NFL notebook: Eagles place RB Ajayi on injured reserve

It appears the season is over for the Philadelphia Eagles' leading rusher, running back Jay Ajayi. The Eagles announced Monday that they placed Ajayi on injured reserve with a knee injury. Multiple media outlets reported Ajayi suffered a torn ACL, which would be a season-ending injury. He had eight carries for 29 yards and a fumble on Sunday and has 184 rushing yards for the season. Ajayi's roster spot was filled by defensive tackle T.Y. McGill, who was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Chargers. The loss of Ajayi, who becomes a free agent after this season, is another major blow for a team that has struggled to score points in its first five games. The Eagles have scored fewer than 24 points in each of their games. --San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida had an MRI to determine the severity of his ankle injury. The test showed that Breida has only a mid-ankle sprain, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reported. The 49ers have not ruled out Breida for Monday night's game yet. Breida was injured on a run during the first quarter of Sunday's 28-18 setback to the Arizona Cardinals. The 23-year-old attempted to cut to the left, stumbled and went to the ground, where he immediately clutched at his left ankle. Maiocco noted that Breida could sit out additional time so that the injury will "not be something that bothers him throughout the rest of the season." Breida has 49 carries for 369 yards and one touchdown in five games this season. --Cleveland Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins has a sprained MCL and will be evaluated after two weeks, coach Hue Jackson said. Higgins injured his knee during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 12-9 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens. The victory improved the Browns to 2-2-1 and snapped their 18-game winless streak in the AFC North. The 24-year-old Higgins will miss the team's next two games, a home contest against the Los Angeles Chargers as well as a road tilt versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Higgins had three catches for 66 yards against the Ravens, including a 19-yard touchdown reception. He has 16 receptions and 244 yards this season. --Mason Crosby endured the worst day of his professional career, but Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said he still believes in his kicker. Crosby misfired on four of five field-goal attempts and missed an extra point to boot in the Packers' 31-23 setback to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The field goal he made came from 41 yards out in the waning moments in the contest. "I think if Mason were here," McCarthy said, "he'd lock it down to he's got to focus on what he can control, and he's got to make those kicks. "He's a proven, highly successful kicker. I still believe in him. He knows it; he has to make those kicks. It's a different game at halftime (if he makes them)." --Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera is thrilled for the return of linebacker Thomas Davis, who saw his four-game suspension come to an end. Rivera said Davis will be in the starting lineup as the Panthers (3-1) face the Washington Redskins (2-1) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET). Rivera said a "pitch count" is in order for Davis, who started this season by sitting out the first four games as a result of an NFL suspension for violating the league's policy on the use performance-enhancing substances. The 35-year-old is not under contract for the 2019 season, but he has played 12 campaigns for Carolina. --Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin could be writing a check for his comments on officiating following Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent has reached out to Tomlin regarding his comments, and the situation is being reviewed for a fine, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. Per Rapoport, post-game comments are often given more latitude because of the emotion involved. Tomlin was asked about Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree's penalty for illegal use of the hands following his team's 41-17 romp over the Falcons. The clubs combined for 14 penalties, with each being flagged for seven of them. "Those look like legitimate calls, we got to be better there, but some of the other stuff, man, is a joke," Tomlin told reporters, via the Steelers' official website. "We got to get better as a National Football League. "Man, these penalties are costing people games and jobs. We got to get them correct, and so I'm (angry) about it, to be quite honest with you, but that's all I'm going to say on it." --Chad Johnson applauded A.J. Green after the latter passed him in the Cincinnati Bengals' record book. Green had six receptions for 112 yards during the Bengals' 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Reaching triple digits in passing yards is nothing new for Green, who has done so on 32 occasions during his career -- one more than Johnson. NFL Research announced Green's accomplishment over Twitter. Johnson later showed his appreciation for Green by responding to the tweet with a "goat" emoji, thus labeling him as the "greatest of all time" on the franchise. Green's last catch on Sunday was a 15-yard pass over the middle that put the Bengals inside the Miami 10 on the go-ahead touchdown drive.