playJeremy FowlerCloseJeremy Fowlersenior NFL national reporterJeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com. and Dan GrazianoCloseDan Grazianosenior NFL national reporterDan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now.
He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels.Multiple AuthorsSep 16, 2026, 10:30 AM ETOpen Extended ReactionsThe 2026 NFL season is officially rolling. As we head into Week 2, insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have been making calls to sources around the league for the latest news and notable buzz.Week 1 saw the Seahawks, Vikings and Falcons all forced to turn to backup quarterbacks — and in Atlanta’s case, it was a third-stringer. Where do those franchises sit at QB entering Week 2? Jeremy and Dan also asked around about a tough opening week for the two Los Angeles teams.
Is there concern yet for the Rams and Chargers? Plus, they debated debuts for coaches and rookies then offered up their best fantasy tips based on what they’re hearing.It’s all here, as Jeremy and Dan answer big questions and empty their reporting notebooks heading into Week 2.Jump to: QB situations | Rams, Chargers concerns Coaching debuts | Rookie debuts Fantasy football takes | Notes and more buzzWhat’s the latest on the quarterback situation for the Vikings, Seahawks and Falcons?Graziano: Things seem straightforward for Minnesota. Based on what I’ve been able to gather, my sense is that Kyler Murray will start if he clears concussion protocol in time, and Carson Wentz is likely to start if Murray isn’t clear in time. That sounds like a negative toward J.J.
McCarthy, since it was him and not Wentz who competed with Murray for the starting job in camp. But this is more about the Vikings believing Wentz’s veteran experience puts them in better position with limited preparation time when a QB gets hurt in-game (as happened Sunday) and/or there’s uncertainty about who’s going to start throughout the week.McCarthy was the emergency third QB on Sunday, so the team knew there was a chance they might have to play him. I could see a scenario in which Wentz starts this week with McCarthy as the backup, assuming Murray can’t go.Fowler: That’s certainly plausible. Murray took a nasty hit, and teams tend to be overly cautious when a player has assumed the fencing position, for good reason.
But how players work through the five stages of the protocol often varies, so it’s tough to know Murray’s timeline at this point. Wentz is set up for success in Week 2. He got hot last week versus Green Bay, and Chicago just allowed 361 passing yards to Bryce Young.In Seattle, it’s clear Sam Darnold will miss this week and possibly Week 3. But the Seahawks have refrained from putting him on short-term injured reserve, which is a good sign.
The team seems confident that Drew Lock is plug and play until Darnold returns.Graziano: Yeah, Seattle believes Lock can handle it, so he’s the guy there for the foreseeable future. I’m personally interested to see whether they put in anything specific for Jalen Milroe in terms of plays or packages that take advantage of his running ability and maybe give their offense a little bit extra juice. Why not, if Milroe is going to be active anyway as the second quarterback?What about Atlanta? Kevin Stefanski probably thought he left the QB mess behind in Cleveland, but he has a situation on his hands, no?Fowler: Stefanski has seen it all at quarterback, but at least his signal-callers in Cleveland mostly stayed out of the training room.
Tua Tagovailoa’s body seems to be betraying him at an inopportune time. The Falcons’ best option remains third-year man Michael Penix Jr., but he’s not yet ready for live game action. Penix wants to be fully confident before stepping onto the field following left ACL surgery in November. And my understanding is the Falcons are leaving the comfort level part of his recovery up to him.Tagovailoa’s injury, an oblique strain, can linger, which puts his Week 2 status up in the air.
So, Cooper Rush starting another week wouldn’t be shocking. What helps Tagovailoa’s case is his accuracy, which Stefanski highly values. If Tagovailoa’s body doesn’t totally break down in the short term and he can return before Penix is ready, perhaps Tagovailoa can provide a spark.Graziano: Penix is coming off his third ACL reconstruction, which is a lot of ACL reconstructions. I believe it takes a lot of mental work to convince yourself it’s OK to go back out there and play.
If Penix needs more time, I’m sure the Falcons will give it to him, though I believe we will see him on the field at some point this season. The Falcons are going to want to know whether he is a real long-term option moving forward.My sense is Tagovailoa was the favorite to start at the beginning of camp even when Penix was healthy but that Tagovailoa didn’t perform the way the team had hoped he would. That has turned things into a confusing mess.Fowler: That two-week stretch, from the second preseason game rolling into the joint practice with the Colts, was rough for Tagovailoa. The schedule provides another wrinkle.
Atlanta will play on Thursday night in Week 3, so even if Penix is close, that might not be the best week to reacclimate him.How high is the panic level in the Rams’ building? What about for the Chargers?Fowler: Well, the Rams’ top-ranked offense scored seven points, and the league’s best pass rusher is out at least a month. But other than that, everything’s fine! I don’t, however, sense heavy panic from the Rams, who seemed to approach the Australia trip with the excitement of a teenager asked to take out the trash. 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris knows the Rams’ offense well, so San Francisco’s ability to stymie Matthew Stafford shouldn’t be a total shock.The Myles Garrett situation is more alarming.
The Rams thought they could manage his knee injury with rest all camp and preseason, and it got exposed in Week 1. It leaves some uneasiness that they perhaps should have had this injury surgically repaired a tad sooner. But the Rams have plenty of defensive talent to offset the Garrett loss.Graziano: Garrett missed basically an entire month’s worth of training camp with the knee problem, so those of us on the outside should have considered that a possible warning sign, at the very least. Aaron Donald being able to play Monday night would help, but the issues that came up in Australia went beyond Garrett’s health.
The Rams’ expensive new cornerback tandem looked miscast in the defensive game plan, and they couldn’t get the passing game clicking.The Rams are certainly not going to panic because of one game, even if it was an embarrassing loss to a division rival. But they are (and should be) taking the problems that were on display against the 49ers seriously. The operation needs to be sharper on both sides of the ball. One possible benefit of the Rams’ controversial Australian travel plan is that they likely didn’t need to get reacclimated upon their return home, since their body clocks theoretically never reset in the first place.
We’ll see if they come out looking sharper in Week 2 against the Giants.play2:16Why Stephen A. says the Rams should exhibit patience with Aaron DonaldFowler: The Chargers’ panic meter will rise if they lose to the Raiders this week. Arizona was deemed terrible in the preseason, but the Cardinals are more respectable than that, particularly on offense. So, the Chargers’ defense gets a mulligan after seeing the Cards in
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