The 1-3 Arizona Cardinals will be without their quarterback on Thursday night, as they battle the San Francisco 49ers to open up Week 5 of the NFL season.
Carson Palmer suffered a concussion during the Arizona Cardinals Week 4 loss against the Los Angeles Rams, and will now miss Thursday night’s game. Palmer had made some strides throughout the week in practice, but was ruled out by head coach Bruce Arians on Wednesday. Drew Stanton will get the start for the 1-3 Cardinals in his place.
Staying with the theme of quarterbacks with concussions, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is likely to be out this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Newton missed practice again on Wednesday, but he could still play, considering the Panthers do not play until Monday night. If Newton cannot go, expect Derek Anderson to be running the show in a huge NFC matchup.
On the flip side, the Denver Broncos expect to have Trevor Siemian back for Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Siemian sprained the AC joint in his non-throwing shoulder this past weekend, but will not miss any more time. Rookie Paxton Lynch played well in Siemian’s absence last week, which is a good sign for the Broncos if Siemian misses any more time this year.
Bad news for the San Diego Chargers, as they are going to be a little more light in the secondary. Starting cornerback Jason Verrett will miss the rest of the season due to a partially torn ACL. The Chargers have a tough matchup this week, as they travel to Oakland to face the 3-1 Raiders at O.co Coliseum. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is sure to use the loss of Verrett to his benefit on Sunday.
As for the Raiders, they may be without starting running back Latavius Murray for the Chargers game, as he continues to battle a foot injury this week. Murray is listed as doubtful to play, which means he is likely to miss the Raiders AFC West opener. Expect a huge dose of rookie tandem DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard in his absence.
Next: Four teams desperate enough to consider Johnny Manziel
Finally, some news for a team looking for a quarterback. Johnny Football has been reinstated by the NFL, and can now sign with any team. The former Cleveland Browns starter has battled issues off the field, as well as inconsistency on it during his short NFL career. He would be a reclamation project for any team that grabs him, but the question is, can he stay sober?