NFL Player News

Murray (concussion) won't play in Sunday's contest at Chicago.

In Murray's stead, coach Kevin O'Connell said that Carson Wentz will start Week 2, while J.J. McCarthy will serve as the backup QB, per Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. As for Murray, O'Connell relayed to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com that Murray is expected to clear the concussion protocol next week, meaning he has a good chance to be under center at Tampa Bay on Sunday, Sept. 27.

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday that Rush will start Sunday's contest against the Panthers, Daniel Flick of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

At the same time, Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) was deemed doubtful to play, and Michael Penix (knee) was ruled out for Week 2 action, per Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site. Rush got the Week 1 nod under center with both Tagovailoa and Penix sidelined, but he didn't fare too well through the air, completing 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while getting sacked four times.

Tagovailoa (oblique) is doubtful for Sunday's game versus the Panthers, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Tagovailoa likely will join Michael Penix (knee) on the sideline this weekend, while head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Cooper Rush as Atlanta's starting quarterback for a second straight week, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. As for Tagovailoa, he hasn't been able to practice since sustaining a strained oblique Sept. 10, and he'll likely need to get back on the field in some capacity in order to put himself in a position to be available for next Thursday's road matchup with the Packers.

Penix (knee) won't play in Sunday's game against the Panthers, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) is listed as doubtful to play, leaving coach Kevin Stefanski to announce Cooper Rush as Atlanta's starting QB for a second contest in a row to kick off the campaign, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. Penix has been listed as a full participant in practice going back to last week, and while he's told Falcons media that he feels "really close" to his first game action since tearing his left ACL last November, he still has "some goals" that he needs to meet. Penix's next chance for game action is next Thursday at Green Bay.

Murray (concussion) was present for the start of Friday's practice, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

This marks three consecutive practices for Murray in the wake of suffering a concussion during a Week 1 win against the Packers, though in the first two Wednesday and Thursday, he was a limited participant in both. Even if Murray logs a full practice Friday, he'll still need to gain clearance from an independent neurologist to be able to play Sunday at Chicago. If that doesn't happen, Murray will yield starting duties to backup QB Carson Wentz.

Rush is expected to start Week 2 against Carolina after taking the Falcons' first-team reps Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Tua Tagovailoa (back) hasn't practiced this week, and Michael Penix (knee) apparently isn't ready to play. Rush completed just 12 of 22 pass attempts in Sunday's 20-13 loss at Pittsburgh despite sending 10 of those passes to RB Bijan Robinson, who accounted for 65.8 percent of the team's yards from scrimmage.

Burrow (back) was a full participant in Friday's practice and feels good, Jay Morrison of SI.com reports.

With back tightness having limited Burrow earlier in the week, his return to a full practice is a positive sign ahead of Sunday's game at Houston. Coach Zac Taylor didn't mention if Burrow will carry an injury designation, but the final injury report will reveal that Friday afternoon.

Tagovailoa (oblique) isn't present for the start of Friday's practice, Daniel Flick of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Tagovailoa's continued absence from practice makes him unlikely to play in Sunday's game against Carolina. Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski hasn't named his starter as of Friday morning, but it seems like either Cooper Rush or Michael Penix (knee) will get the nod, not Tagovailoa.

Burrow (back) was on the field in uniform and throwing passes at the start of Friday's practice, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Listed as a limited participant the previous two days, Burrow told reporters that he plans to play this Sunday at Houston. His continued participation, even if it's in a limited capacity, suggests he's still on track to suit up.

Goff completed 26 of 38 passes for 327 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions while adding three rushes for seven yards in the Lions' 41-31 loss to the Bills on Thursday. He also committed two fumbles, losing one.

Goff's final line undoubtedly pleased fantasy managers, but in a real-world football sense, they were largely the byproduct of a high-scoring loss in which the Lions trailed throughout. He had a mostly unremarkable first half, throwing just one of his touchdown passes in that span when he connected with Jahmyr Gibbs from 11 yards out. Goff would go on to add two and 27-yard strikes to Amon-Ra St. Brown and a one-yard scoring toss to Sam LaPorta after halftime, pushing the veteran signal-caller to a sparkling 6:0 TD:INT over the first two games of the season. Goff will next take aim at the Jets secondary in a Week 3 home matchup on Sunday, Sept. 27.