Week 2 of the NFL season was exciting, as there was a game for every kind of fan. There were defensive slugfests, high-scoring affairs and chaotic endings. However, despite the entertaining action that captivated fans this past week, injuries also happened — and there were a lot of them.
Unfortunately, some teams have learned that they will be without certain star-caliber players for the time being. The Cleveland Browns’ depth at wide receiver shrinks, as they put Jarvis Landry on the injured reserve list because of a medial collateral ligament sprain. The Houston Texans put quarterback Tyrod Taylor on the IR because of a hamstring injury — and we saw how that impacted them Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers.
The San Francisco 49ers’ running back room is banged up, with every ball carrier having some kind of injury. Let’s not forget the Philadelphia Eagles, who put offensive lineman Brandon Brooks (pectoral) and defensive end Brandon Graham (ruptured Achilles) on IR as well.
That is only the beginning of the injury news heading into the weekend. Our NFL team reporters are back to give you the biggest names on the injury report and their status entering Week 3.
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Injury: Ribs
It’s likely — very likely, in fact — that Hopkins plays Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but not practicing all week does cause a bit of concern for his game-day status. Coach Kliff Kingsbury said the next 48 hours are crucial but that Hopkins will be a game-time decision. — Josh Weinfuss
Injury: Ankle
Gage got hurt last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is considered “week-to-week.” The Falcons can replace him in a multitude of ways, from lining running back Cordarrelle Patterson or tight ends Kyle Pitts or Hayden Hurst outside to using Olamide Zaccheaus or Tajae Sharpe in a larger role. The bet, in coach Arthur Smith’s offense, is they do a combination of all of it opposite Calvin Ridley. — Michael Rothstein
Injury: Concussion
Terrell, Atlanta’s top cornerback, didn’t practice all week and is out Sunday against the New York Giants. It could cause Atlanta problems trying to cover Kenny Golladay, a tall receiver who doesn’t often get separation. The Falcons will use T.J. Green, who converted from safety in the offseason, to replace Terrell in the lineup.
Injury: Knee
Coach Sean McDermott described Wallace as “trending in the right direction” Friday, and he fully practiced to close out the week. However, he was listed on the final injury report as questionable. Wallace missed most of the Week 2 game vs. the Miami Dolphins because of cramping. Fellow cornerback Dane Jackson is also questionable for the game with a knee injury. Wallace appears more likely to play vs. Washington in Week 3 than not, but two questionable players at any position are worth keeping an eye on. — Alaina Getzenberg
Injury: Knee
Dalton is out for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns because of a left knee injury. That opens the door for Bears rookie Justin Fields to make his first career NFL regular-season start. Bears coach Matt Nagy said he does not envision Dalton going on injured reserve and that when healthy, Dalton is still Chicago’s starting quarterback. — Jeff Dickerson
Injury: Shoulder
Higgins was officially listed as doubtful for Sunday’s AFC North battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he did practice on Friday after not participating earlier in the week. Despite the ominous designation, it’s an encouraging sign for the second-year receiver. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the team will wait as long as possible before making a final decision on Higgins’ game status. This one will be worth watching right up to kickoff — and it wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up playing. — Ben Baby
Injury: Ribs
Cooper was limited in the first two practices of the week because of a rib injury that first cropped up in the opener and was aggravated late in last week’s win at the Los Angeles Chargers. He was a full participant for Friday’s practice, however. Head coach Mike McCarthy expressed confidence that Cooper will be available against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the receiver has not always put up big numbers when banged up. However, since it is the Eagles, perhaps that will change. He has more catches (33) and yards (614) in his career against Philadelphia than against any other team. He also has three 100-yard games vs. the Eagles since joining the Cowboys. — Todd Archer
Injury: Hip
Patrick, who has turned eight targets into seven receptions and two touchdowns this season, was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday. Unless he has an unexpected setback, he is likely to play Sunday against the New York Jets. Another Denver wideout, Courtland Sutton (hip), was also limited in Wednesday’s practice but practiced fully on Thursday. — Jeff Legwold
Injury: Concussion
The Lions placed Williams on the reserve/injured list Thursday. He will miss his second straight week with a concussion stemming from a hard hit he took during the Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Williams was expected to be the Lions’ top receiver entering this season, but in his absence, Quintez Cephus has emerged as a solid option in the offense with more targets from Jared Goff. — Eric Woodyard
Injury: Ankle
If Jenkins can’t play, the Packers would be down to their third option protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blindside Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Coach Matt LaFleur listed Jenkins as doubtful. The Pro Bowl left guard has been filling in at left tackle for All-Pro David Bakhtiari, who started the season on the physically unable to perform list while recovering from ACL surgery in January. Jenkins suffered an ankle injury late in Monday night’s win over the Detroit Lions but managed to finish the game. — Rob Demovsky
Injury: Ankle
Jacobs dealt with turf toe in training camp, was sick entering Week 1 and has not practiced in two weeks after suffering an ankle injury in the opener. He’s officially listed as doubtful to play against the Miami Dolphins. In any event, Las Vegas, which has the third-worst running attack in the NFL despite having the top-ranked total offense, has to be more balanced against Miami. This means Las Vegas’ constantly reshuffled O-line and running backs Peyton Barber and Kenyan Drake must step up. “We’ve got to get them some better looks in the running game,” said Raiders coach Jon Gruden. “We misfired on some assignments … we’ve got to block better. We’ve got to call better plays. We’ve got to execute better. Running the ball these first couple of weeks has been, obviously, not good enough.” — Paul Gutierrez
Injury: Foot/Ankle
Bosa is listed as questionable against the Kansas City Chiefs, but knowing how tough he is, I bet he plays. — Shelley Smith
Injury: Calf
Jones is listed as doubtful because of a calf injury.
