Overview
- Cooper Rush was named the Falcons’ Week 2 starter and began Sunday as Atlanta fell 34-3 to the Carolina Panthers, a loss that highlighted Atlanta’s fragile quarterback depth with Michael Penix Jr. ruled out and Tua Tagovailoa listed doubtful.
- The New England Patriots used dominant defensive plays, including a fourth-quarter strip-sack return for a touchdown by Christian Barmore and Elijah Ponder, to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3 and avoid an 0-2 start.
- The Cincinnati Bengals improved to 2-0 with a 20-6 win over the Houston Texans as Joe Burrow targeted Ja’Marr Chase for both touchdowns, a game in which the Texans were also without top receiver Nico Collins after he was ruled out with a hamstring issue.
- Chicago Bears rookie Caleb Williams left Sunday’s game with an apparent right hamstring injury after pulling up on a scramble and was carted to the locker room, forcing backup quarterback relief late in a 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
- Early-season injuries and inactive rulings are already reshaping matchups, forcing teams to rely on veteran backups and testing recovery timelines for starters such as Penix and Tagovailoa, a development that will influence coaching decisions, roster moves and fantasy/odds markets in the near term.