5 NFL Injury Storylines Heading Into Week 2

Dak Prescott Fractures Hand, Cooper Rush Next Up

The Cowboys' season has taken a completely different tenor after Week 1 because quarterback Dak Prescott is scheduled to undergo surgery on a right hand fracture and will miss extended time.

Dallas, 0-1, lost left tackle Tyron Smith for several months to an avulsion fracture and were mostly manhandled by the Buccaneers, even before Prescott's hand broke on the helmet of Shaq Barrett in the fourth quarter.

Twenty-eight-year-old Cooper Rush will start for the forseeable future. Rush became a one-week sensation last season when he led a game-winning drive against the Vikings in Week 8, throwing for 325 yards – 112 to CeeDee Lamb – and two touchdowns. 

Steelers Lose Watt, Harris in Dramatic Week 1 Win

The reigning DPoY T.J. Watt will likely be out for 3-to-4 months – without surgery – after he suffered a torn left pectoral muscle late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s overtime win over the Bengals. 

Watt should be able to return late in the regular season, according to the Pro Football Docs. His brother, J.J. Watt, suffered a torn pectoral in Week 8 in 2019 and returned eight weeks later for the playoffs.

The Docs are also concerned that Najee Harris, who was ruled out with a foot injury, suffered a mild high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter that is likely to keep him out for Week 2 and, potentially, multiple games.

Without Harris, rookie Jaylen Warren and Pittsburgh veteran Benny Snell Jr. will split the carries and the talented wide receiving corps could see additional targets. 

Several Elite WRs May Miss Week 2, Beyond

Three separate top-end fantasy wide receivers left their respective games on Sunday with injuries that could keep them out for multiple weeks.

Tee Higgins suffered a concussion in the first half when he was leveled by Devin Bush Jr. and didn’t return to the Bengals’ OT loss. 

Concussions are hard to predict but Higgins is certainly in danger of missing Week 2 against the Cowboys. Higgins missed two weeks early in the 2021 season with a shoulder injury and finished the season with over 1,000 yards and eight scores. 

Keenan Allen suffered a left hamstring strain in the Chargers’ win over Las Vegas and the wideout said after the game that he is hopeful he can play Week 2.

The Docs are less hopeful and Allen will have an uphill climb to be ready in four days for their Thursday night bout in Kansas City. The 30-year-old wideout missed the final two-plus games of the 2020 season with a hamstring strain, but has otherwise played in 16 games in four of the last five seasons. 

Finally, Buccaneers’ pro-bowl wideout Chris Godwin left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. The win over the Cowboys was his first game back from a torn ACL and Godwin could miss time and play sporadically as he works his way back.

Ravens Facing Multiple Holes in Offensive Line

Ravens’ Replacement left tackle Ja’Wuan James suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon, leaving the offensive line with little depth.

Ronnie Stanley was inactive for Sunday’s win over the Jets as he continues to rehab his left ankle and it remains unclear when he will be ready to play.

Veteran do-everything lineman Patrick Mekari stepped in for James in Sunday’s game because rookie 6’8” 380-pound tackle Daniel Faalele was a healthy scratch.

Baltimore’s running game was largely ineffective – gaining 63 yards on 21 attempts with a long of 10 yards – and will face the Dolphins, Patriots, and Bills in the next three games. 

Will Mitchell’s Knee Injury Push Samuel into 49ers’ Backfield?

For the second year in a row, the 49ers’ starting running back suffered a knee injury in the first half of the first game of the season. Elijah Mitchell left tonight’s game wearing a “significant” brace on his right knee and will likely miss multiple games after suffering an MCL sprain with potential additional damage.

Mitchell’s knee sprain once again forced Kyle Shanahan to turn to Deebo Samuel, who finished off that drive with a six-yard touchdown rush. 

Samuel, quarterback Trey Lance, and Jeff Wilson Jr. each rushed eight-or-more times and combined for 128 yards on the ground. 

The trio and rookie Tyron Davis-Price will feature in Shanahan’s maniacal rushing attack as the 49ers, 0-1, face upcoming games against the rival Seahawks, the Broncos in Denver, and Rams.