As teams around the NFL quickly begin to shift for Week 2, Wednesday brought another round of injury updates.
The Seattle Seahawks received some relief news at center as the San Francisco 49ers’ front office deals with another injury, and two more starting quarterbacks landed on the injury report heading into week two.
Sam Darnold avoided a long-term absence despite being ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, while 49ers rookie De’Zhaun Stribling is now facing about 10 weeks on the shelf after ankle surgery. Meanwhile, Joe Burrow is dealing with back strain but appears intent on playing through it, and Kyler Murray took a step forward in his return from concussion protocol with a limited practice.
Here are the latest from around the NFL on Wednesday.
Sam Darnold appears to have avoided a major, long-term setback after exiting Wednesday night’s season opener with a pectoral injury. Head coach Mike Macdonald he told reporters quarterback has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, but more importantly, he won’t be placed on injured reserve.
With IR off the table, the expectation is for Darnold to return to center within a game or two once he’s medically cleared.
Meanwhile, backup Drew Lock will take the reins, and he’s already shown he can hold things together — Lock led a second-half comeback against the Patriots on Wednesday, completing 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown.
Given Lock’s consistent performance in relief, Seattle’s offense shouldn’t lose much of a punch under Macdonald in the short term. However, all eyes now turn to Darnold’s recovery timeline and how quickly the Seahawks can get their starter back on the field.
The San Francisco 49ers officially placed rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling on injured reserve on Wednesday. Stribling underwent ankle surgery and is expected to miss at least two months as he recovers.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan he told reporters Stribling opted for surgery on Wednesday, adding that the team expects him to miss roughly 10 weeks.
Stribling’s loss adds to a growing injury list in the 49ers’ back room, which lost Ricky Pearsall to a season-ending knee injury in training camp. The offense will have to rely on the veteran trio of Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle moving forward.
Stribling first injured his ankle late in the first quarter of the 49ers’ Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Although he returned to action briefly, his night ended in the next drive, when he went down in the second quarter and had to leave the field.
He may have been quiet in Week 1, but Stribling’s impressive training camp proved he belongs in this offense. If the 49ers can navigate a brutal NFC West race without him, his return late in the year could give them a big dynamic boost in time for a playoff run.
Joe Burrow will appear on this week’s injury report, but he isn’t sounding the alarm about his availability for Sunday’s game against the Texans.
The Bengals quarterback was limited during Wednesday’s open portion of practice and he told reporters afterward that he is dealing with back tightness, adding that he is not sure which play from last Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay caused it.
Burrow noted that he didn’t feel any pain until after the game, and while he wasn’t sure if he would be able to train for the rest of the week, he said the status of his game, calling it “ridiculous” suggested he should sit out.
The Bengals travel to face the Houston Texans on Sunday, September 20th.
After an emotional Week 1 comeback win, the Minnesota Vikings head to Chicago to face the Bears. However, who will line up under center remains a big question mark as quarterback Kyler Murray remains in the concussion protocol.
On Wednesday afternoon, coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that Murray would practice in a limited capacity. The Vikings plan to lean on the league and medical staff before clearing Murray.
Murray did not return to the game after taking a nasty hit from a Green Bay Packers defender while sliding. While he remains in the concussion protocol, the expectation is that Carson Wentz will step in to start in Chicago if Murray is not cleared.
Wentz delivered a strong performance off the bench, leading a fourth-quarter comeback to seal a 39-22 victory. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with Justin Jefferson for two of those scores.
