Chairshot NFL News Report (9/20/2026): Flowers Is Out, Jets Lose Cooper & Sunday Tests Week 1

Description: Baltimore rules out Zay Flowers, the Jets lose Omar Cooper to IR and Week 2 puts several surprising 1-0 teams to the test.

Sunday has arrived with several important Week 2 injuries becoming official.

Baltimore will play without Zay Flowers after his enormous opening game, the Jets placed first-round receiver Omar Cooper Jr. on injured reserve and Minnesota turns to Carson Wentz against the highest-scoring offense from Week 1. Monday’s Rams-Giants matchup also remains complicated by Puka Nacua’s late-week injury.

It’s the Chairshot NFL News Report for September 20, 2026!

Ravens Rule Out Zay Flowers

Baltimore ruled Zay Flowers out against New Orleans because of the hamstring injury he suffered during the Ravens’ Week 1 win over Indianapolis. Flowers finished that game with five catches for 150 yards and a touchdown before leaving.

That removes the player who looked like Baltimore’s most dangerous receiving option in the opener. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry still give the Ravens enough offensive firepower to function, but Flowers changes how defenses have to cover the entire field.

New Orleans also enters with Chris Olave questionable because of a hamstring issue, so both offenses may be operating without one of the receivers expected to define them this season.

Jets Put Omar Cooper Jr. on Injured Reserve

New York placed rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr. on injured reserve because of the ankle injury he suffered during the Week 1 victory over Tennessee. The first-round pick must miss at least four games after catching a 30-yard pass on his only target before leaving his NFL debut.

The move explains why the Jets added Sterling Shepard earlier in the week. New York originally hoped Cooper could avoid IR, but the recovery timetable apparently became long enough that preserving the roster spot made more sense.

A four-game absence is frustrating because September should have been Cooper’s opportunity to establish how quickly his college production translated into the NFL. Instead, that development pauses almost immediately after it started.

Carson Wentz Starts Against Chicago

Minnesota will start Carson Wentz against Chicago because Kyler Murray remains in the concussion protocol. Wentz replaced Murray in Week 1 and threw three touchdowns while helping the Vikings turn a 22-10 deficit into a 39-22 victory over Green Bay.

Wentz now gets a considerably tougher assignment because Chicago scored 59 points in its opener and enters with an offense capable of forcing Minnesota to keep pace. The Vikings at least know their backup can operate the offense after already watching him do it under pressure.

The matchup also provides a useful early test of Chicago. One historic offensive performance is exciting; following it with another strong showing against Brian Flores’ defense would begin making the Week 1 explosion look more sustainable.

Tua Tagovailoa Is Doubtful Again

Atlanta listed Tua Tagovailoa as doubtful against Carolina because of the oblique injury that also kept him out of Week 1. Michael Penix Jr. has been ruled out with his knee injury, leaving Cooper Rush positioned to start again if Tua cannot play.

Atlanta entered the season hoping Tua would stabilize the quarterback position while Penix continued recovering. Two weeks later, the Falcons remain dependent on the insurance policy they signed in Rush.

That makes an 0-2 start especially dangerous. Atlanta does not simply need its starting quarterback healthy; it needs enough time with him to establish what the offense was actually supposed to become.

Puka Nacua Is Questionable for Monday Night

Puka Nacua missed practice again Saturday and is questionable for Monday night’s Rams-Giants game because of hip and groin soreness. The receiver was unexpectedly added to the injury report Friday after participating earlier in the week.

Los Angeles already enters Monday without Myles Garrett and with Aaron Donald expected to make his return from retirement. Losing Nacua would create another significant problem for a team trying to respond after being dismantled by San Francisco in Australia.

The extra day helps, but late-week soft-tissue issues are difficult to predict. The Rams can wait until Monday afternoon before making the final decision, which at least gives Nacua every possible hour to improve.

NFL Changes Its Videoboard Rules for Kicks

The NFL has instructed teams to use matching videoboard displays for home and visiting teams during field-goal and extra-point attempts. The adjustment follows scrutiny over whether certain camera angles displayed behind the uprights could create a visual distraction for opposing kickers.

The rule itself is simple: whatever visual setup is used for one team must also be used for the other. That removes an unnecessary competitive variable without requiring the league to prove any team intentionally manipulated kickers.

It is also a reminder of how granular NFL competitive rules can become. When games are routinely decided by one kick, even what appears on a stadium video board becomes something the league eventually has to standardize.

Sunday Night Football: Colts at Chiefs

Kansas City hosts Indianapolis tonight after Kenneth Walker III transformed the Chiefs offense during Monday’s 31-10 victory over Denver. Indianapolis enters 0-1 and carrying an eight-game losing streak dating to last season.

The matchup should reveal whether Kansas City’s Week 1 rushing performance was the beginning of a new offensive identity or simply one dominant night. Walker gave Patrick Mahomes something the Chiefs have rarely possessed during this era: a running back capable of controlling the game without the quarterback needing to manufacture everything himself.

Indianapolis cannot afford another game where the opponent dictates the ground battle. Baltimore ran for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns against the Colts in Week 1, and Kansas City just demonstrated how aggressively it intends to attack the same weakness.

Week 2 Sunday Schedule

Sunday brings 14 games, including six divisional matchups and several teams trying to establish whether surprising Week 1 performances were real. The full league schedule leaves only Giants-Rams for Monday night once Sunday’s slate is complete.

• Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
• Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
• Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans
• Green Bay Packers at New York Jets
• New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens
• Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans
• Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
• Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos
• Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
• Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
• Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers
• Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys
• Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 2 is where the season starts asking whether the first impressions deserve to survive. Chicago scored 59, San Francisco dominated Los Angeles and Minnesota produced an enormous comeback with its backup quarterback, but none of those accomplishments carry much value if the teams immediately look completely different one week later.

The injuries make that evaluation harder. Baltimore loses Flowers, Minnesota remains without Murray and Atlanta still does not know when Tua will actually become its quarterback.

This report includes information from: NFL.com, Reuters.com, ESPN.com, CBS Sports, and official team injury reports.