Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season was one of the best we’ve seen in years. Upsets, high-scoring games, and standout performances gave fans all the hope for the coming weeks ahead. Sunday has passed, and the thrill is over until the next, but some fanatics are still in shambles as some of their team’s best are out due to injury after the very first game.
Here are the Top 5 most impactful injuries of Week 1 so far.
AJ Brown
The former Philadelphia Eagles star receiver was one of the most anticipated players to watch as he would make his debut for the New England Patriots in Wednesday’s opening-night game in Seattle. Brown left the game early in the third quarter after a short route resulted in an apparent ankle injury. The Patriots officially placed Brown on their IR list Friday with a reported high ankle sprain and added that he would miss four to six weeks due to the injury.
“Any injury that you get at this time of the season, you kind of approach it with an all-hands-on-deck approach,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Thursday on sports radio WEEI, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. “We got a lot of different skill guys that can do a lot of different things. There isn’t one person on the roster that can replace anybody like A.J. — in the middle of a game or a stretch of a season. So we’ll band together and figure out what we can do well and then try to get guys in positions to play to their strengths.”
On the bright side, the Patriots have newly signed Romeo Doubs from the Green Bay Packers to fall back on as well as veteran Mack Hollins, who stepped up for the Pats after Brown’s departure Wednesday, recording four receptions and 51 yards, a team high through the air.
Myles Garrett
The Los Angeles Rams’ biggest player acquisition this year came when they traded for two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns. Garrett played the entire length of the Rams’ opening matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, to which they lost 27-7. Leading up to the game, the newly acquired defensive end had some concerns about his knee, as he missed most of training camp. During the loss to the 49ers, Garrett didn’t record a single tackle or touch the opposing quarterback once during the entire game, a rare occurrence for the seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
After Thursday’s matchup, Garrett said his knee was not 100% going into the game and added that his performance against San Francisco was “the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there.”
As of Sunday, Garrett was placed on the team’s injury reserve list and would be undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee, causing him to miss at least the next four weeks of the NFL season.
Hopefully, Garrett can recover quickly, as the Rams didn’t seem like the team they once were on Thursday.
Ladd McConkey
The Los Angeles Chargers’ top receiver didn’t seem to miss a step in Sunday’s matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. McConkey recorded five receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown before he left the field in the third quarter for what appeared to be a back injury.
It was later determined that a chest injury was the real prognosis and could leave the Chargers star wide receiver out for some time.
The Chargers did not look like the 2025 team we witnessed last year as they fell to the Cardinals 26-14 at home Sunday afternoon. With no immediate update from any source, the situation remains up in the air as fans and fantasy participants grow concerned for the Bolts’ rising star.
Zay Flowers
Baltimore Ravens veteran receiver Zay Flowers had just signed a four-year, $140 million extension with the team leading up to the 2026 season. Sunday’s matchup against the Indianapolis Colts proved to be a coming-out party for Flowers to start the season, as the wideout caught five passes for 150 yards and a touchdown all before halftime.
Unfortunately, Flowers was seen limping on the sideline late in the second quarter, per ESPN, and was initially listed as questionable to return but was later downgraded to out with an apparent hamstring injury. The Ravens went on to defeat the Colts in a show-stopping performance without their number one wideout, winning 41-23.
Flowers struggled with a hamstring injury before the season began but was deemed eligible to play in Sunday night’s opener. But bad news continued to pile up for the Ravens after Flowers’ departure as their rookie WR pickup, Ja’Kobi Lane, was also ruled out with a fractured wrist.
“Flowers’ injury prognosis was more positive. The wideout’s hamstring is considered minor, per NFL Network. He’s considered day-to-day,” Chris Cwik of Yahoo Sports wrote.
As for Lane, a fracture will amount to multiple weeks missed, severely disrupting the Ravens’ wide receiver core.
Kyler Murray
The Minnesota Vikings’ newest pickup, Kyler Murray, looked to be an exciting new addition to the team, as they have struggled with a number one quarterback option since Sam Darnold’s departure after the 2024 season. Murray made his debut as the Vikings hosted the Green Bay Packers in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon, but it lasted only a few minutes, as he received a nasty hit in the first quarter that left him visibly concussed.
“Murray lay motionless on the field for several seconds. His teammates signaled immediately for the medical staff. He eventually got up and walked under his own power and went straight to the locker room. The Vikings ruled him out with a concussion shortly after,” Ash Anjum of Pro Football Network wrote.
Despite Murray’s injury, veteran backup Carson Wentz led the team to a 39-22 win over the Packers. With no news on Murray’s return to the field, he will likely miss much of the 2026 season, as NFL concussion protocols have improved drastically, making player safety a number one priority.
“Recently, Coach Kevin O’Connell said the Vikings would take his situation ‘a day at a time’ and work with the medical staff as Murray receives treatment,” Anne Erickson of The Sporting News wrote.
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