NFL Week 3: Latest Injury Updates for Every Marquee Player

A whopping Week 2 of injuries cast a dark cloud over the NFL with dozens of stars going down for long periods of time. Things somewhat returned to normalcy in Week 3, but not without a few bad breaks for certain teams.   

Last weekend saw the likes of Robert Griffin III, Ryan Mathews and more big names suffer serious injuries that have left their teams scrambling to fill the void. Injuries take their toll on any team throughout a long 16-game season, but a few unlucky organizations have been set back greatly through the opening few weeks.

Here's a look at the players who left their respective games and did not return Sunday, along with the latest updates surrounding their injuries.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers

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Update: Sept. 22 at 5:05 p.m. ET

The Charlotte Observer's Jonathan Jones noted that Jonathan Stewart has a severely sprained knee, while the Charlotte Observer's Joe Person opined that Stewart could miss a month.

With DeAngelo Williams already watching from the sidelines Sunday night due to injury, Carolina's Jonathan Stewart left the game late with an ailment of his own.

According to the Charlotte Observer's Joe Person, the issue for Stewart was a knee contusion:

"Stewart (right knee contusion) return questionable."

Before leaving the contest, Stewart has tallied 31 yards on just five carries as the team focused on the aerial attack while trailing Pittsburgh. The numbers were his best of the season from a per-carry average standpoint.

With the future status of Williams and Stewart up in the air for the time being, the workload currently falls on the shoulders of Fozzy Whittaker, but should the starting duo miss time, new faces at the position seem inevitable.

Ike Taylor, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers

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Pittsburgh Steelers starting corner Ike Taylor suffered an arm injury Sunday night in Carolina after being hit by his own teammate during the course of a tackle. 

Update: Sept. 22 at 12:40 p.m. ET

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor has a broken arm:

“PITT: LB Ryan Shazier sprained MCL, MRI today. LB Jarvis Jones likely needs wrist surgery, sidelined indefinitely. CB Ike Taylor broke arm.”

Burt Lauten of Steelers.com quickly took to Twitter to report that Taylor would miss the remainder of the contest:

".@steelers CB Ike Taylor suffered a right forearm injury. He will not return to the game tonight."

Taylor was in visible discomfort while being helped off the field by trainers, and he was later seen back on the field in a tank top with his arm in an air cast, as explained by Steve Reed of The Associated Press:

"Air cast goes on Ike Taylor's arm. That is normally a sign of a broken arm."

With the 34-year-old veteran out of the picture for the foreseeable future, Pittsburgh will entrust Cortez Allen, William Gay and Brice McCain, among others, to help stifle opposing team's aerial attacks in the coming weeks.

Ryan Shazier, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

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The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a pair of starting linebackers Sunday night in Carolina, with Ryan Shazier one of them during the course of a physical contest.

Update: Sept. 22 at 7:32 p.m. ET

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com seemed to think Shazier will be back sooner rather than later and called the injury "relatively minor."

Update: Sept. 22 at 12:40 p.m. ET

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has a sprained MCL:

“PITT: LB Ryan Shazier sprained MCL, MRI today. LB Jarvis Jones likely needs wrist surgery, sidelined indefinitely. CB Ike Taylor broke arm.”

Shazier, who tallied three total tackles on the night, came up limp with a knee injury and did not return, as reported by the team on Twitter:

"Ryan Shazier will not be returning to the game due to a right knee injury."

It is horrible news for the Pittsburgh defense, as the first-round rookie out of Ohio State brought some serious speed to the unit as a whole. Should he miss a prolonged period of time, the Steelers will rely on a hodgepodge of names such as Vince Williams and Sean Spence for production in the heart of the defense.

Jarvis Jones, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

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Pittsburgh stormed to a major win over Carolina on Sunday Night Football, but certainly did not emerge unscathed in the process. Starting outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, now in his second year after being a 2013 first-round pick, went down with a wrist injury and did not return.

Update: Sept. 22 at 12:40 p.m. ET

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones has a wrist injury that likely will require surgery:

“PITT: LB Ryan Shazier sprained MCL, MRI today. LB Jarvis Jones likely needs wrist surgery, sidelined indefinitely. CB Ike Taylor broke arm.”

