4 NFL QB’s go down with injuries in week 2, why is protecting them an issue?
The biggest headlines after week two of the NFL season revolve around quarterbacks. Unfortunately, injuries to four starters in action Sunday once again raise the question of how to better protect the most consequential players in the league.
Starting quarterbacks take some hits
Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury in the second quarter of the Bengals’ win over Jacksonville and will need surgery. The MVP candidate will miss at least three months, if not the entire regular season. Head coach Zac Taylor defended the play of his offensive line on Monday.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened, but that’s just part of football,” Taylor said. “Guys are in the pocket, guys are moving around. I don’t know how a turf toe injury fully happens, how you got to get hit or stepped on. I know that potentially he could have been clean for 99% of the game, and the one play is where this happens. And so I get it. I understand where people are going to come from. It’s going to be very attacking of us and our style of play.”
A common theory suggests that offensive linemen coming out of college are used to a different style of football and are not fully prepared for the NFL game. Shortened training camps and practices with less contact can also be a detriment. Combine that with a lack of playing time for starters in the preseason, and some teams aren’t quite on the same page in the first few games. Taylor admitted his entire offense needs to be better.
“It was an ‘all eleven people on the same page’ thing in that last game. There are some things we have to correct at every position,” Taylor said. “The line always takes a lot of the blame for it. I have a lot of confidence in those guys.”
Who else went down in week two action?
Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy was sacked six times in Minnesota’s loss to Atlanta Sunday night. He will miss between two and four weeks with a high ankle sprain suffered in just his second career game. McCarthy had a rough time against the Falcons with three turnovers.
The NFL’s 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Jayden Daniels, could miss the Washington Commanders’ next start with a sprained knee. Daniels was hurt in Thursday’s 27-18 loss in Green Bay. Daniels’ mobility is a key factor in his success, and he won’t play unless he can be himself, said head coach Dan Quinn.
“On the field, change direction, the pivoting, the moving, all of those would be the things to go,” Quinn said. “So, we’ll just take it as it goes through the week, but he’d have to see all of the steps along this week to hit those marks. The speed, the stopping, the change of direction, all of it.”
Can a quarterback’s mobility be a factor?
Daniels and McCarthy are both considered mobile quarterbacks, which can be a double-edged sword. They can avoid contact with quick feet in the pocket, but can sometimes take more hits moving downfield as a runner.
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields plays a similar game. He suffered a concussion in the Jets’ blowout loss to the Bills. He was sacked four times by the Bills. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy has the same toe injury as Joe Burrow, but won’t require surgery. He missed the Niners’ win over New Orleans and will likely be out again Sunday against Arizona.
It’s next man up for the five backup players now. New York’s Tyrod Taylor, Washington’s Marcus Mariota, San Francisco’s Mac Jones, Minnesota’s Carson Wentz, and Cincinnati’s Jake Browning will all have an opportunity to show what they can do in week three. Wentz and Browning will go head-to-head when the Bengals visit the Vikings on Sunday.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
