National Football League

Injuries aplenty in Week 2 as Tagovailoa, Dalton and Wentz all exit games

Updated Sep. 19, 2021 11:23 p.m. ET

The training tables saw a lot of action in Week 2 of the NFL.

A swath of key players went down with various injuries, and that includes a quartet of starting quarterbacks whose statuses remain up in the air.

Here's what we know about the injured players, along with insights and prognoses, where applicable, from FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst Dr. Matt Provencher.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins

The second-year quarterback left in the first quarter of Miami's 35-0 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills with a rib injury. Although he was able to gingerly walk off the field with assistance, he was soon carted to the locker room.

Tests revealed bruised ribs, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, indicating no broken bones.

An MRI scheduled for Monday should reveal the full extent of Tagovailoa's injury.

The lack of a break is significant in terms of when the Dolphins could expect Tagovailoa back under center, per Dr. Provencher.

One other factor to note: For a left-handed quarterback, the injury being located on the left side of his chest could impact the recovery timeline.

Tagovailoa's backup, Jacoby Brissett, went 24-for-40 for 169 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception Sunday in replacement duty against the Bills.

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Houston Texans

Taylor and the Texans were giving the Cleveland Browns quite a bit to handle, taking a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter on Taylor's second touchdown of the day.

Taylor finished the first half 10-for-11 for 125 passing yards and a touchdown to go with his 15-yard scamper for a score. However, Houston's QB did not return after halftime, giving way to Davis Mills.

Soon after, the Texans announced Taylor was ruled out for the remainder of the game because of a hamstring injury.

Mills went 8-for-18 for 102 yards, one touchdown and one interception in what ended up being a 31-21 loss to the Browns.

The backup QB will likely be forced into duty for at least another game, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who said Taylor won't be available for Houston's quick turnaround to play the Carolina Panthers on Thursday.

Andy Dalton, QB, Chicago Bears

Dalton suffered a knee injury in the first half of Chicago's 20-17 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. The injury was noncontact, and though he briefly returned after his initial exit, Dalton was eventually sidelined for the remainder of the game.

After Dalton went 9-for-11 for 56 yards and a touchdown, highly touted rookie Justin Fields stepped in to take over the quarterbacking duties.

The No. 11 pick in the draft, Fields finished the day 6-for-13 for 60 yards and an interception, along with 31 yards on the ground on 10 carries.

The good news for Dalton is that Bears coach Matt Nagy indicated the QB did not suffer an ACL tear in his knee.

Carson Wentz, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Wentz and the Colts nearly pulled off an upset against the Los Angeles Rams at home but fell just short in a 27-24 loss.

The new Colts QB completed 20 of 31 passes for 247 yards, one touchdown and one interception before exiting prior to Indy's penultimate possession.

Wentz suffered an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter and did not return. Down by three points, backup QB Jacob Eason threw an interception on his second pass of the game, giving the ball back to the Rams with just more than two minutes left on the clock.

After the game, Colts coach Frank Reich said Wentz "rolled his ankle up pretty good" but declined to offer specifics.

T.J. Watt, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Fresh off signing a big-money extension, the last thing Watt or Steelers fans wanted was an injury. Unfortunately, the pass-rushing phenom picked up a groin injury in Pittsburgh's 26-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Prior to his first-half exit, Watt was wreaking havoc against the Raiders with a forced fumble, a sack and four tackles. According to Dr. Provencher's estimation, Watt could be out up to three weeks.

Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

Landry suffered a knee injury early in Cleveland's victory over Houston and did not return after going down. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed the star wideout had an MCL injury and said he expects to know more following an MRI on Monday, per Pro Football Talk.

"The length of the time out depends on the severity of the MCL injury, which can be anything from a Grade 1 to a Grade 3 tear, but given the way he was able to walk off the field, this looks to be a less-severe MCL injury," Dr. Provencher said.

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