NFL notes

PITTSBURGH -- Josh Scobee's miserable fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens cost him his job.

The Steelers cut the veteran kicker on Saturday, less than 48 hours after two late missed field goals by Scobee helped the Ravens rally for a 23-20 overtime victory.

Pittsburgh replaced Scobee on the roster with Chris Boswell, who has spent time with the Houston Texans and New York Giants but has never kicked in a regular-season game.

The Steelers acquired Scobee from Jacksonville on Aug. 31 in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft following injuries to Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley in the preseason. Scobee, the leading scorer in Jacksonville history, made 6 of 10 field goals and also missed an extra point.

LIONS

RB Bell out for MNF

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Detroit running back Joique Bell has been ruled out of the Lions' game Monday night at Seattle because of an ankle injury.

Bell managed 6 yards on 10 carries last weekend in a home loss to Denver, and rookie Ameer Abdullah has looked like more of a threat with the ball all season.

The Lions also ruled out tight end Brandon Pettigrew (hamstring), and listed linebacker DeAndre Levy (hip) as doubtful.

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah (groin) and guard Larry Warford (ankle) are questionable.

RAVENS

WR Givens acquired

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens have obtained wide receiver Chris Givens from the St. Louis Rams for a conditional draft pick.

Baltimore desperately needed help at the position because of injuries, and they're hoping Givens can help. Now in his fourth NFL season, Givens has 88 catches for 1,433 yards and 4 touchdowns.

He also returned kickoffs for the Rams.

The trade came after Baltimore lost two receivers during Thursday's victory over Pittsburgh. Steve Smith hurt his back and is listed as day-to-day, and Michael Campanaro was placed on injured reserve Saturday with a back issue.

Givens was originally selected by St. Louis out of Wake Forest in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

GIANTS

TE moved up

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants have signed tight end Will Tye off their practice squad, a move necessitated by injuries.

The team announced the move Saturday. To make room on their roster, the Giants terminated defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis' contract.

Tye, who played collegiately at Stony Brook, was originally signed as a rookie free agent May 11. He was waived Sept. 1 and signed to the practice squad six days later.

Larry Donnell and Tye will be the available tight ends today against the Buffalo Bills.

Two other Giants' tight ends, Daniel Fells and Jerome Cunningham, did not travel with the team to Buffalo.

Fells caught three passes in the Giants' victory over Washington last week, but will miss today's game because of an ankle injury. Cunningham will miss his second consecutive game with a knee injury.

BEARS

Punter in; DT out

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears signed punter Spencer Lanning and waived defensive tackle Brandon Dunn on Saturday.

Punter Pat O'Donnell has a right knee injury and is questionable for the Bears' home game today against Oakland.

Lanning appeared in 32 games in 2013-2014 with Cleveland, punting 177 times for a 44.1-yard average and 38.6 net average.

Dunn had six tackles in four games in two seasons with Chicago.

PACKERS

WR Abbrederis added

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Packers have promoted Jared Abbrederis from the practice squad to help bolster depth in the receiving corps.

General Manager Ted Thompson made the move Saturday after receiver Davante Adams was downgraded from questionable to doubtful for Green Bay's game today at San Francisco. Adams has a sprained left ankle.

Safety Morgan Burnett also was downgraded to doubtful because of a calf injury.

Defensive tackle Bruce Gaston was released to make room on the 53-man roster for Abbrederis, who was drafted in the fifth round in 2014 but missed last season with a torn right ACL.

Veteran defensive lineman Letroy Guion also has returned to the active roster after serving a three-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Sports on 10/04/2015

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