Cousins' injury is probably the most severe among them. Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell stated that the team fears four-time Pro Bowl QB has torn his Achilles tendon, and if an MRI confirms the tendon is ruptured, Cousins' season will be over.
The 35-year-old veteran, who has never missed a game due to injury, limped to the sideline after sustaining a non-contact injury in the fourth quarter of a victory over the Green Bay Packers by a score of 24-10 on Sunday. He was then taken to the locker room.
"I know this will be an injury that physically he won't be able to play with because if it's anything to do with pain tolerance or a choice to go out there on the football field, Kirk Cousins will be out on the field," O'Connell said.
"We'll find out the severity of the injury and report that to you guys, but what I'm afraid of right now is Kirk Cousins going down. When we confirm it as an organization, we'll try to move forward in the short term knowing that I'm not sure anybody at this position in this league has played as well as Kirk has this year."
The Vikings will face a challenge in matching Cousins' performance with other backups on their roster. Jaren Hall, a rookie drafted in the fifth round from BYU, replaced him on Sunday. Minnesota also has veteran Nick Mullens on reserve with injuries and Sean Mannion on the practice squad.
Matthew Stafford was unable to finish a one-sided loss to the Dallas Cowboys due to a finger injury. He also injured his elbow in the loss to the Cowboys, which featured a two-point conversion attempt. Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said he didn't know the extent of Stafford's injury.
Kenny Pickett and Tyrod Taylor suffered rib injuries.
Pickett left the Pittsburgh Steelers' game in the first half after a hard hit by Jacksonville Jaguars defender Adam Gotsis. Backup Mitch Trubisky threw two interceptions, and the Steelers lost 20-10 on the road in Jacksonville. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin did not provide any information on Pickett's injury.
Taylor was taken to the hospital for evaluation after a rib injury in the first half of the New York Giants' game, which they lost to the New York Jets in overtime by a score of 13-10. The team said Taylor would stay in the hospital overnight.
Taylor started his third game for Daniel Jones, who left the game due to a neck injury.
Tommy DeVito, an undrafted rookie from Illinois and Syracuse, replaced Taylor and completed just one pass in the starting lineup. He scored a 6-yard touchdown, giving the Giants the lead in the third quarter, and finished the game 2-of-7 for minus 1 yard.
Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons suffered a concussion but was cleared, and the Falcons switched to Taylor Heinicke in the third quarter after losing to the Tennessee Titans by a score of 28-23. Falcons coach Arthur Smith said he would listen to medical experts and see how the week goes when asked which defender would start next week.
Rookie Will Levis of the Tennessee Titans threw four touchdowns in his NFL debut, replacing Ryan Tannehill, who had an ankle injury.
Several quarterbacks played through injuries. Jalen Hurts, who wore a knee brace in the second half of last week's game, threw four touchdowns in a win over Washington by a score of 38-31. Brock Purdy started for the San Francisco 49ers against the Cincinnati Bengals after suffering a concussion last Monday.
The Cleveland Browns, playing in Seattle, were again without Deshaun Watson due to a shoulder injury.
Gardner Minshew made his fourth start for the Indianapolis Colts, losing to the New Orleans Saints by a score of 38-27. Colts rookie Anthony Richardson underwent season-ending shoulder surgery earlier this month.
The New York Jets lost quarterback Joe Burrow due to a calf injury in the first quarter of the first week.