A pair of NFC North running backs were injured in their team’s Week 3 wins, including superstar Minnesota Vikings rusher Dalvin Cook.
Cook injured his shoulder late in the third quarter in the Minnesota Vikings' 28-24 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, while David Montgomery hurt his right knee and ankle in the first quarter of the Chicago Bears' 23-20 last-second win over the Houston Texans.
Neither injury is believed to be particularly serious at this point and both running backs will be considered day-to-day, according to their coaches.
Cook was enjoying his best game of the young season before getting hurt on a play where he fumbled on a first-down run near midfield in the final minute of the third quarter.
He lost control of the ball when he ran into the back of his left guard Ezra Cleveland and the Lions recovered. It was uncertain if he got hurt when he collided with Cleveland or in the ensuing scrum while trying to recover the fumble.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said during the postgame press conference that Cook will have some tests done. A shoulder injury last season forced Cook to miss one game.
Prior to the injury, Cook scored his first touchdown of the season and finished the day with a season-high 96 rushing yards.
Montgomery was coming off one of his best games of his career, rushing for 122 yards on just 15 carries in last Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers, but he carried the ball just three times for 11 yards against the Texans before exiting.
He was injured when his right leg got rolled up under him when he was blocking on a pass play. He was able to walk off the field under his own power.
After the game, Bears coach Matt Eberflus said it appears Montgomery avoided anything serious.
Second-year backup Khalil Herbert stepped up in Montgomery’s absence, rushing for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
The Bears finished with 281 rushing yards – their most in a game since September 30, 1984, when they ran for 283 yards, including 155 from Hall-of-Famer Walter Payton – in a 23-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys quarterback Prescott reportedly expected to miss multiple weeks with hamstring injury
The path to the play-offs is now even tougher for the Dallas Cowboys.
Quarterback Dak Prescott will reportedly miss several weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The severity of the injury was determined following an MRI, and reported Monday from multiple media outlets.
Prescott is planning to get a second opinion, and the Cowboys have not decided if they will place him on injured reserve, which would keep him on the sideline a minimum of four games.
Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener, suffered the injury late in the third quarter.
He was replaced by Cooper Rush, and the seven-year backup will get the start this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rush completed 13-of-25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.
The Cowboys ended up losing their third straight game to drop to 3-5, which matches the total number of losses the team had each of the last three seasons.
They now sit in third place in the NFC East, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Washington Commanders.
Rush has found some success as a fill-in starter for the Cowboys, though, the 30-year-old hasn't been forced into the starting role since 2022.
In six career starts for Dallas, he's gone 5-1 with 1,281 passing yards with seven touchdowns, four interceptions and an 83.6 rating.
There is some good news for the Cowboys, though, as star defensive end Micah Parsons is likely to return this Sunday after missing the last four games with a high-ankle sprain.
Cowboys quarterback Prescott expected to miss multiple weeks with hamstring injury
The path to the play-offs is now even tougher for the Dallas Cowboys.
Quarterback Dak Prescott will reportedly miss several weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The severity of the injury was determined Monday following an MRI.
Prescott is planning to get a second opinion, and the Cowboys have not decided if they will place him on injured reserve, which would keep him on the sideline a minimum of four games.
Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener, suffered the injury late in the third quarter.
He was replaced by Cooper Rush, and the seven-year backup will get the start this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rush completed 13-of-25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.
The Cowboys ended up losing their third straight game to drop to 3-5, which matches the total number of losses the team had each of the last three seasons.
They now sit in third place in the NFC East, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Washington Commanders.
Rush has found some success as a fill-in starter for the Cowboys, though, the 30-year-old hasn't been forced into the starting role since 2022.
In six career starts for Dallas, he's gone 5-1 with 1,281 passing yards with seven touchdowns, four interceptions and an 83.6 rating.
There is some good news for the Cowboys, though, as star defensive end Micah Parsons is likely to return this Sunday after missing the last four games with a high-ankle sprain.
Stumbling Saints fire head coach Allen
The New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday, one day after the team’s losing streak reached seven games with a 23-22 defeat to the lowly Carolina Panthers.
New Orleans got off to an unexpected strong start to the 2024 season by outscoring its first two opponents 91-29 in a pair of victories.
The Saints lost their next two games by just a combined five points, but then it really started to unravel for the team.
New Orleans’ next four defeats all came by 13 points or more, and on Sunday, the Panthers pulled out a 23-22 win over the Saints after Carolina entered the meeting with a 1-7 record.
Allen was promoted from New Orleans' defensive coordinator to head coach after the 2021 season, and the Saints posted an 18-25 record under him with no play-off appearances.
The Saints (2-7) are expected to name special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as interim head coach ahead of their Week 10 visit from the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons (6-3).
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