NFL NOTEBOOK

CINCINNATI — With seven games remaining, there’s no indication that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer will play in any of them.

The Bengals acknowledged on Monday that Palmer will miss his fifth straight game because of an injured passing elbow. Ryan Fitzpatrick will start in his place against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Palmer hurt the elbow during a 26-23 overtime loss to the Giants in the third week of the season and played in only one more game. He has been doing rehabilitation work to try to get the elbow healthy enough to play again this season.

During the team’s bye weekend, Palmer went back to California and had the elbow checked out. He declined to be interviewed Monday, saying through a team spokesman that nothing had changed.

The Bengals (1-8) got their first win without Palmer in their last game, a 21-19 victory over Jacksonville. Fitzpatrick threw a pair of touchdown passes to Chad Ocho Cinco and had his best game yet as the starting quarterback.

Notes

BUCCANEERS: Carnell “Cadillac” Williams wore a smile that matched the enthusiasm in coach Jon Gruden’s voice. Tampa Bay’s fourth-year running back feels he’s “good to go” after being sidelined more than 13 months with a serious knee injury, and his coach is equally excited about his impending return. The Buccaneers have until Wednesday to decide if Williams, who began the season on the physically unable to perform list, will be activated to the 53-man roster.

CHIEFS: A woman filed a lawsuit against Kansas City running back Larry Johnson a month after claiming he spit a drink in her face at a bar and threatened to kill her and her boyfriend. The lawsuit, filed by 24-year-old Ashley N. Stewart, accuses the two-time Pro Bowler of negligence, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Johnson was charged last month with simple assault for the incident that occurred Oct. 10 at Kansas City’s Club Blonde.

JAGUARS: The man charged with shooting Jacksonville offensive lineman Richard Collier 14 times has pleaded not guilty. Tyrone Romaro Hartsfield stood silently as public defender Ann Finnell entered pleas of not guilty on Monday to charges of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The 32-year-old Harstfield was charged in the Sept. 2 shooting that left Collier paralyzed from the waist down and resulted in the amputation of his left leg.
JETS: Ty Law is back with New York — just in time to play against the New England Patriots. The five-time Pro Bowl cornerback agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Jets after sitting out the first 10 weeks of the season as a free agent. The 34-year-old Law, who has 52 career interceptions, played for the Jets in 2005 before spending the past two seasons with Kansas City. He garnered interest from New York and New England, where he played the first 10 years of his NFL career.
PATRIOTS: Adalius Thomas is the latest New England starter who might miss time after the linebacker suffered what could be a long-term arm injury. Thomas didn’t return after leaving the Patriots 20-10 win over the Buffalo Bills midway through the second quarter Sunday. The Patriots said only that he hurt his arm, but ESPN.com, quoting unnamed sources, reported Thomas broke his left forearm and “likely” will miss the rest of the season.

SAINTS: Cornerback Mike McKenzie’s fractured right kneecap will keep him out for the rest of the season. Saints head coach Sean Payton said McKenzie will have surgery this week and be placed on injured reserve. Later in the day, the Saints claimed recently released Washington cornerback Leigh Torrence off of waivers, giving him McKenzie’s roster spot. Coming back from a right knee ligament tear late in 2007, McKenzie sat out the Saints’ first two games of the regular season, but played in the past seven and started six.