The NFL likes to keep its quarterbacks upright, because quarterbacks make the game go. Two weeks into the season, however, the league already has a problem.
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As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointed out, five starting quarterbacks are now dealing with injuries after Sunday's action — and that number could grow.
San Francisco's Brock Purdy came out of Week 1 with a toe injury. In Week 2, four more joined him: Washington rookie Jayden Daniels (knee), Cincinnati's Joe Burrow (toe), Jets starter Justin Fields (concussion), and Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy (ankle).
On top of that, Bills star Josh Allen got popped in the nose on Sunday but was not listed on the injury report for Thursday's divisional showdown with Miami. And while Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield briefly grabbed his left knee during Monday night's game, he played through it without missing a snap.
For context, Florio noted that last year only two quarterbacks went down in the early weeks: Green Bay's Jordan Love (knee) and Miami's Tua Tagovailoa (concussion). The difference in 2025 is already glaring, especially given how heavily the league markets its passers.
As Florio wrote, the NFL has spent years tweaking rules to protect quarterbacks — from hits to the head to flags for roughing the passer — all in the name of preserving the sport's most valuable position. But so far, injuries are cutting into that effort.
Whether this is an unfortunate blip or the beginning of a trend is unclear. What is clear is that quarterback durability will be one of the biggest storylines of September.
