An eventful Week 10 of the NFL season is in the books, and it’ll be a quick turnaround before a highly-anticipated Week 11. Let’s catch up on everything you need to know about before the games begin again on Thursday.
Bruised Brees
The injury news was not good for the New Orleans Saints after Drew Brees left Sunday’s win over the San Francisco 49ers. Brees has reportedly suffered three broken ribs, one on his left side and two on his right side. He also suffered a collapsed lung.
The quarterback has posted an optimistic Instagram photo, pledging to fans that he’ll be “back in no time,” but conventional wisdom says that Brees will be out for at least a few weeks. The collapsed lung is particularly troubling and could require a certain level of cautiousness.
The silver lining is that the Saints play teams with losing records in their next four games, including two games against the Falcons. Jameis Winston is expected to start under center for New Orleans against Atlanta this week, although Taysom Hill should have an enhanced role in the offense.
No Relief
The Jets’ quest to avoid a winless season continues to be hampered by Sam Darnold’s ailing shoulder. Despite the team having a bye last week, Darnold has already been ruled out for this week’s game against the Chargers, which on paper is one of New York’s more winnable games.
Joe Flacco will start at quarterback for the fourth time in six games. However, Darnold remains confident that he’ll be back at some point this season.
The Waiting Game
The morning after losing to the Vikings on Monday night, the Bears are awaiting news on Nick Foles, who had to be carted off the field late in the game. Foles suffered either a hip or leg injury, said head coach Matt Nagy during his virtual press conference after the game.
Backup and former starter Mitch Trubisky was inactive for the game because of a shoulder injury, forcing Tyler Bray to play the final drive of the game. The good news is the Bears have a bye next week, giving them an extra week to figure out who’s healthy and who’s their best option at quarterback.
However, Chicago has now lost four in a row, dropping it to 5-5 after a 5-1 start to the season.
Limping to the Finish
The Carolina Panthers are unsure about the statuses of Teddy Bridgewater and Christian McCaffrey ahead of this week’s game against the Detroit Lions. Bridgewater suffered a knee injury during Carolina’s loss to Tampa Bay. While there is no structural damage, Bridgewater is still sore and has some swelling in the knee.
As for McCaffrey, he missed Sunday’s loss to the Bucs because of a shoulder injury he suffered the previous week. However, the team is cautiously optimistic that he’ll be back for a must-win game against Detroit this week.
Back in Big D
Andy Dalton is officially back on the practice field in Dallas after being cleared of both the NFL’s concussion protocol and COVID-19 list. Dalton has missed the team’s last two games and will likely regain his spot as the team’s starter with Dak Prescott out for the rest of the season.
The Cowboys have now lost four in a row and find themselves at the bottom of the NFC East. However, with the Eagles leading the division at 3-5-1, there is plenty of time to turn things around. Dallas visits the Vikings this week before a Thanksgiving Day game at home against Washington.
