This week in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons will do battle in Madrid, the Green Bay Packers will look to spoil Rob Gronkowski’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction in New England, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers attempt to make up ground in the NFC South against the surging Chicago Bears.
Injuries are mounting across the league as we cross the halfway point of the 2026 season, and that includes at quarterback. Shedeur Sanders will make his first start of the season for the Cleveland Browns in place of Deshaun Watson as they take on the New Orleans Saints, Drew Lock replaces Sam Darnold in the lineup for the Seattle Seahawks, and Carson Wentz will try to make the most of his opportunity against the Buffalo Bills with Kyler Murray sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Another notable injury storyline is with new Seahawks offensive guard Quenton Nelson. Just one week after trading a third-round pick and future fifth-round pick to the Indianapolis Colts for the eight-time Pro Bowl left guard, head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters that Nelson needs a minor knee procedure. NFL Media reports it’s to clean out cartilage, as fragments have been causing an issue. Seattle says Nelson will avoid injured reserve right now, and is week-to-week. That means the Seahawks offensive line will likely revert to their old format, with Grey Zabel at left guard and Anthony Bradford at right guard.
Below, we will break down the final injury reports for all teams set to play on Sunday, beginning with our international game in Spain.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Cincinnati Bengals (-3) vs. Atlanta Falcons
Good news for the Bengals, as cornerback DJ Turner is off the report with his heel injury, and will suit up vs. the Falcons. While Johnson is questionable, he was a full participant in practice on Friday. Safety Jordan Battle was limited by a hamstring injury earlier in the week, but he carries no game designation into Sunday.
James Pearce Jr. is questionable to make his 2026 debut due to a back issue. He was suspended for the first eight games of the season following his arrest in February. Despite being a limited participant in practice all week, Atlanta’s RB2, Robinson, has already been ruled out.
Dallas Cowboys (-5.5) at Indianapolis Colts
The Cowboys have ruled out two players in Lawrence and Turpin, but have several notable names that are listed as questionable such as Ferguson, Overshown, Porter and Pickens. However, all four players were limited participants in practice on Friday, giving them a chance. Rookie defensive back Caleb Downs and safety P.J. Locke III are off the report after working through concussion protocol.
The Colts have ruled out Davis-Gaither and Walley for Sunday after the two did not practice all week. Haulcy popped up on the report Friday with an ankle issue and is listed as questionable.
New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs (-9.5)
The Jets will be without their top wideout in Wilson, who did not practice at all this week due to a concussion. Ossai is listed as questionable after being a limited participant in practice all week with an ankle injury.
For the Chiefs, first-round pick Peter Woods has been ruled out after missing practice all week with a neck injury.
Detroit Lions (-6.5) at Miami Dolphins
A couple of takeaways from the Lions’ injury report: Joseph is unfortunately not ready to play just yet and St. Brown is questionable after being limited all week with a rib issue. Vaki appeared to injure his ankle during practice this week and is now also questionable to play.
Wright and Herring are listed as questionable for Miami, but both players were limited participants in practice on Thursday and Friday.
Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints (-3)
While Watson is listed as questionable, Browns head coach Todd Monken told reporters that Sanders is going to start on Sunday. If Watson is cleared, he could be the backup.
Banks is questionable to make his return to the lineup on Sunday after being a limited participant in practice all week, while Tyson — the No. 8 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft — is questionable to make his NFL debut. He was also a limited participant in practice all week.
New York Giants (-3) at Philadelphia Eagles
The Giants will likely be without their top running back on Sunday, as Skattebo is listed as doubtful with his hamstring injury. He missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but returned as a limited participant on Friday.
It’s Joe Milton time in Philadelphia, but his backup, McKee, is questionable to play with a rib injury. The Eagles will again be without several notable starters such as Campbell, Smith and Wicks. Milton’s top wide receivers will have to be Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper and Hollywood Brown.
Los Angeles Rams (-4.5) at Washington Commanders
The bye week didn’t do the Rams any favors, as they figure to be short-handed in the secondary on Sunday. Watson has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury, and Curl and McDuffie are questionable to play. McDuffie didn’t practice all week.
