Andrew Dawson, Staff Writer |
The San Francisco 49ers are currently two and two, but due to injuries to several key players their losses may continue to pile up. The National Football Conference (NFC) champions had several injured players during their week two matchup against the New York Jets, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, defensive end Nick Bosa and running back Raheem Mostert. Starting tight end George Kittle was sidelined for that game due to a sprained knee. These athletes play important positions for their team, making it difficult to replace them. Several 49ers blamed the injuries on the field conditions of MetLife Stadium. Mostert told the National Football League (NFL) to shut MetLife Stadium down after all the injuries that occurred. Mostert left the game early due to an MCL sprain and told the NFL “the turf in MetLife [Stadium] is horrible.” The NFL acted on these complaints by investigating the field but deemed it safe to play on.
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley’s season is over due to a torn ACL injury in his week two game against the Chicago Bears. The injury occurred on the first play of the second quarter when he was running the ball towards the Bears’ endzone. Barkley was hit by Bears safety Eddie Jackson, resulting in what appeared to be a routine tackle. But he couldn’t get up and had to be helped off the field by his teammates. This injury is a big loss as the Giants continue to struggle. They are currently winless and losing their all-pro running back for the year, this may ruin the rest of their season.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor is out indefinitely after the team doctor accidentally punctured his lung while trying to administer a pain-killing injection to his cracked ribs. The injury took place hours before kickoff against their week 2 matchup versus the Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL Players Association is currently investigating the medical mishap that took place. Charger’s coach Anthony Lynn told reporters that the injury is not career-threatening and “the doctor just made a mistake.” Lynn added, “It happens… Tyrod’s not angry or upset.” Rookie quarterback Justin Herbert has replaced Taylor for the past two weeks and has played well. He forced an overtime game against the defending Super Bowl Champions and almost beat the undefeated Chiefs. While fans are pleased with Herbert’s performance and want to continue to see how the rookie plays, head coach Lynn stated that Taylor will be the starter when he is healthy.
COVID-19 continues to cause problems for the NFL, forcing them to postpone the Pittsburg Steelers and Tennessee Titans week four matchup. The Steelers were scheduled to play the Titans in Nashville but eight of the Titans players contracted COVID-19. These athletes include Beau Brinkley, Jefferey Simmons, Adam Humphries and many others. Head Coach Mike Vrabel stated that several of the players who have tested positive are experiencing flu-like symptoms. The NFL has officially shutdown the Titans’ practice facility until further notice and rescheduled the game for week seven. Now the Titans and Steelers currently have a week four bye week instead of having it later in the season. Many of the Steelers players including defensive tackle Cameron Heyward are frustrated about the change in their schedule. Heyward tweeted, “man is this our bye week or not?” after reports about the NFL changing their schedule. When reporters asked Head Coach Mike Tomlin how he feels about having their bye week changed, he responded, “we don’t care.” Both the Steelers and the Titans will have to play 13 straight games until the end of the regular season.
Patriots starting quarterback Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19 according to reports on Thursday, Oct. 1. Newton has officially been placed on the injured reserve list and he will not be able to play until his quarantine is over. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season unfolds as players continue to test positive and games continue to get shuffled around.
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