Sam Bradford out, Ben Roethlisberger in because of injuries
Injuries knocked Philadelphia quarterback Sam Bradford out of the game Sunday, and forced a hobbled Ben Roethlisberger off the bench for Pittsburgh.
Peyton Manning's sore right foot prevented him from stepping into his passes properly and getting zip on his throws, and he was benched late in the third quarter of the Denver Broncos' 29-13 loss to Kansas City. He threw four interceptions and was sacked twice.
Denver wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders also left in the second half with a possible concussion. Sanders played despite missing all week with a sprained left ankle.
Arizona offensive lineman Mike Iupati was taken off the field in an ambulance after a collision while making a block against Seattle. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Iupati was down on the field for about 10 minutes as medical personnel attended to him with 9:16 remaining in the second quarter.
The Cardinals said Iupati had a neck injury, but had feeling and movement in his extremities when he left the stadium. He was transported to a hospital for further evaluation.
Bradford trudged off the field with what appeared to be a left shoulder injury, and ended up with a concussion to boot, after a hard hit by Miami linebacker Chris McCain on a sack that forced a fumble.
Although X-rays were negative, Bradford held his non-throwing arm close to his stomach like it was in a sling after the third-quarter hit. Mark Sanchez took over for the first time this season in the Dolphins' 20-19 win.
Eagles running back Ryan Mathews also left with a concussion. The Dolphins lost linebacker Jelani Jenkins (ankle) and cornerback Brice McCain (knee) during the game.
Roethlisberger, questionable with a sprained left foot, tossed three touchdown passes in a 30-9 win over Cleveland after Landry Jones left with a sprained left ankle.
Roethlisberger was limited in practice all week after getting hurt in last week's win over Oakland. The Steelers were encouraged enough to put their franchise quarterback in uniform against the Browns but started Jones anyway, figuring Jones would be more than effective against a Browns defense ranked last against the run and missing three starters in the secondary.
Jones never really got a chance. The second start of his career - all in the past three games - lasted all of seven snaps.
Jones turned his left ankle while throwing incomplete early in the first quarter and Roethlisberger - wearing a specially padded cleat to protect his bum foot - entered to a roar of a capacity crowd.
Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins was taken to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for observation after sustaining his second concussion in three games.
Julian Edelman, New England's leading receiver, sustained a foot injury in the first half against the New York Giants. He had four catches for 53 yards before the injury, and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Giants center Weston Richburg injured his ankle and linebacker Mark Herzlich hurt his calf in the same game. Richburg, who has started every game this season, was hurt late in the third quarter. He was replaced by Dallas Reynolds, who was called for moving the ball before the next snap.
Tennessee was already thin in the secondary with starting cornerbacks Perrish Cox and Jason McCourty inactive. Then, Bidi Wreh-Wilson, who started for Cox, left early in the second half with a hamstring injury.
Titans receiver Justin Hunter was carted off the field with an apparent right ankle injury late in a 27-10 loss to Carolina.
Rams rookie right Jamon Brown could be out for the season with a right foot injury.
New Orleans cornerback Keen Lewis went out after injuring his left knee.
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