Burt Lauten of Steelers.com noted after Jones left the field with team staff that his night was over:

:.@steelers LB Jarvis Jones has been downgraded to OUT with his right wrist injury."

With Jones and his rapidly improving skill set out of action, the team will turn to free-agent acquisition Arthur Moats for production at the slot. Sunday, the veteran was productive in place of Jones thanks to a sack.

Antonio Cromartie, CB, Arizona Cardinals

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The Arizona Cardinals improved to an impressive 3-0 with a big divisional victory, but they lost starting cornerback Antonio Cromartie in the process.

Update: Sept. 22 at 7:34 p.m. ET: Pro Football Talk noted that Cromartie's injury was not as bad as once feared. He has a bone bruise and is day-to-day entering the bye week. 

Cromartie left the game with a leg injury and didn't return to the game, as Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona noted:

"Antonio Cromartie out of the game with a leg injury. Jerraud Powers replaces him."

It's hard to say that the Cardinals struggled in the veteran's absence. Colin Kaepernick did throw for 245 yards, but was held scoreless in the second half of a 23-14 win. 

Of course, it helps playing alongside Patrick Peterson, who shuts down his half of the field almost entirely. But without standout play on the other island, a defense can become awfully vulnerable. Should Cromartie's injury become series, Powers will need to step up big.

Dennis Pitta, TE, Baltimore Ravens

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Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta went down with a scary non-contact injury against the Browns on Sunday. He was carted off the field and didn't return.

Update: Sept. 22 at 7:37 p.m. ET: The NFL passed along the unfortunate news that Pitta will miss the rest of the season after surgery for his dislocated hip.

Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network reported some unfortunate news:

"#Ravens TE Dennis Pitta has been taken to a hospital here in Cleveland for further evaluation."

It was unclear for some time where Pitta was injured, but the Ravens later reported it's his right hip—the hip that he fractured before last season, per the team's official Twitter account.

Pitta had three catches for 12 yards on the game before leaving with his injury. He had 113 receiving yards through the first two games.

The Ravens would be dealt a major blow should their starting tight end miss extended time, but a promising start to the season for Owen Daniels should help to remedy the loss. But only slightly. The 29-year-old is an integral part of Joe Flacco's offense, and losing his main security blanket would be a tough break for Baltimore.

Danny Woodhead, RB, San Diego Chargers

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The San Diego Chargers backfield got its second crushing blow in two weeks as Danny Woodhead left Sunday's game against the Bills with an ankle injury.

Update: Sept. 22 at 7:40 p.m. ET: The Chargers and coach Mike McCoy confirmed the worst when they announced Woodhead will miss the rest of the season with a broken fibula.

John Clayton of ESPN reported the injury, stating initially that his return was questionable. He did not return to the game.

Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com added perspective on the injury:

"Woodhead appeared to roll his right ankle on a 1-yard carry on first and 10 from Buffalo's 24-yard line with 11:50 to play in the opening quarter. After being attended to by trainers, Woodhead had to be carted off of the field."

Having already carved out an important role, Woodhead's reps were expected to increase after Ryan Mathews' Week 2 injury. Now, it's looking like Donald Brown has climbed from the third-string spot to No. 1 in the matter of a week.

This is precisely why they erred on the side of caution by signing Brown, but now he'll have to prove that was a smart decision with adversity striking the San Diego backfield.

Matt Cassel, QB, Minnesota Vikings

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After a poor start to the season, many Vikings fans were calling for Teddy Bridgewater to take over the Minnesota offense. But they probably didn't expect it to happen with a Matt Cassel injury.

Update: Sept. 22 at 7:42 p.m. ET: Sports Illustrated passed along the fact that Cassel broke several bones in his foot and may have a Lisfranc injury.

Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel left Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints with a foot injury and did not return. NFL.com's Albert Breer later reported Cassel's injury was as bad as it looked:

"Mike Zimmer says Matt Cassel has several fractured bones in his foot."

