NFL Injury Updates: How Long Are Saquon Barkley, Nick Bosa out For?
Week 2 could come to be regarded as a pivotal point in this NFL season due to the number of high-profile players that left their respective games with injuries.
Torn ACLs look to have ended the seasons of New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and San Francisco 49ers edge rushers Nick Bosa, while Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey hobbled off the field with an ankle injury and the Denver Broncos lost three key players, including quarterback Drew Lock.
Here's a breakdown of the major injuries from Week 2.
Saquon Barkley
ESPN and CBS both reported on Sunday that the New York Giants feared Barkley had torn his ACL. The third-year running back went down early in the first quarter of the Giants' 17-13 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday after being tackled by Eddie Jackson and appeared to be in serious pain as he was carted off the field. Should the diagnosis be confirmed, Barkley's season could be over as might the Giants', whose offense looked worryingly one-dimensional without their star running back. To compound the issue, the G-Men also lost wide receiver Sterling Shepard to a toe injury.
Nick Bosa
Like Barkley, Bosa was also carted off the field in pain early in the first quarter of the San Francisco 49ers' win 31-13 road win over the New York Jets. Speaking after the game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan conceded it was "most likely" that Bosa had torn the ACL in his left knee, which would end his season and leave the Niners severely short of options at edge rusher. In his rookie season, Bosa was a devastating force, racking up 47 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks as San Francisco reached Super Bowl LIV.
Solomon Thomas
The impact of Bosa's injury could be exacerbated by the loss of Thomas, whom the Niners also fear tore his ACL on Sunday afternoon. Shanahan told reporters that the 49ers were more optimistic over Thomas' injury than they were on Bosa's, but even should the former have avoided an ACL tear he's expected to miss significant time.
Jimmy Garoppolo
The Niners quarterback suffered a high right ankle sprain and while Shanahan indicated the team would not pronounce itself on the injury until Garoppolo is assessed later this week. An ankle sprain would normally result in players sidelined for a few weeks at least.
Raheem Mostert
Mostert was the third Niners player to suffer a knee injury on Sunday and a "mild" MCL sprain kept him out of the second half of San Francisco's 31-13 win over the Jets. Mostert will undergo an MRI scan this week to determine the extent of the injury and the Niners could have to add another running back to their roster, after Tevin Coleman also departed the game on Sunday with a knee injury.
Drew Lock
The Denver Broncos expect their quarterback to be sidelined between two to six weeks, if an MRI scan—scheduled on Monday—confirms that Lockhas sprained his right shoulder. The second-year quarterback injured his throwing shoulder as he was sacked in the first quarter of Denver's 26-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday and means the Broncos could have to start back-up Jeff Driskel.
It is a major blow for Denver, who lost star pass rusher Von Miller to a serious ankle injury before the season and lost wide receiver Courtland Sutton and defensive end Dre'Mont Jones to knee injuries on Sunday, with both players set to undergo MRI scans on Monday after leaving the game against Pittsburgh in the second half. It is a particularly cruel blow for Sutton, who missed last week's opening game of the season with a shoulder injury.
Christian McCaffrey
The Panthers star running back left Carolina's defeat to Tampa Bay with 13 minutes to play due to an ankle injury. He limped off the field shortly after a seven-yard rushing touchdown and did not return. The Panthers have not confirmed the extent of the injury and will be hoping McCaffrey will be available for Week 3 because the highest-paid running back in the NFL is a crucial cog in Carolina's offense, playing 97 percent of offensive snaps so far this season.
Parris Campbell
The Indianapolis Colts wide receiver was carted off the field after injuring his left knee in the first quarter. While the Colts are yet to know the full extent of the injury, head coach Frank Reich admitted that "it didn't look good". The latest setback is a major blow for Campbell, who missed nine games because of injury in his rookie season last year. The Colts also lost safety Malik Hooker to an Achilles injury in the first half and Indianapolis will hope the injury is not as severe as the one suffered by running back Marlon Mack, whose season was prematurely ended by a torn Achilles last week.
Cam Akers
The Los Angeles Rams running back left the field with a rib injury after being tackled in his team's opening series, but head coach Sean McVay didn't know the exact extent of the injury immediately after the game. The Rams' 37-19 win in Philadelphia also saw them lose running Malcolm Brown to a finger injury and left guard Joe Noteboom to a calf injury, with McVay unable to provide an update on the severity of both injuries.
