Key Injuries Heading into Week 3 of the NFL Season
James Willis | September 20, 2023
Another week of the 2023 NFL season has gone by and injuries continue to take one player out after the other. It isn’t anything out of the ordinary but it still comes as a shock every time we see our favorite players forced off the field. Quite a few players left their respective games in Week 2. Here is a list of just a few notable injuries out of many:
Anthony Richardson
(added Friday 9/22/23)
The Colts rookie QB has been taking a pounding this in his first two professional games. Unfortunately for him, the NFL is not college football and he cannot run rampant without paying a price. He was knocked out of last week’s game with a concussion and the Colts have just announced that he will be out vs the Ravens. They will go with QB Gardner Minshew. Read more here
Bryce Young
(added Thursday 9/21/23)
The young QB for the Carolina Panthers has been ruled out of game 3 vs the Seattle Seahawks due to an ankle injury. Backup Andy Dalton is slated to start in his place. The betting line has not changed much since the announcement. It was Seattle -5.5 and -6 at all monitored sportsbooks and is now a solid -6 at every one of those.
Trevon Diggs
(added Thursday 9/21/23)
The All-Pro cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys was injured Wednesday in practice and it appears to be a season-ending ligament injury. Potential Replacements Include Jourdan Lewis and Bryce Callahan.
Budda Baker
The Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker suffered from a hamstring injury during practice and was unable to play against the New York Giants on Sunday, 17 September. He was placed on injured reserve the very next day which shows that he will sit out quite a few upcoming games.
Jaylen Waddle
The Miami Dolphins wide receiver took a hit to the head at the end of their game against the New England Patriots on Sunday. (Update Saturday) Waddle is ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the Broncos. More detail
Amari Cooper
The wide receiver from Cleveland Browns, Cooper, tweaked his groin during practice and he was uncertain about whether or not he would recover in time for their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, 18 September. Despite not feeling his best the morning of the game, he was declared fit and made it to the field.
Odell Beckham Jr.
The Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. left the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half due to an ankle injury. Update Saturday: OBJ is out for Sunday’s game.
Saquon Barkley
The New York Giants running back was injured whilst defeating the Arizona Cardinals. He appeared to get his ankle rolled up while playing. It has now been reported that he was lucky enough to escape a major injury and ended up with an ordinary sprain. However, he may still have to miss a few upcoming games.
Davante Adams
Adams, Raiders wide receiver, exited the game in the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills after a helmet-to-helmet hit. He was evaluated for a concussion and their coach let everyone know that he was “good”.
David Montgomery
The Lions running back was carted to the locker room during the game against the Seattle Seahawks due to a thigh injury. He reportedly may have to sit out a few games in the upcoming weeks.
Ryan Kelly
The Colts player was evaluated for a concussion and was unable to return for their game against the Houston Texans. He will supposedly remain in concussion protocol for Week 3 as well which may cause quite a few problems in the near future.
These were just a few prominent names that had to face injuries this early into the season. On the bright side, it has only made fans even more eager to see what the future holds for all the teams. This is just the beginning and it will keep getting more interesting as week after week passes by.
