It’s already been a tough year for NFL quarterbacks. In Week 1, Jacksonville Jaguars starter Nick Foles didn’t make it out of the first quarter before he suffered a broken collarbone. He’s had surgery which necessitate the insertion of a plate and screws to facilitate the bone’s long term stability. Best case scenario for him is a Week 11 return to action. In the meantime, Gardner Minshaw is the Jags’ starting quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, the news broke that New York Jets’ starting quarterback Sam Darnold had contracted mononucleosis<\/a> and would be out ‘indefinitely’. The timeline for Darnold’s return is still unknown and depends on how quickly he recovers from the illness and whether or not he suffers any lingering post infection symptoms such as fatigue or swolen organs. Best case scenario is a Week 5 return, worst case scenario would be 7 weeks or more. In the meantime, Trevor Siemian is the Jets’s starting quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yesterday, two of the biggest name superstars in the league were sidelined by injury as Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees both went down. Roethlisberger is going to have surgery on his elbow and will be placed on season ending injured reserve. Brees is in the process of being evaluated for what is being reported as a torn ligament in his throwing hand. The initial diagnosis called for surgery and a six week recovery time though the quarterback is reportedly seeking a second opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Late in the first half of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday it was evident that Ben Roethlisberger was experiencing an issue with his elbow. When he was ruled out for the second half, Pittsburgh fans braced themselves for bad news. That ‘shoe’ dropped this morning–Roethlisberger had an MRI on Sunday evening and the determination was made that he’ll require surgery. He’s done for the season. Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin released the following statement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Ben Roethlisberger had an MRI on his right elbow Sunday evening and it was determined by the Steelers’ medical team that surgery will be required. We expect the surgery will be scheduled for this week. He will be placed on our Reserve\/Injured List and is out for the season.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pittsburgh is 0-2 and their chances of competing in the AFC North don’t look good. Their NFL futures odds<\/a> to win the Super Bowl have dropped to +6600, their odds to win the AFC Championship to +3300 and their odds to win the AFC North to +700. Baltimore is now a -140 favorite to win the division with the Cleveland Browns a +165 second choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Roethlisberger will be replaced by backup Mason Rudolph. Rudolph played the second half against Seattle and gave the team a much needed boost of enthusiasm. He put up decent numbers given the circumstances completing 12 of 19 passes for 112 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Rudolph gets high marks for his leadership, his accuracy and his pocket management. His biggest liability is questionable arm strength but overall is very highly regarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It didn’t take long for New Orleans Saints’ fans to realize that the news on Drew Brees would not be good. After leaving the game against the Los Angeles Rams he was shown on the sidelines testing his injured hand but was unable to grip the football. The initial diagnosis was a torn ligament in his throwing hand that will require surgery. The initial estimate is that he’ll be out six weeks or more. He’s in the process of getting a second opinion so that timeline could change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Saints will now go with former Minnesota Vikings\u2019 starter Teddy Bridgewater in Brees’ absence. Bridgewater was signed as the Saints ‘insurance policy’ in case of a long term injury to Brees. Bridgewater signed a one year, $7.25 million contract with New Orleans prior to this season making him the highest paid backup quarterback in the league. He was on the roster all of the 2018 season and is very familiar with the offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New Orleans has confidence in Bridgewater but the betting marketplace appears to have less. The updated NFL betting odds<\/a> have the Saints now a +2000 choice to win the Super Bowl and a +1000 choice to win the NFC Championship. They’re still a -125 favorite to win the NFC South, which has to do more with the sorry state of their competition as much as anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get the latest NFL football odds and information–follow BetOnline.ag on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\nROETHLISBERGER OUT, RUDOLPH IN<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
BREES OUT, BRIDGEWATER IN<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n