NFL Player News

Coach Anthony Lynn confirmed that Herbert will start Sunday's game against the Panthers, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Herbert will pick up a second straight start after reports surfaced Wednesday that Tyrod Taylor suffered a punctured lung prior to kickoff in the Chargers' overtime loss to the Chiefs in Week 2. Per Popper, Lynn said that the Chargers haven't considered placing Taylor on injured reserve, the team won't take any chances with the veteran signal-caller Week 3, given that he's understandably not 100 percent. Taylor will presumably be officially ruled out by the end of the week, while Herbert will have an opportunity to build off his strong NFL debut versus an 0-2 Carolina squad that will be missing star running back Christian McCaffrey (ankle).

The Broncos don't plan to place Lock (shoulder) on injured reserve, as the organization believes he has a chance to return to action in less than three weeks, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Lock's rotator cuff/labral injury will keep him sidelined for at least Weeks 3 and 4, after which he'll be re-evaluated ahead of the Broncos' Week 5 game against New England. The quarterback was provided with a loose 3-to-8-week timeline for his recovery after being diagnosed with the shoulder injury, so the possibility remains that he'll be sidelined until after the team's Week 8 bye. For the time being, Jeff Driskel will lead the Denver offense, with the newly signed Blake Bortles set to serve as his top backup.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that Mullens "most likely" will start Sunday's game against the Giants, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

The 49ers aren't quite ready to rule out Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle), but Shanahan said the signal-caller isn't expected to practice this week. Mullens threw an interception and took two sacks in Sunday's 31-13 win over the Jets, but he did solid work back in 2018, when he started eight games and averaged 284.6 passing yards, 1.6 touchdowns and 1.3 interceptions per contest.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Garoppolo (ankle) won't take part in practice Wednesday, and he'll "be surprised" if the quarterback takes the practice field this week, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Garoppolo was diagnosed with a high right ankle sprain coming out of Sunday's win over the Jets, but Shanahan told Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News on Monday that the quarterback "still has a chance" to play this weekend against the Giants. Typically, a player with such an injury is sidelined multiple weeks, and the unlikelihood that Garoppolo practices this week would seem to indicate his trending toward an absence this weekend. Still, the 49ers have until Sunday morning to make the ruling official, so his status will be one to watch in the coming days. Nick Mullens would start at quarterback if Garoppolo is unable to go.

Doctors have advised Taylor, who suffered a punctured lung Sunday, not to play for an indefinite period, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Taylor suffered the injury in the hours leading up to the Chargers' Week 2 loss to the Chiefs, when a team doctor accidentally punctured the quarterback's lung while administering a pain-killing injection to his rib area. The Chargers will likely offer further comment on Taylor's status in the next couple of days, but at this stage, Justin Herbert is on track to make a second straight start Sunday against the Panthers.

Herbert is expected to start Sunday's game against the Panthers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, doctors have advised Tyrod Taylor not to play "indefinitely" due to a punctured lung that he suffered after receiving a pain-killing injection prior to kickoff Week 2. Though Herbert filled in admirably in the Chargers' 23-20 overtime loss to the Chiefs, coach Anthony Lynn previously indicated that Taylor wouldn't lose his starting job to an injury, and there had been some initial hope the veteran would return to action Week 3. Wednesday's news, however, sets the stage for Herbert to get another start at a minimum, with some advance warning for the assignment this time around.

Taylor's lung was reportedly punctured accidentally when a Chargers team doctor administered a pain-killing injection to the quarterback's rib area prior to last Sunday's game against the Chiefs, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Taylor, who was listed as a full practice participant last Friday and didn't carry an injury designation into the weekend, received the injection to address cracked ribs. In the minutes leading up to kickoff, however, Taylor experienced chest pains and breathing problems, resulting in his hospitalization. Rookie Justin Herbert stepped in on short notice to start at quarterback Week 2, and he could be on track for another turn under center Sunday against the Panthers, as Taylor seems unlikely to be available by the end of the week.

Herbert could be in store for a second straight start Week 3 against the Panthers with the Chargers listing incumbent Tyrod Taylor (chest) as week-to-week, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Herbert was informed just moments before kickoff in Sunday's game against the Chiefs that he would be starting when Taylor was scratched and sent to the hospital after experiencing an adverse reaction to an pregame injection he took to address a lingering rib injury, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Considering the circumstances, Herbert performed impressively, completing 22 of his 33 pass attempts for 311 yards, one touchdown and an interception to go with 18 yards and another score on the ground in the Chargers' 23-20 loss in overtime. Despite the rookie first-round pick's solid showing, head coach Anthony Lynn stated after the game that Taylor would retain the starting job if "he's 100 percent ready to go," per Jim Trotter of NFL.com. With that in mind, Taylor's activity in practice this week will bear watching, as Herbert would presumably earn another start if the Chargers aren't convinced Taylor is completely healthy. A favorable matchup looms this weekend, as the Panthers have surrendered 30-plus points in both of their first two games while allowing opposing quarterbacks Derek Carr and Tom Brady to complete 69.2 percent of their pass attempts.

Carr completed 28 of 38 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns in Monday night's 34-24 win over the Saints.

Carr got off to a slow start, but he and the Raiders offense found their rhythm into the second quarter. The signal-caller built up a streak of completions and was particularly sharp on third downs, with his first two touchdowns coming then. Carr upped the ante for his third score, tossing a one-yarder on fourth-and-goal to start the second half and give Las Vegas the lead. That TD went to tight end Darren Waller, who easily paced the team in all receiving categories, but to his credit, Carr connected with 11 different pass-catchers Monday. Such distribution should have Carr feeling confident ahead of Week 3's trip to New England.

Taylor missed Sunday's loss to the Chiefs due to complications from a pregame injection that was meant to help a rib injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Taylor was briefly hospitalized because he experienced chest pains and difficulty breathing, and he's considered week-to-week moving forward. Rookie QB Justin Herbert performed well in Taylor's stead, but coach Anthony Lynn stated that Taylor will be the starting QB again once he's 100 percent, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.