Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is unlikely to play this week due to an ankle sprain, head coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday.

Current backup Carson Wentz is expected to be the starter against Bengals backup Jake Browning, who steps in again for injured starter Joe Burrow. Burrow will undergo surgery to repair a toe injury after leaving Sunday’s win over the Jaguars.

McCarthy sustained the injury on a broken play that ended with a tackle near the sideline. McCarthy missed all of the 2024 season after tearing his meniscus during a preseason game, which required surgery.

Named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance in his first start in Week 1, McCarthy has shown mixed results. He struggled Sunday night against the Falcons, going 11 of 21 with 158 yards and two interceptions. He wasn’t able to lead Minnesota to a touchdown and he was sacked six times.

“We’ve got to do a better job as an offense playing one play at a time and everyone doing their job, all 11 of us,” McCarthy said Sunday night. “We’re going to learn from this, get better and bounce back next week.”

The Vikings will also likely be without running back Aaron Jones (hamstring). Starting center Ryan Kelly and left tackle Justin Skule are still in concussion protocol. Skule started the first two games as the Vikings play it safe with Christian Darrisaw, who is working to return from a season-ending ACL tear in 2024.

–Field Level Media

With a few extra days off, Packers coach Matt LaFleur watched the win over the Commanders five times since Green Bay improved to 2-0 last Thursday.

“We had a couple pre-snap penalties, you never want any of those, we had a couple penalties on special teams that played a big impact on field position,” LaFleur said. “There was a lot to like. There is a lot to work on. Offensively, the level of detail needs to be better in regard to making sure you are maximizing every opportunity you get.”

Green Bay hits the road for the first time this season to visit the Cleveland Browns (0-2) this week. Pass rusher Micah Parsons (back) might be available even more this week after a “soft” snap count in his first two games.

“Sometimes from a coaching standpoint, you have too much time and can overthink things. The biggest benefit is for our guys to get healthy,” LaFleur said.

But LaFleur set the record straight Tuesday that the Packers might have a perfect record, but the product is far from it.

“For the score to be 17-10 in the fourth quarter, I thought we were in control for most of that game,” he said. “There were some positives as well.”

LaFleur said the Packers are zeroing in on blocking defensive end Myles Garrett, which is complicated with right tackle Zach Tom’s status up in the air. He was out in Week 2 but “feels a lot better than he did,” LaFleur said.

Tom is working through an oblique injury. Anthony Belton started a right tackle against Washington.

“It’s not like we’re just going to throw in the towel and give up. We’ll come up with something,” LaFleur said.

Left guard Aaron Banks (ankle/groin) also missed Week 2.

–Field Level Media

Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels is day-to-day due to a sprained knee heading into the Commanders’ Sunday matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to coach Dan Quinn.

“He did have an MRI and he’s already begun his return to play process with us,” Quinn said on Monday. “He is truly day-to-day. What does that mean for Sunday? I can’t tell you that now. I’ll have more to share on that when we get to Wednesday at practice and what that would look like.”

Daniels appeared to be limping near the end of Washington’s 27-18 loss at the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. Despite the ailment, he played the entire game, completing 24 of 42 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns while being sacked four times.

NFL Network reported that knee injury isn’t expected to sideline Daniels long term. However, it could keep him out this week, forcing backup quarterback Marcus Mariota into action against one of his former teams.

Daniels, 24, was named the NFL Rookie of the Year last season after he was selected second overall by the Commanders. Counting the postseason, he started all 20 games, completing 68.4 percent of his passes for 4,390 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while leading his team to the NFC Championship Game.

This year, Daniels has connected on 59.7 percent of his passes for 433 yards and two TDs with no interceptions as the Commanders have gone 1-1.

–Field Level Media

The Houston Texans face a critical home opener on Monday night as they attempt to avoid falling to 0-2 before beginning a three-game stretch that includes two divisional games and a trip to Baltimore.

It’s the first game of Monday night’s doubleheader to conclude Week 2, and Tampa Bay arrives in Houston looking to become the NFC South’s lone 2-0 team.

ODDS AND TRENDS
The Texans are consensus 2.5-point favorites, thanks primarily to playing at home.

The Bucs have drawn 60 percent of the spread-line money wagered at BetRivers, while Tampa Bay’s +120 moneyline has been backed by 54 percent of the money along with 68 percent of the total bets.

PROP PICKS
–Bucs QB Baker Mayfield Over 15 Rushing Yards (-155 at DraftKings): This has been the game’s most popular player prop at the book after Mayfield scrambled five times for 39 yards in the season opener, making him the team’s leading rusher. Mayfield is anything but a run-first quarterback, having compiled 378 yards all of last season. However, he has now topped 15 yards in five of his past six games, including the playoffs.