Jayden Daniels will be without a couple of his wideouts this week, as Brown and Burks were ruled out on Friday. Newton is questionable to play due to his pec injury, despite being a full participant in practice all week.
Denver Broncos (-2.5) at Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are down several notable names again this week, as Phillips, Lewis and Okereke will be missing from the lineup when the Broncos come to town. The secondary continues to be short-handed, as the rookie Lee has also been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Denver is also going to be short-handed in the secondary this week, as Jones and Abrams-Draine have already been ruled out, while Hufanga is questionable to suit up with his ankle injury after being limited in practice on Thursday and Friday. In what is good news for the Broncos, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was a full participant all week with his chest issue, and carries no game designation into Week 9.
Houston Texans (-6) at Los Angeles Chargers
The Texans will be without Montgomery for another week, while Blankenship will miss his second consecutive game with a concussion and hand injury.
The rookie Thompson is listed as doubtful for the Chargers after not practicing all week. The other three players listed as doubtful for L.A. in Awosika, Njoku and Perryman were limited participants in practice all week.
Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots (-3)
- Packers: TE Josh Whyle (concussion), OL Sean Rhyan (ankle), EDGE Micah Parsons (knee), OL Travis Glover (knee), LB Zaire Franklin (shin) OUT; RB Chris Brooks (ankle), RB MarShawn Lloyd (knee), CB Keisean Nixon (groin) QUESTIONABLE
- Patriots: WR A.J. Brown (ankle/knee), RB TreVeyon Henderson (illness) OUT; TE Hunter Henry (foot), S Kevin Byard (chest), CB Carlton Davis III (neck), OT Morgan Moses (foot), S Brenden Schooler (hamstring), OG Greg Van Roten (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE
Parsons is not ready to make his 2026 debut just yet. The Packers also have a couple of running backs listed as questionable in Brooks and Lloyd. Both players were listed as limited participants in practice. The corner Nixon was also limited during Friday’s session.
A.J. Brown will miss another game for the Patriots with his lower-body issues. He’s been active for just three games, and hasn’t crossed 50 yards receiving yet. As for Henderson, he announced Friday that he has been dealing with an “unusual medical emergency” that required hospitalization. The Patriots are officially calling it an illness, but it’s fair to expect he will miss some time.
Las Vegas Raiders at San Francisco 49ers (-10)
Raiders corner Darien Porter is listed as questionable to play, but he was a full participant in practice on Friday.
Brock Purdy will be without his top receivers again, as Evans, Samuel and Kirk have already been ruled out. Hobbs, Neal, Robinson and Stout — who are all listed as questionable — were limited participants in practice on Friday.
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (-8.5)
- Cardinals: OL Jon Gaines II (ankle), RB Bam Knight (concussion), OL Jayden Williams (knee) OUT; OL Isaiah Adams (ankle), DL Walter Nolen (ankle), CB Max Melton (knee) QUESTIONABLE
- Seahawks: OT Charles Cross (ankle), QB Sam Darnold (quadricep, ribs), OG Quenton Nelson (knee), LB Uchenna Nwosu (ankle), DT Brandon Pili (back), WR Rashid Shaheed (knee), DE Leonard Williams (stinger) OUT; LB Connor O’Toole (foot) QUESTIONABLE
For the Cardinals, Adams, Nolen and Melton were limited participants in practice on Friday. All three are listed as questionable.
The Seahawks may be favored by around nine points at home against the Cardinals, but they are missing several starters this week. Seattle is down two starters on the offensive line in Cross and Nelson, while Darnold is out with quad and rib issues. Drew Lock also won’t have Shaheed to throw to, as he’s been ruled out with a knee injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears (-6) (SNF)
While Egbuka is listed as questionable with his foot injury, he was a full participant in practice on both Thursday and Friday.
Monangai has a chance to suit up for the first time since Week 4, as he was limited in practice on Friday and officially listed as questionable.
