<\/p>\n
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, center, is sacked by New England Patriots linebacker Dre’mont Jones, left, as Seattle Seahawks linebacker Connor O’Toole is at right, during the first half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle.<\/p>\n
Stephen Brashear\/AP Photo\/Stephen Brashear<\/p>\n
New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown (1) is tended to on the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle.<\/p>\n
Lindsey Wasson\/AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson<\/p>\n
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver De’zhaun Stribling (7) sits on the field after being injured in the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.<\/p>\n
Doug Benc\/AP Photo\/Doug Benc<\/p>\n
Sam Darnold played just five snaps. A.J. Brown will be sidelined for a while. De\u2019Zhaun Stribling was carted off the field.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
High-profile injuries are adding up just two games into the NFL season. It\u2019s not even Sunday yet.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
And Tua Tagovailoa got hurt in practice.<\/p>\n
Darnold got good news about his hip injury. Not so much for Brown. Stribling\u2019s status wasn\u2019t immediately known.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been positive news,\u201d Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Thursday about Darnold. \u201cRight now we\u2019re just working through the extent of the injury and put a plan in place to get back rocking and rolling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Macdonald called it a muscle injury for Darnold near his hip and that the team would have a better idea of his status for the game against Arizona on Sept. 20 when practice resumes next week.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Drew Lock replaced Darnold and led Seattle to a 13-10 comeback win over New England in a Super Bowl rematch Wednesday night. Lock proved he\u2019s a capable backup so the defending Super Bowl champions won\u2019t have to rush Darnold back to face the Cardinals.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been tremendous,\u201d Macdonald said about Lock. \u201cHe operates like a starter does in terms of preparation. The chemistry and the personality of our quarterback room is one that is very supportive of each other and also trying to bring out the best in one another. Drew provides a cool, confident, loose and focusedness to the whole equation, which you need \u2014 you need that. On top of that, since he\u2019s got here, he\u2019s played great football in practice and in the preseason. We saw what he could do last night. If he has to play again then we expect the same moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n The Patriots won\u2019t have Brown for at least four games because he\u2019s being placed on injured reserve with a right ankle injury, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press on Friday. The star wide receiver went down in the second half against Seattle. He has a high-ankle sprain and will miss several games, another person with knowledge of his injury told the AP on Thursday night. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Patriots haven\u2019t announced the severity of Brown\u2019s injury, said an MRI confirmed the diagnosis.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Without Brown, New England\u2019s offense fizzled. The Patriots went three-and-out twice and then Drake Maye threw three straight interceptions.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish life was like that, where you could wait for your guys to come back and be healthy again but, it\u2019s NFL football,\u201d Patriots veteran receiver Mack Hollins said.<\/p>\n New England traded a 2028 first-round pick to Philadelphia in the deal for Brown to give Maye a top playmaker. Now, he\u2019ll be without him for a few weeks. The Patriots have a tough schedule coming up with three games against 2025 playoff teams. They\u2019ll host Pittsburgh on Sept. 20, and visit Jacksonville and Buffalo.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to stick together and that starts with me getting back to work and having the right intention in practice,\u201d Maye said. \u201cThese guys are here for me. I think they\u2019ve done a great job in supporting me and have had my back. I\u2019ve got to earn their trust. I know I have their trust, but I got to keep on putting better football out there. I think it\u2019s Week 1 but at the same time, there\u2019s a full season ahead but you got to get this going early. We got to start off on the right foot. I know what we had last year, but we got a new season, a new team, and we need to build that.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Stribling, who was San Francisco\u2019s top draft pick in April at No. 33 overall, limped off the field after running a route in the second quarter of a 27-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.<\/p>\n He left the game on a cart and was quickly ruled out for the game. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Stribling\u2019s Achilles\u2019 was intact but he will need more tests to determine the extent of the injury to the ankle. The 49ers signed veteran Mike Evans and brought back Deebo Samuel, but were counting on Stribling after losing Ricky Pearsall for the season in the summer.<\/p>\n Tight end Jake Tonges also didn\u2019t return for San Francisco after injuring his knee. He has an MCL injury and will miss some time. Rams linebacker Nate Landman got hurt late in the game.<\/p>\n The Falcons lost Tagovailoa to an oblique injury early in practice on Thursday. Cooper Rush will start for Atlanta on Sunday.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n NFL teams have to deal with injuries every week. It\u2019s part of football. The teams with the most depth and best backups find ways to overcome key losses.<\/p>\n The Seahawks and Patriots have to figure it out quickly.<\/p>\n On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/a>
<\/a><\/p>\n