Man, Week 1 was an absolute wild ride, right? High-scoring games everywhere. But as we barrel into Week 2, the NFL is already serving up some brutal injury news. Seriously, the Falcons are already scrambling with their third quarterback this season, and it’s only September. Michael Penix Jr. is still out, recovering from last season’s ACL surgery, and now Tua Tagovailoa is doubtful with an oblique injury he picked up before Week 1. That means Cooper Rush is getting the nod again, which is a tough spot for any team this early.
Burrow Bucks the Trend, Texans Take Hits
On the brighter side, it looks like Joe Burrow might just be playing through his back issue. The Bengals QB was officially questionable against a Houston defense that’s looking to bounce back after a rough Week 1, but coach Zac Taylor gave a pretty strong hint that Burrow would be good to go. And hey, Burrow himself reportedly called the idea of him *not* facing the Texans “ridiculous.” That’s the fire you want to see. The Texans, though, are truly hurting at pass catcher. They’ll be without top wide receiver Nico Collins, who’s got a hamstring issue that popped up in practice this week and has been a problem before. On top of that, Jayden Higgins is already out for the year with an ACL tear, so their receiving corps is getting thin. They’re also down starting offensive lineman Ed Ingram with a groin injury, plus defensive players Jadeveon Clowney (knee) and Jake Hummel (groin) are out. That’s a lot of key guys missing.
Carolina’s Defense Needs to Step Up, Atlanta’s QBs Are Vanishing
Things are also looking pretty grim for the Atlanta Falcons beyond the QB room. Cornerback Billy Bowman Jr. is out with an Achilles injury, and starting guard Chris Lindstrom is questionable with a concussion, though he did practice fully on Friday, which is a good sign. Fellow cornerback A.J. Terrell is also questionable with a shoulder problem but also got a full practice in. For the Panthers, defensive tackle Bobby Brown III is out with a back injury, leaving them a bit thin behind standout Derrick Brown. Their second-round rookie Lee Hunter really stepped up in Week 1 and should see more snaps, which is huge as Carolina’s defense just gave up a whopping 59 points last week. Good news for their offense, though: wide receiver Jalen Coker practiced fully and is clear of his ankle injury. Over in the AFC, the Browns are missing guard Teven Jenkins for the second straight week because of a back issue, and cornerback Tyson Campbell is questionable with an ankle injury. The Buccaneers also have some questionable tags for safety Miles Killebrew (concussion), wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee), and cornerback Jacob Parrish (back).
Week 2 is just getting started, and these injury reports really set the tone. We’ll get the final updates for the Monday Night Football teams, the Rams and Giants, soon enough. You just gotta wonder which teams can rally around their backups and which ones are already showing real cracks. This is early season drama, baby!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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