Teams across the league are putting the finishing touches on their week of practice leading up to the full Week 9 slate. This upcoming weekend in the NFL has a number of notable matchups, including the Cardinals-49ers, Packers-Chiefs, and Titans-Rams to name a few. What each of those games have in common, however, is that injuries (or a player's unavailability) are at the forefront, which brings us to the main subject of this piece.
As teams turn in their final injury reports of the week, let this be your hub for knowing who is in, who is out, and whose status may still be up in their leading up to kickoff. Below, you'll find every injury report and analysis of what it all means for Week 9.
Texans: Dolphins:To be announced.
The Giants will once again be without Barkley. While he was able to clear COVID-19 protocols this week, his ankle continues to keep him sidelined for New York. Meanwhile, Shepard is also out while Golladay is questionable, so the wide receiver unit remains pretty banged up.
Darnold is still in concussion protocol, so is status is very much unclear heading into this matchup with New England. He was a limited participant during Friday's walkthrough but will need to be cleared by an independent neurologist before being able to suit up. Shaq Thompson (foot) is poised to make his return to the field after missing three games after he was not listed with a game designation on Friday. Meanwhile, running back Christian McCaffrey was on the practice field on Friday but hasn't been activated to the 53-man roster yet.
Pierce won't be able to play against his former Ravens team on Sunday as the defensive tackle has been ruled out with an elbow injury that he's been dealing with since leaving Minnesota's Week 4 game against Cleveland. Everson Griffen and Harrison Smith were taken off the injury report after initially appearing on it Monday as the team gave them a veteran rest day.
While Bateman and Watkins are listed as questionable with injuries, coach John Harbaugh noted on Friday that each does have a chance to play this weekend. Harbaugh said of Bateman's groin injury that it is "nothing serious" and "he's got a real good chance Sunday." As for Watkins, he was limited in practice on Friday, which is encouraging for his prospects to play in Week 9.
Falcons: No players listed. Saints:The Falcons removed wide receiver Russell Gage from their injury report after initially being limited due to a groin injury. He was a full participant the past two days and will be good to go for Sunday, which is a big development for Atlanta, which will again be without Calvin Ridley as he announced last week he was stepping away from football to focus on his mental health.
Broncos: Cowboys:To be announced.
Browns: Bengals:To be announced.
Knox and Feliciano did not practice all week for the Bills, so their statuses are not entirely surprising. Beasley will be an interesting name to follow leading up to inactive as he returned to practice on Friday on a limited basis after missing both Wednesday and Thursday.
Robinson was the lone Jaguar listed on the final injury report and he was a limited participant in practice, which does trend positively toward him playing on
