Achilles’ injury feared for Cousins
Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford, Kenny Pickett, and Tyrod Taylor were the latest quarterbacks to go down with injuries.
Cousins’s injury is likely the worst of the bunch. Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said the team fears the four-time Pro Bowl QB hurt his Achilles’ tendon. If an MRI confirms the tendon is torn, Cousins’s season would be over.
The 35-year-old veteran, who has not missed a game to injury, limped to the sideline after suffering the non-contact injury in the fourth quarter of a 24-10 win at Green Bay. He then was carted to the locker room.
Stafford couldn’t finish a lopsided loss at Dallas because of a thumb injury. He also bloodied his elbow catching a 2-point conversion in the Rams’ 43-20 loss to the Cowboys. Rams coach Sean McVay said he didn’t know the extent of Stafford’s injury.
Pickett and Taylor both injured ribs. Pickett left Pittsburgh’s game in the first half after taking a hard shot from Jaguars defensive end Adam Gotsis. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin didn’t have an update on Pickett’s injury. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson suggested the referees wanted Jacksonville to win, citing the lack of a flag on Pickett’s injury among the reasons.
“They should get fined for making terrible calls. That’s how [mad] I am because they cost us the game,” he said. “Y’all are supposed to be protecting us. That’s our quarterback. He got slammed. He’s not allowed to slam anybody.”
Taylor was taken to a hospital to be evaluated after injuring his ribs in the first half of the Giants’ overtime loss to the Jets. The team said Taylor, who started his third game for the injured Daniel Jones, would remain hospitalized overnight.
Levis puts on a show
Tennessee rookie quarterback Will Levis threw four touchdown passes for a performance that matched what only two other quarterbacks did in their NFL debuts.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment as a kid my entire life,” said Levis, who finished with 238 yards passing and helped the Titans score their most points since 2021 in beating Atlanta. “Even to just touch the field in an NFL game, let alone get a win, is incredible.”
The Titans (3-4) snapped a two-game skid in their lone stop at home in a seven-week span.
“This was a big win for us, important win at this point in the season,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said with a trip to Pittsburgh up Thursday night.
Levis became the seventh rookie quarterback to start this season, the most to start in the first eight weeks since the NFL merger — excluding the 1987 strike season. Then Levis joined Marcus Mariota in 2015 with the Titans and Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton as the only quarterbacks ever to throw four TD passes in their debuts.
“We obviously knew he could do what he did today,” Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said despite not practicing much with Levis. “And that’s how he practices. That’s how he approaches the game.”
Hopkins, a three-time All-Pro wide receiver, finished with 128 yards and three TDs on four catches. By catching Levis’s first NFL TD pass, Hopkins has done that for four quarterbacks, tying Marvin Harrison and Joey Galloway for the most such receptions ever.
Rodgers pushing
■ Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers dropped back and put some weight on his injured left leg as he threw several passes during warm-ups before his team’s overtime victory over the Giants. That the 39-year-old quarterback, who tore his left Achilles’ tendon four snaps into his Jets debut on Sept. 11, can put weight on his left leg and step into throws nearly seven weeks after being injured is another indication his rehabilitation is progressing well.
■ Carolina kicker Eddy Pineiro made his game-winner against Houston three times. Hoping to redeem himself after missing an extra point in the first half, Pineiro initially lined up for a 38-yarder after Bryce Young moved the Panthers into field-goal range with a 15-play drive. But the Texans’ Tavierre Thomas raced into the backfield well before the ball was snapped and collided with holder Johnny Hekker. The play was ruled dead, with Thomas flagged for unnecessary roughness and offsides.
Pineiro booted his attempt from 28 yards through, but once again the kick was nullified because Thomas was offsides. This time, officials penalized Thomas for unsportsmanlike conduct for intentionally delaying the game, and the ball was moved 5 yards closer. Pineiro lined up and again connected — this time from 23 yards — setting off a celebration as “Sweet Caroline” blared from the sound system at Bank of America Stadium.
■ Christian McCaffrey scored on a 2-yard run in the first quarter of the 49ers’ loss to Cincinnati, giving him at least one TD in 17 straight games, including the playoffs. That tied the NFL record set by Lenny Moore in 1963-64.
■ The Giants finished their overtime loss to the Jets with minus-9 net yards passing, the fewest in a game since the Browns had minus-9 against the Jaguars on Dec. 3, 2000.