–Over 43.0 Total Points (-112 at BetRivers). The Over has drawn 73 percent of the money and 76 percent of the total bets. While Tampa Bay’s season opener totaled exactly 43 total points, Houston lost 14-9 at the Rams.

KEY STAT
Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans has scored a touchdown in eight of his past nine games played on Monday nights, while Texans wide receiver Nico Collins has scored at least one touchdown in seven of his past eight home games.

SERIES HISTORY
The Texans hold a five-game winning streak over Tampa Bay.

PRESSURE MOUNTING ON STROUD
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked three times and pressured on more than 41 percent of his dropbacks in Week 1, perNextGen Stats,. Houston remains a work in progress in terms of providing suitable protection for Stroud. Their vulnerability will be challenged again considering the Bucs pressured Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on more than 43 percent of his dropbacks in Week 1.

“Their front, it really comes from Todd’s philosophy,” said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, referencing Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles. “They’re going to bring a lot of exotic pressures. There will be pressure from safeties, nickels, everybody is coming and … they do a really good job of disguising it. We just really have to do a great job as an offense when the picture changes. How are we reacting and responding?

“Communicating the proper way when the picture changes, that will be the challenge for us this week,” Ryans added.

With Stroud under extreme duress, Collins had only three receptions (on five targets) for 25 yards against the Rams. Far and away the Texans’ top option in the passing game, Collins stands a superior shot of being unlocked if the Texans execute better on offense.

“Offensively, when you go back to the game on Sunday, we have so many plays where we’re playing behind the sticks and we’re not doing things that we’re trained to do,” Ryans said. “We’re not doing things that are conducive to staying on track, and being able to run our offense in that type of fashion, it’s going to be hard to get the ball to a certain player here or there.

“We’ve got to do the things that we’re coached to do, make sure we’re staying on track offensively, making sure everybody is on the same page, and we’re putting ourselves in position to make positive plays. When we have those positive plays, then it opens up the offense for us to be able to get the ball to whoever we want to get the ball to.”

INJURY REPORT
Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs (knee), a two-time first-team All-Pro, did not practice on Saturday and was ruled out for Monday’s game. So, too, was wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. (ankle), who was limited on Saturday after missing sessions Thursday and Friday.

Bowles revealed right tackle Luke Goedeke (foot) played through injury on Sunday and he didn’t practice Thursday and Friday but was limited on Saturday and listed as questionable. Safety Christian Izien (oblique) and cornerback Benjamin Morrison (quad) were full participants all week and listed as questionable for Monday’s tilt.

Tampa Bay and Houston are both seeking a measure of normalcy up front. The Texans announced Saturday that center Jake Andrews (ankle), after missing practice on Thursday through Saturday, was ruled out for the game. Also ruled out are wide receivers Braxton Berrios and Christian Kirk, both to hamstring issues.

“They’re shuffling just like we are,” Bowles said earlier in the week. “Right now, we’re just trying to get our feet under us. It’s not about advantages, it’s about us taking care of us and playing fast.

“Whatever they have, they have; whatever we have, we have. We’ve got to go down there and try to win the game no matter what.”

PREDICTION
The Bucs take to the road for the second consecutive week and a win in Houston would position them nicely atop the NFC South. With the Texans minus injured running back Joe Mixon and lacking a consistency ground game to alleviate some of the pressure on Stroud, Houston will find itself playing out of too many obvious passing situations. –Bucs 27, Texans 23

–Field Level Media

A pair of Panthers starting offensive linemen, center Austin Corbett and right guard Robert Hunt, are headed to injured reserve following injuries that knocked them out of Sunday’s loss at Arizona.

Head coach Dave Canales said Monday afternoon Hunt suffered a torn left biceps and will require surgery before the Panthers offer a medical assessment on the likelihood of his return during the 2025 season. Corbett is down with another left knee injury and could be back in late October if his recovery progresses on schedule.

“We’re still working on (corresponding moves),” Canales said.

Cade Mays ended the Week 2 game at center and started eight of the final nine games at the pivot for Carolina last season, when Corbett was placed on IR with a ruptured biceps tendon.

Corbett, 30, re-injured his MCL on Sunday. Canales said the latest injury is a Grade 3 sprain.

Corbett tore the ACL in his left knee in the final game of the 2022 season, and injured his left MCL in 2023.

Hunt, 29, was a Pro Bowler last season in his first campaign with Carolina.

Chandler Zavala replaced Hunt in the lineup on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson aggravated the groin injury that limited him in the offseason and is facing an extended absence, which rates as bad news for the NFL’s worst defense.

Quarterbacks are completing 75 percent of their passes against the Bears (0-2) through two weeks with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys up next.

ESPN reported Johnson was out “indefinitely” and the Bears are evaluating the severity of the injury.

