Week 1 was supposed to be about fresh starts and the first glimpse of what NFL teams had prepared all offseason. Instead, as the New England Patriots clashed with the Seattle Seahawks, star wide receiver A.J. Brown suffered a major ankle injury. The injury bug is wasting no time making its presence felt, so with the rest of the league yet to take the field, let’s take a look at which key players are already at risk of missing time.
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“Just in: The #Patriots have placed WR AJ Brown on IR due to a high-ankle sprain suffered on Wednesday night, per @AdamSchefter. He will miss at least the next 4 games: vs. PIT, at JAX, at BUF, and vs. LV,” reported NFL insider Ari Meirov on Friday.
The Patriots have suffered one of the biggest blows, losing their newly acquired WR A.J. Brown to an ankle injury. The WR joined the Patriots after spending four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and was expected to become a centerpiece of New England’s passing attack.
The injury hit him during New England’s 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, when Seahawks CB Nehemiah Pritchett’s knee landed on the outside of Brown’s right ankle. Brown had three catches for 26 yards before leaving the game. He won’t be joining the team for at least four games.
Unfortunately, the damage didn’t end with A.J. Brown. Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold was also forced out with a hip injury. Initially, the team feared a season-ending fracture. But later, tests brought much-needed relief by officially ruling out a broken bone.
Instead, Darnold is dealing with an unusual muscle strain. He’s set to miss Seattle’s Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on September 20, with the team expected to provide a clear timeline for his recovery once practice resumes.
The San Francisco 49ers also went through a major setback against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. Defensive tackle Alfred Collins was ruled out ahead of the matchup due to a knee injury and has been placed on injured reserve, while rookie WR De’Zhan Stribling was carted off the field after an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Atlanta’s QB situation has taken another unexpected turn. Tua Tagovailoa managed to become the Week 1 starter but was ruled out because of a right oblique injury. Instead, Cooper Rush will now start against the Pittsburgh Steelers as Michael Penix Jr. remains unavailable.
“Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered an oblique injury, is experiencing enough discomfort that he will miss Sunday’s game vs the Steelers. Cooper Rush will start. Michael Penix Jr. is getting closer, but he’s not there yet,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on X.
The Las Vegas Raiders are also dealing with a notable absence ahead of their opener. TE Brock Bowers is out after undergoing a knee procedure and is expected to miss at least the opening game, which creates another offensive hurdle for the Raiders.
The Dallas Cowboys will enter their opener without left guard Tyler Smith, who was placed on injured reserve after suffering a thumb injury and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
With more Week 1 games approaching, the injury list can grow before the weekend ends, leaving several teams scrambling to rebuild their game plans before the season even fully gets underway.