Font ResizePro Bowl running back Matt Forte will sit out the Chicago Bears' game against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday because of a sprained right ankle.
Coach Lovie Smith said Friday that Forte "is making a lot of progress" but isn't ready to play.
Forte appeared to twist his right ankle while being tackled against Green Bay last week. That leaves Chicago without one of its top offensive players.
Former Raiders running back Michael Bush figures to be the Bears' primary ball carrier.
Panthers: Receiver Steve Smith said he "lit into" Cam Newton about his actions on the sideline Thursday when the young quarterback was replaced late in the fourth quarter of a 36-7 loss to the New York Giants.
Smith said he was upset when Newton sulked on the bench instead of getting up to watch backup Derek Anderson and trying to learn from his own mistakes.
"I don't want to be passive and not do it, because if I don't do it, who will?" said Smith, a team captain. "The same way with my son, I can't expect somebody else (to do that). So, yeah, I lit into him because I thought it was an opportunity for him to see and understand what was going on. This is more than about playing football. It's about becoming a man and understanding what this is."
Newton declined to comment through the team's public relations staff.
Vikings: Linebacker Erin Henderson will miss the game against the
Jaguars: Quarterback Blaine Gabbert, recovering from a buttocks injury, practiced for the third consecutive day and will start at Indianapolis.
Buccaneers: Former Stanford wide receiver Chris Owusu was signed by Tampa Bay off the San Diego Chargers' practice squad.
Backup receiver Sammie Stroughter was placed on injured reserve because of a right-foot injury.
Jets: Linebacker Bart Scott and a magazine reporter needed to be separated by a media relations staffer after the two got into an argument when the reporter tried to take a picture of Scott.
Scott, who has refused to do interviews since Week 1 of the season, was on his way out of the locker room and speaking to another reporter off the record when Dan Leberfeld of Jets Confidential magazine approached the linebacker to snap a picture with his phone to use on his website.
Chad Johnson pleads: Wide receiver Chad Johnson has pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge involving his then-wife Evelyn Lozada.
Johnson was sentenced to a year's probation and a counseling course under a plea deal with prosecutors in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Johnson also must pay Lozada unspecified restitution.
Johnson was cut by the Miami Dolphins shortly after the incident and is not on an NFL roster.
Officials update: The NFL and its locked-out officials met for two days this week, but a person familiar with the negotiations said the sides remain far apart and no further talks are scheduled.
