Week 9 of the NFL season is underway, and there are some key players dealing with injuries.
Second-year quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. will return to the lineup, as will key pass-catchers Drake London and Nico Collins. However, rookie sensation Travis Hunter is set to miss multiple weeks.
See who’s in and who’s out for Week 9:
QB Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons)
Practice schedule: LP-LP-Full
Injury: Knee
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
Penix will be active for the Falcons’ Week 9 game against the Patriots. He missed his first game of the season in Week 8, and Atlanta’s offense struggled with Kirk Cousins filling in at quarterback. Penix has thrown for 1,409 yards and five touchdowns through six games this season as the Falcons’ starter.
QB Brock Purdy (49ers)
Practice schedule: LP-LP-LP
Injury: Toe
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
Purdy will carry a questionable tag into the 49ers’ game against the Giants, and Mac Jones has been announced as the team’s starting quarterback. San Francisco has gone 5-2 with Jones under center this season but lost to the Texans last week. Jones will have a chance to get back on track with Purdy on the bench for, at least, one more week.
QB Bryce Young (Panthers)
Practice schedule: Full-Full-Full
Injury: Ankle
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
After missing Week 8, Young practiced in full and will return to the lineup for the Panthers’ Week 9 game against the Packers. He’s thrown for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns and led Carolina to a 4-3 record in seven games this season.
QB Joe Flacco (Bengals)
Practice schedule: DNP-LP-DNP
Injury: Shoulder
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
Flacco will carry a questionable tag into the Bengals’ Week 9 game against the Bears. He missed two days of practice this week with a shoulder injury. Flacco has thrown for 784 yards and seven touchdowns in three starts. With the Bengals teetering in the AFC playoff picture, they’re heavily relying on him to be healthy. The alternative option would be Jake Browning, who threw for 757 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions before being replaced by Flacco.
QB J.J. McCarthy (Vikings)
Practice schedule: Full-Full-Full
Injury: Ankle
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
McCarthy will return for the Vikings’ Week 9 game against the Lions. He missed five games due to a high-ankle sprain. In McCarthy’s absence, Carson Wentz filled in, throwing for 1,216 yards and six touchdowns as Minnesota went 2-3. However, Wentz sustained a season-ending shoulder injury, thrusting McCarthy back into the spotlight. After being drafted 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy has appeared in just two games because of injuries.
RB D’Andre Swift (Bears)
Practice schedule: DNP-DNP-DNP
Injury: Groin
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
Swift will miss his first game of the season in Week 9. He has been nursing a groin injury for the last few weeks but played through it. This week, however, he wasn’t able to practice and isn’t healthy enough to suit up for Sunday’s game. Backup RB Kyle Monangai will shoulder a heavy load, with RB Roschon Johnson (back) out as well.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots)
Practice schedule: DNP-DNP-DNP
Injury: Toe
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
Stevenson will miss his first game of the season when the Patriots face the Falcons in Week 9. Despite averaging a career-low 3.4 yards per rush and losing three fumbles in eight games this season, he’s remained New England’s top back. With Stevenson missing Week 9, the door is wide open for rookie RB Treveyon Henderson to prove himself.
WR Drake London (Falcons)
Practice schedule: LP-LP-Full
Injury: Hip
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
London will play in the Falcons’ game against the Patriots after missing Week 8. He was a late addition to the injury report last week and ended up sitting out as Atlanta lost to the Dolphins. London has caught 38 passes for 469 yards and two touchdowns through six games this season. Now that he’s back, he’ll give the Falcons’ offense a much-needed boost against a stout New England secondary led by cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
WR Nico Collins (Texans)
Practice schedule: LP-Full-Full
Injury: Concussion
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
Collins will play in the Texans’ Week 9 game against the Broncos. He has had an up-and-down season, with 26 catches for 339 yards and three touchdowns. Collins is in a good spot this week, though, as he won’t have to face Denver’s lockdown cornerback Patrick Surtain, who’s dealing with a pectoral injury.
WR/CB Travis Hunter (Jaguars)
Practice schedule: Full-LP-DNP
Injury: Ankle
Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. ET
Hunter will miss the Jaguars’ Week 9 game against the Raiders and the next three games after Jacksonville placed him on IR this week. He reportedly sustained a non-contact knee injury during Thursday’s practice. Initial reports are that his ACL is intact, but a timetable for his return is unclear. Hunter, who the Jags selected with the second overall pick in last year’s draft, as he was coming off his best game of the season — hauling in eight catches for 101 yards and one score against the Rams.
WR Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars)
Practice schedule: LP-LP-LP
Injury: Shoulder
Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. ET
Thomas is active for Jacksonville’s game against Las Vegas. He won’t miss any time with the shoulder injury that he sustained in Week 7. The team’s Week 8 bye almost certainly helped him recover. He has had a down sophomore season, hauling in just 49.1% of his targets (27 catches) for 365 yards and one score, but he could be primed for a second-half surge with Travis Hunter out of the lineup.
TE Brock Bowers (Raiders)
Practice schedule: FP-FP-FP
Injury: Knee
Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. ET
Bowers will return to the lineup for the Raiders’ game against the Jags after missing two weeks. He was playing through a knee injury he suffered in Week 1 that affected his play, so the Raiders opted to hold him out for two games before their Week 8 bye. Now, he should be fully healthy and ready to return to form.
RB Isiah Pacheco (Chiefs)
Practice schedule: DNP-DNP-DNP
Injury: Knee
Kickoff: 4:25 p.m. ET
Pacheco will miss the Chiefs’ Week 9 game against the Bills. He sustained a knee injury in Week 8 during Kansas City’s win over the Commanders. With Pacheco out, the RB tandem of Kareem Hunt and rookie Brashard Smith will carry the load for the Chiefs.
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