Brutal Sunday for injuries puts damper on NFL's Week 2

It was a brutal Sunday across the NFL.  

Injuries seemed to befall star after star. And no team was hit harder than the San Francisco 49ers. 

The Niners lost reigning defensive rookie of the year Nick Bosa – the team fears for the season due to a torn ACL – as well as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Raheem Mostert during their victory over the New York Jets. San Francisco wasn't exactly pleased about the MetLife Stadium turf, which they'll also have to play on when the 49ers face the New York Giants next week.  

The Giants will have a gaping hole in their lineup for that matchup as they saw star running back Saquon Barkley exit with what is feared to also be a season-ending ACL injury in their loss to the Chicago Bears. 

Elsewhere, Denver Broncos starting QB Drew Lock was knocked out early in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers with a shoulder injury, and the Carolina Panthers' do-it-all RB Christian McCaffrey was forced from the contest with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to an ankle injury.

Was it just a bad week? Or, as Nancy Armour writes, could this be a sign of things to come when the league expands to 17 games? 

• PHOTOS: Best of Week 2 | Fans attending games | Fun celebrations

Key storylines, quick hits for Week 2

• 32 things we learned: What did Week 2 of the NFL season teach us?   
• Winners and losers: The best and worst from Week 2 of the NFL season.  
• Overconfidence nearly costs Hawks: Seattle flirted with blowing a double-digit lead down the stretch – only to have the defense bail the team out. 
• 'Just devastating':  Patriots voice support for James White, who was made inactive for the game against the Seahawks after his father was killed in an automobile accident Sunday. 
• Are Rams NFC contenders again?: After suffering the Super Bowl loser hangover in 2019, Los Angeles is 2-0 after beating the Eagles in a well-rounded performance.  
• Call it now: The Detroit Lions' season is essentially over after their flop vs. the Packers at Lambeau Field, Shawn Windsor writes.  
• 'We just have to execute': Cam Newton defends Patriots' call on final play against Seahawks. 
• Fox's No. 2 crew of Kevin Burkhardt and Daryl 'Moose' Johnston are settling in to their new partnership while navigating calling games mostly without fans. 
• Colts CB Rock Ya-Sin was inactive after he was taken to the hospital with a stomach illness.
• Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder did not watch his team in person as he and wife Tanya quarantined after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. 
• A power outage at Hard Rock Stadium caused technical difficulties and resulted in CBS' broadcast of the Dolphins-Bills game getting briefly dropped. 

Week 2 rundown

• Cowboys 40, Falcons 39: In the wildest game of the day, Dallas overcame a 20-point deficit and scored 16 points in the final five minutes to stun Atlanta. 
• Buccaneers 31, Panthers 17: Playing in Tompa Bay for the first time, Tom Brady got his first win as QB of the Buccaneers.  
• Rams 37, Eagles 19: In the battle of the first two picks of the 2016 draft, Jared Goff and the Rams got the better of Carson Wentz – who turned in another uneven performance – and the Eagles for the first time. 
• Bills 31, Dolphins 28: Bills QB Josh Allen threw for a career-high 417 yards and four touchdowns in an odd game that had a lightning delay and also saw the broadcast briefly dropped by CBS. 
• Colts 28, Vikings 11: Indianapolis' defense absolutely dominated Minnesota, which slipped to 0-2. 
• Titans 33, Jaguars 30: Ryan Tannehill threw for four touchdowns, but Tennessee needed a late interception of Gardner Minshew to fully put the game Jaguars away.
• 49ers 31, Jets 13: The Niners were decimated by injuries but had little trouble with their actual opponent. 
• Steelers 26, Broncos 21: Pittsburgh jumped out to a 14-point lead at halftime and kept Denver at arm's length as Jeff Driskel stepped in for Drew Lock early.
• Bears 17, Giants 13: A game that was hardly the prettiest in the world – and overshadowed by the injury to Saquon Barkley – had an exciting finish, with the Bears staging a red-zone stand to preserve the win.   
• Packers 42, Lions 21: The Packers ran all over the Lions (and Aaron Rodgers threw on them, too) as they overcame a slow start to roll at a fan-less Lambeau Field. 
• Chiefs 23, Chargers 20 (OT): Harrison Butker nailed a 58-yard field goal in overtime to spoil the Chargers' first game at the new SoFi Stadium. 
• Ravens 33, Texans 16: Baltimore's rushing attack awakened as the Ravens won their 14th straight regular-season game. 
• Cardinals 30, Washington Football Team 15: Kyler Murray was impressive again as the Cardinals moved to 2-0.  
• Seahawks 35, Patriots 30: Russell Wilson continued to cook with a five-touchdown night, but the Seahawks needed a goal-line stand – stuffing Cam Newton on the final play – to reach 2-0. 

Eyes on the (fantasy) prize

Saquon Barkley’s injury was a crushing blow to fantasy teams, especially if he’s out for the season as feared. Dion Lewis got all the Giants’ backfield carries after Barkley left, gaining 20 yards on 10 attempts – but also getting into the end zone. Wayne Gallman is a better bet to get the early-down work going forward.

The Rams’ Darrell Henderson just might be the best running back available on the waiver wire this week. He carried 12 times for 81 yards and scored a TD. Plus, he caught two passes for 40 yards. Also, it looks like Jerick McKinnon has taken over as the 49ers’ No. 2 back behind Raheem Mostert. With Mostert spraining his knee in the second quarter, McKinnon stepped up with 44 total yards and a touchdown.

Dallas lost tight end Blake Jarwin for the season with a knee injury in Week 1. But backup Dalton Schultz looked right at home in the high-powered Dallas offense, with nine receptions for 88 yards and a score. He could be a TE1 the rest of the way.

The Steelers may now have three viable fantasy wide receivers. Rookie Chase Claypool caught all three of his targets for 88 yards – including an 84-yard touchdown. He may not see the volume JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson will, but his big-play ability makes him worth a roster spot.  

A pregame injury to Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor gave rookie Justin Herbert his first NFL action – and he didn’t look like a rookie at all. Herbert had over 300 yards and a touchdown through the air. He also ran for a score. Even if Herbert doesn’t start in Week 3, he’s likely to take over at some point this season.

Coming this week

• Monday: Our Jarrett Bell will be on the scene as the Raiders open Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. 
• Tuesday: At nfl.usatoday.com, Nate Davis will have the latest power rankings after Week 2 and we look at the 0-2 teams and determine which ones can still make the playoffs – and which ones are toast. 
• Wednesday: We turn our attention to the 2-0 teams. Which ones are for real, and which ones are frauds? 
• Thursday: The Jacksonville Jaguars make their regularly-scheduled TNF appearance as they kick off Week 3 by hosting the Miami Dolphins. 

NFL Facebook group: Join now!

If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders. Sign up now!