Injuries cloud the future of 10 NFL teams

At least a dozen NFL teams have been affected by injuries in just two days, and the relevance in the positions of the injured is what most alters the future of various franchises, since there is still a long way to go .

The Pittsburgh Steelers, who have won and lost a game in this start, suffered the injury of TJ Watt, their most outstanding defensive lineman, during week 2 against the Raiders. In addition, his quarterback, veteran Ben Roethlisberger (39), was placed on the disabled list for a left chest ailment. Both are doubts for week 3 against the Bengals.

Add to that, Watt’s lower-zone partner Bud Dupree escaped in free agency in March, and the Steelers were unable to replace him with a veteran of similar caliber. Established defenders Devin Bush and Joe Haden played nothing last Sunday due to groin injuries, giving Pittsburgh 425 yards and 26 points.

When it comes to quarterbacks, the Chicago Bears are also uncertain about fielding their starter, Andy Dalton, who suffered a knee injury in a 20-17 win over the Bengals at the weekend.

The blow was so hard that Dalton had to be replaced in the third quarter by rookie Justin Fields, who although he is one of the most interesting picks at the quarterback position in 2021 alongside Trevor Lawrence, Mac Jones and Zach Wilson, He does not yet have enough experience to take the reins of the Bears.

Another quarterback who left the field in Week 2 was Tua Tagovailoa, in the Miami Dolphins’ brutal 35-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The University of Alabama alumnus was replaced by Jacoby Brissett, who was only able to record a 60% passing efficiency and was sacked four times to go blank.

One more was Houston Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who was having an excellent day against the Cleveland Browns, completing 10 of 11 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns (one on the ground), before sustaining a hamstring injury. the hamstring. Taylor was unable to continue and gave way to his replacement, Davis Mills.

The case of the Texans is one of the most difficult for their fans, since Mills, who would come into action as a starter in Week 3 if Taylor does not recover, is the third quarterback in order of hierarchy. The first, Deshaun Watson, remains inactive on the team due to facing 22 complaints of sexual harassment since the offseason.

Two more quarterbacks finished Week 2 hitting, although they did finish their respective games. Derek Carr led the Las Vegas Raiders to their second win over the Steelers but is doubtful against the Dolphins after a Pittsburgh defender tangled in his legs and caused him to fall. Carr was reviewed by the medical staff and was able to re-enter, although on Monday he underwent an MRI of the ankle that left Jon Gruden, the head coach of Las Vegas, in uncertainty.

The other was Carson Wentz, of the Indiannapolis Colts, who with seven minutes remaining in the duel against Rams (they lost 24-27), was hit in the right ankle, which has complicated his situation because he also carries ailments in the left, so the team has decided to carry out studies to evaluate the degree of his sprains.

It wasn’t just quarterbacks that were affected. The San Francisco 49ers lost Elijah Mitchell (shoulder), JaMycal Hasty (ankle) and Trey Sermon (concussion) in their 17-11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The 49ers also don’t have defensive starters Dre Greenlaw (middle muscle) and Jason Verrett (torn ACL) this season.

Other teams with sensitive casualties or doubts for week 3 are the Denver Broncos with Bradley Chubb (ankle); the Cleveland Browns with Baker Mayfield (shoulder) and Jarvis Landry (knee); as well as the Philadelphia Eagles with Brandon Brooks (chest) and Brandon Graham (Achilles tendon tear), so 10 of the 32 clubs have been affected in just two games.

sports@eleconomista.mx