Sooners in the NFL: Week 15

Former Sooners Find New NFL Homes

Three former Sooners changed teams over the past week.

Defensive end David King was signed by the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 11 from the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad, where he had spent the past two seasons. He made his NFL debut Sunday but did not record any stats in the Seahawks' 17-7 win over San Francisco.

Free agent kicker Garrett Hartley signed with the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 13. Hartley had worked out with other teams prior to signing with Cleveland, but had not appeared in a game since being waived by New Orleans following Week 15 last season. Hartley played for the Saints from 2008-13 and made 82-101 field goals (81.2 percent) and 176-177 extra points (99.4 percent). Though on the active roster, Hartley did not see any playing time in Cleveland's 30-0 loss to Cincinnati this week.

Defensive tackle Casey Walker joined his third team of the season on Dec. 16 when he was signed off the New England Patriots' practice squad by Baltimore. Walker appeared in six games for the Patriots this season with 11 tackles and a sack, but had not played since Week 8. He was signed by the Patriots off Carolina's practice squad on Sept. 27 earlier this year.

McCoy, Carter Placed on Injured Reserve

Tampa Bay defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and Denver safety Quinton Carter were both placed on injured reserve this past week, ending their respective seasons.

McCoy suffered a sprained right knee in the Buccaneers' 19-17 loss to Carolina. He played in and started 13 of 14 games this season and finished with 35 tackles, 8.5 sacks, three passes defended and a forced fumble. McCoy had one tackle in the loss to the Panthers.

Carter was dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired knee that caused him to miss the past two seasons. He appeared in 11 games this season for the Broncos with 21 tackles, including a sack, a pass defended and a forced fumble.

Murray Undergoes Surgery

Running back DeMarco Murray scored touchdowns on runs of one and two yards and gained 81 yards on 31 carries as Dallas topped Philadelphia, 38-27, but the biggest news surrounding the MVP candidate is the surgery he underwent Monday. Murray had surgery on his left hand after suffering a broken bone in the win over the Eagles, but there's still a chance he could be healthy enough to play Sunday.

Murray leads the NFL in rushing attempts (351), rushing attempts per game (25.1), rushing yards (1,687), rushing yards per game (120.5), rushing touchdowns (11), rushes for first downs (78), runs of 20+ yards (14) and runs of 40+ yards (3).

Murray is currently 87 shy of breaking Emmitt Smith's single-season rushing record he set for the Cowboys in 1995.

Also in the game, Dallas tight end James Hanna caught one pass for 12 yards, while Lane Johnson started at right tackle for the Eagles.

Notable Performances

Kenny Stills caught five passes for 67 yards, Jalen Saunders returned three punts for 21 yards and Curtis Lofton had three tackles as New Orleans beat Chicago on Monday night, 31-15 … in the loss for the Bears, cornerback Demontre Hurst made two tackles … Jamell Fleming started at cornerback and had a career-high eight tackles and added two passes defended in Kansas City's 31-13 win over Oakland … Rookie cornerback Aaron Colvin made four tackles for Jacksonville in a 12-10 loss to Baltimore … safety Tony Jefferson recorded four tackles for Arizona in a 12-6 win Thursday night over St. Louis … Davin Joseph started at right guard for the Rams in their loss … running back Damien Williams caught two passes for nine yards as Miami was defeated by New England, 41-13 … in a 24-13 loss to the New York Giants, Trent Williams (left tackle) and Chris Chester (right guard) started on the offensive line and Tress Way had six punts with an average of 45.2 yards per kick for Washington

This and That

The following players also saw action this week but did not record any stats: linebacker Corey Nelson (Denver) and offensive lineman Donald Stephenson (Kansas City) … wide receiver Justin Brown (Pittsburgh), wide receiver Ryan Broyles (Detroit), tight end Jermaine Gresham (Cincinnati), quarterback Landry Jones (Pittsburgh) and defensive tackle Stacy McGee (Oakland) were inactive this week