For all the non-football headlines the NFL has drawn - the latest centering on the vice president rather than the president - what happens on the field defines the pro game.
while eight road teams walked away victorious,On Sunday, it was the players who didn't walk away at all who drew much of the attention.
J.J. Watt and Odell Beckham Jr., to start with.
not even America's most popular,No sport, can afford to have the focus on injuries to its biggest stars. With pro football already in a precarious position regarding player health and safety - some predict the issue of head trauma and its long-term effects will doom the game - seeing the league's most dynamic defender and receiver go down hours apart is unsettling.
Add in Beckham's Giants losing three other wideouts; Watt's Texans seeing another key defensive player sidelined; Green Bay's most clutch receiver and one of Baltimore's leading scorers not finishing games.
OUCH!
there were three tight ends on the field. Beckham had a broken left ankle. Brandon Marshall and Sterling Sheppard already had sprained left ankles,At the end of New York's fifth straight defeat to begin the season, and kick returner/receiver Dwayne Harris broke a foot.
Brandon went down, Shep went down,Authentic Harrison Smith Jersey, Odell went down,Authentic Sam Bradford Jersey,''I realized that Dwayne went down,Authentic Stefon Diggs Jersey,'' offensive lineman Justin Pugh said. ''It's crazy.''
and now Manning has no idea who he will be throwing to next week at Denver,Perhaps. What it needs to not be is commonplace. Giants fans already have lost faith and much of their interest because of a winless start. Pugh and his fellow blockers can't protect Eli Manning very well,Womens Brandin Cooks Jersey, or beyond that.
of course, there hasn't been much of that for Big Blue this season. That artistry suffers, when the best performers aren't in action. Such absences as Julian Edelman's in New England, Derek Carr's in Oakland and Greg Olsen's in Carolina on offense are damaging. So is the sidelining of Kansas City's Eric Berry,Also threatened is the artistry of games - OK, Marcus Mariota's in Tennessee, the Chargers' Jason Verrett,Authentic Brandin Cooks Jersey, Arizona's Markus Golden and the Chiefs' Tamba Hali on defense.
whether in the Meadowlands or Miami,'' Giants coach Ben McAdoo said specifically of the 27-22 loss to the previously winless Chargers. It's true whenever there is an epidemic of injuries,''It significantly altered the game, Dallas or Denver. ''We had one receiver left at the end of the ballgame.
but they went out, the tight ends stepped up and went out and worked to execute the two-man offense. They don't get a lot of reps with what they're being asked to do,''The guys fought hard, they played fast and played hard.''
Still,Womens Harrison Smith Jersey, expecting them to perform anywhere near the level of a Beckham,Womens Stefon Diggs Jersey, Marshall or Sheppard is folly.
Watching Kansas City move with such ease against a Houston defense minus Watt and Whitney Mercilus was,Authentic Drew Brees Jersey, merciless on the Chiefs' part. On the other hand, well,Womens Drew Brees Jersey, after seeing Watt leaving the stadium in an ambulance on the way to the hospital after breaking his left leg, what else would KC do but exploit a weakness?
When Mercilus went out with a chest injury, it exacerbated the problems for the Texans.
Then the Chiefs saw outstanding tight end Travis Kelce,Womens Sam Bradford Jersey, pass-rushing linebacker Justin Houston and WR Chris Conley get hurt.
It all emphasized how fragile even the biggest and baddest, the swiftest and most skillful athletes can be.
