.2).

  Staying healthy has also been an issue for the former University of Florida standout. He missed two games in October with an oblique injury and had his rookie campaign cut short after four starts due to a sprained right shoulder that required surgery.

  The Colts enter Sunday's matchup having lost three straight games and are a game back of the Denver Broncos in the race for the AFC's final play-off spot.