Cassel was just 5-of-10 for 53 yards prior to leaving the game. Bridgewater impressed at times in relief, but was unable to lead the Vikings to a comeback victory. 

It wasn't the start to 2014 that Cassel wanted, and Sunday's injury only makes it worse. While the Vikings obviously wanted to keep Bridgewater on the bench until he was ready, they have no choice but to thrust the first-round pick into action now.

Cassel's start to 2014 was one to forget, so perhaps a jolt of energy will make a difference in the Vikings offense. At the same time, it's not ideal to have such a big responsibility bestowed upon a rookie quarterback whom the team was hoping to ease into action.

Stephen Tulloch, LB, Detroit Lions

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Stephen Tulloch got a sack of Aaron Rodgers on Sunday against the Packers, and perhaps he should have just ended his play there.

Update Sept. 22 at 7:46 p.m. ET: SportsCenter noted that Tulloch will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.

Instead, he injured his knee celebrating the sack and did not return to the game according to NFL on ESPN:

"Bill Gramatica injury of the day: Stephen Tulloch had to be carted off the field after injuring himself during a sack celebration. #Lions"

The 29-year-old has been the definition of durable since joining the Lions, starting all of the franchise's 48 regular-season games over the last three years. As the team's starting middle linebacker, his absence would cause a big-time hole in the Detroit defense.

Third-year backup Travis Lewis is likely to get the nod at middle linebacker until Tulloch makes his return.

Jason Kelce, C, Philadelphia Eagles

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The hits just keep coming for the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line.

Update Sept. 22 at 7:49 p.m. ET: Fox Sports NFL noted that Jason Kelce will need surgery for a sports hernia, which will likely keep him off the field for a number of weeks.

Starting center Jason Kelce left Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins with an abdominal injury and did not return, according to John Clayton of ESPN:

"Eagles center Jason Kelce is out for the remainder of the game with an abdominal injury."

To say that the 2014 season hasn't been kind to the Eagles' offensive front would be the understatement of the century. From the Week 1 injury of Evan Mathis to preseason bang-ups, it's now a line flooded with reserves as Smart Football's Chris Brown explained:

"Based on these replays it looked like parts of this brawl was Jason Peters versus 7-8 Redskins. Ejected now; Eagles out 6 of top 7 OL."

Making matters even worse, left tackle replacement Jason Peters was ejected from Sunday's game after a spat between the Eagles and Redskins resulted in punches thrown.

Especially given the early-season turmoil, there are few players on the Eagles roster more valuable than Kelce at the moment. His size and experience help to anchor an offensive front that has the responsibility of carving out holes for LeSean McCoy, and without him it all but falls apart.

David Molk filled in to replace Kelce on Sunday.

DeAngelo Hall, CB, Washington Redskins

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The Washington Redskins haven't had to accept life without DeAngelo Hall since a short span of 2009, but that might change after his Sunday injury. 

Update Sept. 22 at 7:51 p.m. ET: Adam Schefter of ESPN.com confirmed that Hall is out for the season with a torn Achilles.

Hall suffered an Achilles injury that took him out of Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to ESPN's Adam Caplan. 

John Keim of ESPN added that the cart was used to transport Hall to the locker room.

The 30-year-old is perhaps the most important member of the Redskins' secondary, having been an impact player since he signed with Washington in the 2009 offseason. He's played in all 16 regular-season games in four of his five seasons. 

E.J. Biggers is next up on the depth chart to play alongside second-year pro David Amerson, but it's clear that any Washington secondary unit that doesn't involve Hall will be a major step back.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

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The negatives were few and far between for the Indianapolis Colts after notching their first win of the season against Jacksonville, but T.Y. Hilton's ankle injury was one.

Update Sept. 22 at 7:53 p.m. ET: Kevin Bowen of Colts.com passed along encouraging news for Indianapolis. Hilton avoided a serious ankle injury and will be limited in practice Wednesday. 

Around The NFL reported that Hilton suffered an ankle injury that brought him out of the game late.

"T.Y. Hilton done for the day with an ankle injury. Rookie Donte Moncrief has picked up snaps in his place."

He had no trouble making a big impact on Sunday prior to leaving the game, catching five of his six targets for 80 yards.

