OBJ done for the year? The Giants’ 2017 season can’t get any worse — not only did Big Blue fall to 0-5 after losing to the Chargers today, but star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a fractured ankle and could now require season-ending surgery. Beckham, who at times seems to represent the entirety of New York’s offense, had been pushing for a new contract, but that almost assuredly won’t happen with him on the mend. Even if OBJ can return later this year, the Giants may choose to hold him out given the club’s record.
Rookie running back goes down. Two NFC contenders — the Vikings and Seahawks — both lost their starting running backs in Week 4, as Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook suffered a torn ACL while Seattle’s Chris Carson broke his leg. Although Cook was a second-rounder and Carson wasn’t selected until the seventh round, both first-year players had been contributing to their respective offenses. The Vikings will turn to veteran Latavius Murray, who inked a three-year, $15MM deal earlier this year, while the Seahawks will use a combination of Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls.
Bears choose a new quarterback. Mike Glennon signed a three-year deal worth $45MM with Chicago in March, but he’s already been benched after just four games. The former Buccaneers signal-caller ranked near the bottom of the league in nearly every quarterback metric, meaning the Bears had little choice to turn to No. 2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky. Chicago sacrificed a haul of draft pick capital to move up one spot for Trubisky, and the UNC product will face a stiff test against the division-rival Vikings on Monday Night Football.
Raiders, Titans without QBs. Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota went down at a similar time in 2016, and they’ve done so again in 2017. The signal-callers reportedly face different timetables however, as Carr is apparently eyeing a return in Week 6 after suffering a transverse process fracture in his back. Mariota, meanwhile, was originally considered day-to-day after straining his hamstring, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported today that Mariota could be dealing with a two-to-four week injury.
Bucs have kicking problems (again). Tampa Bay worked through rookie kicker Roberto Aguayo‘s struggles in 2016 before ultimately waiving him earlier this year, and now the club is experiencing trouble again. Veteran Nick Folk missed three kicks in a game the Buccaneers ultimately lost by five points on Thursday night, leading Tampa to look at Andrew Franks, Josh Lambo, Mike Nugent, and Cairo Santos. Still, it’s not inconceivable that the Bucs simply stick with Folk.
You feel for cook, but that injury couldn’t happen to a more deserving franchise. It’s not the players you hate, but the entirety of their fan base.
When did Cook play for the packers?
Whose talking about the packers? I’m a bears fan. We’ve sucked for a while, but at least we’ve been relevant in the last 35 years. Yet, you don’t hear us pounding our chests talking about how great we are or how we’re going to own the division for the next decade. Or blaming injuries and refs for poor play. Bears fans, lions fans, packers fans, and the rest of the NFL fans hate Vikings fans. Worse than patriots fans even.