Another week, another long list of injury updates to key NFL players in Week 3. Wide receivers A.J. Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Sterling Shepard are just a few of the names to watch this week as teams begin preparing for Week 4.
NFL Week 3 injury updates
These are just a few of the players who left Sunday’s games and did not return.
A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans
After Brown tweaked a hamstring Sunday, most expected the Titans to unleash Julio Jones. And yet he hardly played in the second half. Jones ended up running just 18 routes, and coach Mike Vrabel’s explanation — “just trying to manage where he’s at, and the type of game the end of the game would be” — was peculiar.
Brown has just 7 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown this season. With Brown and Jones non-factors for much of Sunday, the Titans turned to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who had 4 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. ESPN reported Monday afternoon that Brown is week-to-week.
Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears
Fields didn’t miss a single snap in the Bears’ 26-6 loss to the Browns, but that didn’t stop Matt Nagy from raising the possibility he could sit out Chicago’s Week 4 matchup with the Lions with a hand injury. With starter Andy Dalton still nursing a knee injury, Nagy on Monday raised the possibility of Nick Foles getting the start against Detroit.
Fields was atrocious in his first NFL start, completing just 6 of 20 passing attempts for 68 yards. His QBR was an unfathomable 7.1.
Quenton Nelson, OG, Indianapolis Colts
Nelson suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Colts’ loss to the Tennessee Titans and was carted to the locker room, although he was later spotted on Indy’s sideline. Chris Reed replaced Nelson at left guard and presumably will continue doing so as long as he’s out.
High ankle sprains can take up to six weeks to heal, but Colts quarterback Carson Wentz played on one Sunday just a week after he got hurt. Colts coach Frank Reich characterized Nelson as “week-to-week.”
Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, WRs, New York Giants
The Giants were in danger of not being able to run their offense after both Shepard and Slayton left the first half of Sunday’s Giants loss to the Falcons with hamstring injuries. While we await a formal update, the New York Post did report that Shepard has a chance to play Sunday against the Saints.
Collin Johnson became a big part of New York’s offense in their absence, catching 5 of 7 targets for 51 yards. That was a bit of a surprise — and a bit of an indictment of first-round pick Kadarius Toney, who had just 2 catches for 16 yards. Kenny Golladay added 4 catches for 64 yards in the loss.
Terron Armstead, OT, New Orleans Saints
The three-time Pro Bowler got his arm pinned while trying to make a block and did not return. The injury was to Armstead’s left elbow. NFL Network reported Monday that while Armstead is expected to miss some time, the injury is not considered season-ending.
James Hurst replaced Armstead at left tackle following the injury.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rib injuries have become the NFL’s ailment du jour, and Smith-Schuster wasn’t immune. He left Pittsburgh’s Week 3 loss to the Bengals and did not return. When and how Smith-Schuster got hurt wasn’t immediately clear, and the Steelers had no further update after the game. NFL Network reported Monday afternoon that Smith-Schuster simply bruised his ribs and is considered day-to-day.
Many of Smith-Schuster’s targets went to … Najee Harris? Ben Roethlisberger threw to the rookie running back an absurd 19 times Sunday. As for Pittsburgh’s backup receivers, Ray-Ray McCloud got the most attention. He caught 3 of his 4 targets for 33 yards. James Washington was largely a non-factor despite logging his most snaps (60) of the season.
KJ Hamler, WR, Denver Broncos
This one hurts for Denver. Hamler left Sunday’s blowout win over the Jets with what appeared to be a pretty significant knee injury and was due to undergo further imaging Monday. Hamler got hurt in the second quarter going for a pass from Teddy Bridgewater. ESPN reports that Hamler tore his ACL and coach Vic Fangio confirmed Monday that he will be out for the year.
The Broncos were already without Jerry Jeudy, who could be sidelined through October with a high-ankle sprain. Denver’s only remaining available receivers are Tim Patrick, Courtland Sutton, Diontae Spencer, and Kendall Hinton. Spencer saw an increased role after Hamler went down.