It's hard to tell whether the Colts were exercising caution by keeping Hilton out, or if the injury was indeed serious. The game was already wrapped up before Hilton went down, but that doesn't mean his injury wasn't a serious one.

Andrew Luck has options like Reggie Wayne, Hakeem Nicks and Moncrief to throw to, but Hilton's role in the offense is immensely important and they can ill-afford to lose him.

Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings

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When a team loses its starting quarterback, also going without its main security blanket can be a brutal blow. That's what happened to the Vikings on Sunday with the loss of Kyle Rudolph.

Update Sept. 22 at 7:56 p.m. ET: Ben Goessling of ESPN NFL Nation passed along the news that Rudolph will miss six weeks after surgery for a sports hernia.

After Cassel left Sunday's game with a toe injury, Rudolph stayed in the game until he suffered a groin injury late. The Vikings announced his return as questionable, but he did not make it back to the field.

Rudolph was limited in practice this week according to ESPN.com's Ben Goessling, but with a separate abdominal injury. 

The 24-year-old missed eight games in 2013, but has started all 24 games in which he has suited up for Minnesota. With 13 touchdowns since the start of 2012, his value in the Vikings' offense is without question.

Rhett Ellison is the next tight end up on the depth chart, but he'll struggle to replicate the same danger that Rudolph brings.

Rod Streater, WR, Oakland Raiders

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The Oakland Raiders have made a case as one of the league's worst teams to start 2014, and wide receiver Rod Streater leaving Sunday's game against the Patriots certainly doesn't help.

Update Sept. 22 at 8:01 p.m. ET: Jerry McDonald of Bay Area News Group reported that Streater appears to have a fractured foot and will miss significant time. 

The Raiders wideout left the game and did not return. Erik Frenz of Bleacher Report and Boston.com noted the cart was brought out:

"Rod Streater being carted off the field."

Later, Streater was seen sporting a walking boot and on crutches, according to the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe.

The 26-year-old broke out in 2013 with 888 receiving yards and four touchdowns, and figured to be one of the best targets available for Derek Carr early in his rookie campaign. No receiver on the roster is more well-versed in the Raiders' offensive system.

As if the Raiders' 0-3 start to the season wasn't bad enough, they could be without one of their biggest playmakers on the offensive side.

Sealver Siliga, DT, New England Patriots

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The Patriots notched a hard-earned Week 3 victory over the Oakland Raiders, but it came at a price as starting defensive tackle Sealver Siliga suffered a foot injury.

Christopher Price of WEEI.com reported that Siliga would not return to Sunday's game. Zuri Berry of Boston.com later added that Chris Jones replaced him.

Siliga only played five games in 2013, but he started four of them while notching 23 total tackles and three sacks. After a promising 2014 training camp, high hopes were bestowed upon the third-year pro entering the regular season.

The Patriots have struggled against the run to start 2014, and it won't get any better should Siliga miss extended time.

Jonathan Goodwin, C, New Orleans Saints

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The New Orleans Saints lost their starting center on Sunday when Jonathan Goodwin left their win against the Minnesota Vikings with a left foot injury. 

Update Sept. 22 at 8:05 p.m. ET: Mike Triplett of ESPN NFL Nation noted that Goodwin suffered a high ankle sprain and will miss an extended amount of time.

Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com reported the news, adding his replacement struggled immediately:

"

New Orleans Saints starting center Jonathan Goodwin left the field with an apparent left foot injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Goodwin needed assistance to leave the field and then left the sidelines on a cart.

Second-year reserve Tim Lelito replaced Goodwin at center. His first snap wasn't handled by Drew Brees, and resulted in an 18-yard loss.

"

The Saints officially reported it as a leg injury with a questionable return. 

The 13th-year veteran is in his second stint with the Saints after three impressive seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, and his presence is immense as a leader of the offensive line. It's not the same offense without him there, as told by his successor's first snap.

Goodwin has been reliable in recent years, starting all 16 games in each of the last five seasons. With a durable career spanning over a dozen years, it would be nothing short of surprising to see Goodwin's injury become serious.