Johnson, the No. 1 cornerback on a Chicago defense hit for 39.5 points per game and 7.15 yards per play through two weeks, did not play in the opener against the Vikings and left the Week 2 loss at Detroit after diving to break up a pass intended for Amon-Ra St. Brown. Johnson remained on the turf at Ford Field after the whistle and was helped to the sideline by team trainers.

Last week, Johnson described the severity of the injury that limited him throughout the offseason to “The Pivot” podcast, saying he tore his adductor muscle from the pelvic bone. He was on the non-football injury list in training camp and said the injury occurred while training.

Like Johnson, linebacker TJ Edwards was not available due to injury Week 1. He also left the 52-21 loss to the Lions with a hamstring injury.

The Bears are also dead last allowing 9.75 yards per pass play and point differential (17 per game). They’ve allowed 10 touchdowns in two games.

Prescott is completing 68.6 percent of his passes (59 of 86, 549 yards) for the Cowboys (1-1) in an offense that features wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens and tight end Jake Ferguson.

Johnson, 26, was the 50th overall pick in the 2020 draft. He signed a four-year, $76 million contract extension with the Bears in March 2024.

Edwards had 129 tackles and four sacks last season in 17 games.

–Field Level Media

Dallas center Cooper Beebe was placed on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain, opening a spot on the roster for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

The Cowboys officially signed Clowney to a one-year deal on Monday and added him to the 53-man roster to fill the spot created when Beebe was placed on short-term IR. He is dealing with a high-ankle sprain and could be out 1-2 months, per reports, but Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said the team won’t immediately know the precise length of his absence.

“We’re hoping that it’s on the shorter end of that,” Jones said Monday on 105.3 FM of the timeline for Beebe’s return. “But there’s probably a pretty good chance that he’ll end up on IR.”

Clowney might not be active this week at Chicago, but is expected to be ready for the Week 4 game in Dallas against the Packers and former Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons.

Clowney visited Dallas last week and had remained in contact with Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, who crossed over in Seattle for one season with the former first-round pick.

Beebe, 24, immediately became a mainstay on the Dallas offensive line after he was selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Kansas State alum transitioned from playing guard in college to starting 16 games as a rookie center for the Cowboys in 2024 and starting the first two games this season.

Brock Hoffman, a backup guard who replaced Beebe at center in overtime of the Giants win, is expected to step into the starting lineup in his place.

A recovery timeline of six to eight weeks would put Beebe in line to return at Denver on Oct. 26 at the earliest, and a road game at Las Vegas on Nov. 17 coming out of the team’s bye week if he misses a full two months.

Clowney had 46 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season for the Panthers after recording 43 tackles and 9.5 sacks the previous year with the Ravens.

In his career, the three-time Pro Bowl selection has 409 tackles, 58 sacks and 15 forced fumbles over 140 games (127 starts).

–Field Level Media

The winless New York Jets could be without starting quarterback Justin Fields in their Week 3 game at Tampa Bay, and head coach Aaron Glenn said Monday that veteran Tyrod Taylor will be ready to play.

Fields entered concussion protocol on Sunday after New York’s 30-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He was injured in the opening minute of the fourth quarter when he was smacked by Buffalo pass rusher Joey Bosa after throwing an incomplete pass. Fields’ head hit the turf as he landed but remained in the game for one more play and Bosa sacked Fields, causing a fumble.

The Jets (0-2) recovered the fumble but then had to punt and turned to Taylor with Fields ruled out.

Taylor replaced Fields and completed 7 of 11 passes for 56 yards and New York’s lone touchdown. Taylor had 21 yards on three carries.

Fields will need to clear protocol before he can play again, necessitating the uptick in preparation for Taylor.

“We have to get more information so we can be more pinpointed on that, but we do have to look at it that way,” Glenn said. “If Justin can’t play, then Tyrod would be the guy, and we’d build a plan that’s suitable for him.”

Fields was just 3-for-11 passing for 27 yards before departing. He had 49 yards on five rushes.

Glenn said he doesn’t favor starting Fields if he can’t practice Wednesday and Thursday.

Taylor, 36, was selected in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He is in his second season with the Jets — his seventh team — and took just 36 snaps in 2024 behind starter Aaron Rodgers. His last start came in 2023 with the New York Giants.

He has appeared in 95 games and is 28-28-1 as a starter. He has completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 12,310 yards with 69 touchdowns and 29 interceptions.

The Chicago Bears selected Fields with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 draft. He spent three seasons in Chicago and one with the Pittsburgh Steelers before signing with the Jets as a free agent in the offseason.

The 26-year-old is 14-32 as a starter and has thrown for 8,025 yards with 46 TDs and 31 interceptions.

–Field Level Media