Injury: Shoulder
Jones, a veteran presence in the Chargers’ secondary, is out of Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.
Injury: Ribs
Rams coach Sean McVay says Henderson will be a game-time decision as he continues to deal with a rib cartilage injury that he suffered in the fourth quarter of a Week 2 win over the Indianapolis Colts. “It’s a pain-tolerance thing,” McVay said Friday. “We want to use as much time as we have, but we’ve got contingency plans in place.” If Henderson is unable to play, watch for Sony Michel to start and for rookie Jake Funk to also play some snaps. — Lindsey Thiry
Injury: Fractured ribs
Dolphins coach Brian Flores ruled Tagovailoa out early in the week, paving the way for Jacoby Brissett to make his first start since the 2019 season finale. Flores called Tagovailoa “day-to-day,” so his availability moving forward is yet to be determined. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Injury: Ankle
After being sidelined Wednesday and Thursday, Cook got a little work done at practice on Friday and is listed as questionable for the Vikings’ contest against the Seattle Seahawks. Earlier in the week, coach Mike Zimmer indicated that Cook would really have to be hurting to be ruled out of the game, so it’s possible this decision will be made after the running back goes through a workout pregame to determine whether he can go. Asked whether he feels running back is a position in which a player can sit out of practice for a week and be ready to go on game day, Zimmer said, “If you’re asking about Dalvin, I think Dalvin can.” — Courtney Cronin
Injury: Finger
The Patriots’ No. 1 rusher was limited all week in practice and wore white gloves during brief media-access-viewing periods, which was unusual for him. The good news is that he was taken off the injury report Friday and should be ready to go on Sunday. — Mike Reiss
Injury: Calf
McCoy has been ruled out for the second straight week with a calf injury, which is obviously relevant considering how badly the Saints struggled with protection and communication issues last week while gaining just 128 yards at Carolina. However, we saw them dominate Green Bay in Week 1 even after McCoy got hurt on the opening drive, with second-year guard (and former college center) Cesar Ruiz sliding over to replace McCoy. The Saints have insisted they can clean up the communication issues after focusing on them all week in practice. The Patriots will definitely put that to the test Sunday by trying to confuse and overwhelm New Orleans up front. — Mike Triplett
Injury: Calf
Engram is likely to make his first appearance of the season. His debut is just in time for the Atlanta Falcons, who have again struggled against opposing tight ends. Atlanta has allowed 12 receptions for 144 yards and three touchdowns to tight ends already this season. Engram has been limited in practice this week and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. — Jordan Raanan
Injury: Pectoral
Roethlisberger, who was limited in practice Thursday because of a pectoral injury, participated in full on Friday. He doesn’t have an injury designation for Sunday. — Brooke Pryor
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Injury: Groin
Watt said he did enough work during the week that the “door is open” for him to play Sunday, and he’s listed as questionable. That’s not the case for fellow OLB Alex Highsmith, who missed practice all week with a lingering groin injury and was ruled out for Sunday. Watt declined to say just how much the door is open, but at the very least, the outside linebacker depth will be reduced. The next man up is former undrafted free-agent Jamir Jones, who could have an expanded role on Sunday.
Injury: Knee
Johnson, who injured a knee on the last play of Sunday’s loss to the Raiders, is also out for Sunday.
Injury: Shoulder
This is as much about the running back position as a whole as it is Mitchell. He did not practice much this week and is listed as doubtful for Sunday against the Packers. But coach Kyle Shanahan is holding out hope that Mitchell will be able to play, in part because the Niners don’t have many proven options at the position. One back who will be available is fellow rookie Trey Sermon, who cleared concussion protocol and is the likely starter just two weeks after he was a healthy scratch. With Raheem Mostert gone for the season and JaMycal Hasty out with a high left ankle sprain, it would be good news for the Niners to have Sermon and Mitchell available against the Packers. The other options? Trenton Cannon, Jacques Patrick and possible practice squad call-ups Kerryon Johnson and Chris Thompson, all of whom could figure into the mix, depending on Mitchell’s availability. — Nick Wagoner
Injury: Knee
Dupree is listed as questionable after not practicing on Wednesday and Friday, and he was a limited participant on Thursday. He is now nine months removed from tearing an ACL. That time frame is enough distance from the injury to expect him to be recovered. Coach Mike Vrabel said the story with Dupree comes down to how the knee responds to the pounding it takes on game day. Dupree played 75% of the defensive snaps against the Seattle Seahawks last week and 68% of the snaps in the season opener. — Turron Davenport
Injury: Knee
Ioannidis plays a key role in Washington’s interior pass rush, which will be crucial vs. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen. Ioannidis hurt the knee in the Sept. 17 win over the New York Giants but returned to play in the game. However, the knee tightened up later and he was unable to practice this week. He’s listed as questionable. Washington can win without him, but its interior rotation is much better with him. — John Keim