It’s two weeks into the season and the NFL has done a nice job putting a great product on the field while avoiding the pitfalls of playing through a pandemic. While teams are trying to establish themselves on the field, news has been aplenty around the league. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from this last week.
Injuries Overwhelm Week 2
Week 2 was not especially kind to teams around the league on the injury front. Many teams not only lost players due to injuries, many lost big stars. Here are just a few of the bigger names going down this last week:
Saquon Barkley (New York Giants): The New York Giants lost to the Chicago Bears last Sunday, but the score was the least of their concerns. Star running back Saquon Barkley is now out for the rest of the season as he tore his ACL during the team’s 17-13 defeat.
Barkley rushed 217 times for 1,003 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2019. He also had 52 receptions for 438 yards and another 2 scores. Needless to say, the Giants have big shoes to filled (more on that in a bit).
Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers): While he won’t miss the entire season like Barkley, the Carolina Panthers also lost a star running back in Christian McCaffrey. He suffered a high ankle sprain and has been placed on the injured reserve, meaning that he will be out at least three weeks.
McCaffrey came into this season as arguably the best running back in the game after a 2019 where he put up 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns on 287 carries. He also had a superb 116 receptions for another 1,005 yards and 4 scores.
Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers): As a team, no one may have had a rougher weekend than the San Francisco 49ers. They have lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman, as well as Solomon Thomas to injury. As devastating as those losses are, the biggest might be defensive end Nick Bosa, who tore his ACL.
Bosa won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award last season and for good reason. He had 47 tackles, nine sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and one interception in 2019. Bosa going down is obviously a huge loss for the 49ers defense.
Giants Sign Freeman
While there is no replacing Saquon Barkley in terms of his production, the Giants added a running back for depth this week. New York announced on Wednesday that they signed running back Devonta Freeman to a one-year, $3 million deal.
Last season, as an Atlanta Falcon, Freeman rushed 184 times for 656 yards and 2 scores while also adding 59 receptions for 410 yards and another 4 touchdowns. He had been unable to latch on with a club this offseason, but the Giants now give the 28-year-old a big opportunity to get consistent reps.
Adding to the injury woes, the Giants put wide receiver Sterling Shepard on the injured reserve with turf toe in a corresponding move.
Flacco Cleared To Practice
It has been a pretty long fall from grace for the New York Jets’ Joe Flacco, who is transitioning from starter to reserve, but he did get some good news this week. After undergoing neck surgery, Flacco is hitting the field for the first time since the middle of last year.
The former Raven and Denver Broncos QB will now serve as Sam Darnold’s backup this season for the struggling Jets. Last season, in 8 games with Denver, Flacco threw for 1,822 yards, 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Flacco provides a nice veteran presence for Darnold, and is a capable insert if the Jets continue to falter.
