NFL sees injuries pile up in Week 2
As careful as the NFL has been about preventing an outbreak of the coronavirus within the league, one thing it can’t control is a rash of major on-field injuries. And that’s what it got Sunday.
Injuries often are the great equalizer in a collision sport such as football. It’s particularly upending when they come in bunches at the same position. Or when it comes in bunches everywhere on the roster.
The San Francisco 49ers might have been hit the hardest this week — and they didn’t have all-pro tight end George Kittle and standout cornerback Richard Sherman to begin with.
In a 31-13 victory over the New York Jets, the 49ers lost two starters on the defensive line to knee injuries: Nick Bosa, the 2019 defensive rookie of the year out of Ohio State, and Solomon Thomas. Neither situation looks good.
They also saw quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined for the second half with a right ankle problem. Top running back Raheem Mostert, who opened the game with an 80-yard touchdown run, hurt his knee, too, and his backup, Tevin Coleman, also left the win at the Jets.
With San Francisco scheduled back at the Meadowlands on Sunday against the Giants, coach Kyle Shanahan could be in scramble mode.
“You have mixed emotions when you lose some guys like that,” said Shanahan, who questioned the quality of the turf at Metlife Stadium. “When you do lose some good guys like we did, that’ll probably be for a while, we need guys to get better.”
Among the players who won’t be getting better anytime soon after a brutal day in the NFL is Giants star running back Saquon Barkley, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will likely miss the rest of the season.
The 2018 offensive rookie of the year went down hard on the Chicago sideline after trying to fend off Bears safety Eddie Jackson on a 6-yard carry early in the second quarter. He dragged his right leg behind him as he was helped back across the field to the Giants sideline.
“Obviously, Saquon is one of the best running backs in this league, so nobody’s going to be able to do what he does,” said his backup, veteran Dion Lewis. “We gotta do what we can do, be ourselves and work hard every day.”
Another top running back, all-pro Christian Mccaffrey, who is perhaps the most versatile offensive player in the league, departed Carolina’s loss to the Buccaneers with a right ankle injury and is expected to miss multiple weeks.
“It’s tough when you don’t have your best players on the field,” Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said.
Also missing — deep breath — for portions of games were wideouts Davante Adams of the Packers (hamstring); former OSU standout Parris Campbell of the Colts (carted off with a leg injury); the Giants’ Sterling Shepard (toe); and the Broncos’ Courtland Sutton (knee).
Quarterbacks also took a hit. Tyrod Taylor didn’t start the Los Angeles Chargers’ game against Kansas City after suffering a chest injury before kickoff. And Denver’s Drew Lock suffered a first-quarter injury to his right (throwing) shoulder in a loss at Pittsburgh. Among the others sidelined: • Already depleted against the 49ers without running back Le’veon Bell and receiver Jamison Crowder, the Jets saw receivers Breshad Perriman (ankle) and Chris Hogan (ribs), cornerbacks Quincy Wilson (concussion) and Arthur Maulet (groin) and center Connor Mcgovern fail to make the finish.
• The Chiefs lost defensive end Frank Clark (illness) and cornerback Antonio Hamilton (groin).
• Indianapolis, which lost top running back Marlon Mack to an Achilles injury last week, saw safety Malik Hooker leave a win over Minnesota with a similar issue. The Colts also played without cornerback Rock Ya-sin, who was sent to the hospital with a pregame stomach ailment.
• Minnesota was minus running back Mike Boone (concussion) and linebacker Anthony Barr at the end of the game. Barr, a four-time Pro Bowler, will miss the remainder of the season because of a torn pectoral muscle, coach Mike Zimmer said Monday.
• Up front in the trenches, Washington guard Brandon Scherff left early in Arizona with a knee injury. The Rams’ Joe Noteboom (calf), the Eagles’ Isaac Seumalo (knee), Packers center Corey Linsley of OSU (hand) and Jaguars center Brandon Linder (knee) also went down with injuries.
• Yet another former Ohio State player, defensive end Dre’mont Jones of the Broncos, suffered a knee injury against Pittsburgh.
NFL teams are accustomed to losing players; sometimes the race to the Lombardi Trophy is more for the survivors rather than the most talented clubs. The additional problem in 2020 is, well, it’s 2020.
While the league’s precautions against COVID-19 have thus far worked well, the injury toll is likely to mount. There was little on-field preparation during the summer and no preseason games — virtually no contact in a contact sport.
Nor could players use team facilities to stay in shape, which made soft-tissue injuries more likely to occur.
What occurred Sunday, though, is more ominous. Serious injuries sidelining key players for weeks or months — or the rest of the schedule — are worrisome for the players getting hurt, of course. And certain to damage the quality of play.