Latest details about Joe Burrow's injury, plus grades for each team and picks for Monday night doubleheader

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

We haven't even finished Week 2 and we already have our first serious injury of the season: Joe Burrow is going to be out for a while. The Bengals are 2-0, but it might be the most depressing 2-0 record in NFL history. 

We'll be taking a close look at Burrow's injury in today's newsletter, plus we've got Week 2 grades and some overreactions. 

As always, here's your reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let's get to the rundown. 

1. Details on Joe Burrow's injury: QB could miss up to three months

The Bengals season might be over before it ever really got started. With their 31-27 win over the Jaguars on Sunday, the Bengals improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2018, but no one in the locker room was celebrating the win due to the fact that Joe Burrow got injured. 

Here's what you need to know: 

• How Burrow got injured. During the second quarter, Burrow was trying to escape the pocket after facing some pressure from the Jaguars' defensive line, Burrow ended up stumbling forward and landing awkwardly. Not only did his foot appear to get caught in the turf, but to make things even more painful, Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead landed on top of his foot (You can see the play here). 
• Burrow is going to be out for at least three months. Burrow suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury that's going to require a surgery that will sideline him for at least three months, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported on Monday. This means that Burrow won't be healthy enough to return until December at the earliest and that's in the best-case scenario. At that point, there would only be three games left in the season, there's certainly a chance that we don't see Burrow play another game this year. 
• Bengals will be turning to Jake Browning. If Burrow is out, the means Jake Browning will take over as the starter. Browning led a 92-yard game-winning touchdown drive on Sunday that ended with a him scoring the deciding points on 1-yard QB sneak. Browning totaled three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), but he also threw three interceptions. Browning started seven games for the Bengals in 2023 after Burrow injured his wrist and went 4-3 in those games. 
• Other options for the Bengals. At 2-0, if the Bengals want a QB who has a little more pedigree than Browning, they could look to make a trade. If they decided to go that route, Kirk Cousins, Jameis Winston or Jimmy Garoppolo could make some sense. Cousins, who's unhappy in Atlanta and wants a starting job, would definitely make the most sense. I took a closer look at their options here. 

If the Bengals stick with Browning, he could certainly give them a spark, but it's hard to see him leading them to the playoffs. 

2. NFL Week 2 grades: 49ers earn an 'A-' without Brock Purdy, reeling Chiefs get low grade

After handing last week's grades, I handed them off to Cody Benjamin for Week 2, so Cody put on his professor hat and graded every game that was played. 

Here's a look at the grades from three notable games that were played Sunday:

49ers 26-21 over Saints (Click here for full recap)

• 49ers takeaway: No Brock Purdy? No problem, apparently. Mac Jones took over under center without the offense's top safety valve in George Kittle, who's also injured, and turned in one of the finest showings of his career. Spreading the ball to the tune of 279 yards and three scores, the ex-New England Patriots prospect looked the part as an old-fashioned pocket passer, keeping San Francisco afloat in the tight NFC West race. Grade: A-
• Saints takeaway: This is a rebuilding year for New Orleans, so pretty much anytime the Saints can keep things competitive, well, it's a testament to their effort under new coach Kellen Moore. And this might've been the best NFL showing from young quarterback Spencer Rattler, who lobbed three scores against a feisty defense. Still, Brandon Staley's defense had few answers against the pass, allowing Mac Jones to excel as a fill-in. Grade: B-

Eagles 20-17 over Chiefs (Click here for full recap)

• Eagles takeaway: There was nothing particularly flashy about the Eagles' win, but it wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated; they went up 10 halfway through the fourth and basically locked it up from there. Despite a bottled-up passing attack, they controlled the clock and owned the trenches in critical spots, also frustrating Patrick Mahomes with tight coverage. Don't forget this was also at Arrowhead. The champs are 2-0. Grade: B+
• Chiefs takeaway: Patrick Mahomes showed lots of spirit as a scrambler early on, all but carrying the Chiefs' stagnant offense. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite match the energy through the air, trying but often failing to stretch the field against a stingy Eagles defense until it was too late. Steve Spagnuolo's own defense prevented Philly from hitting any home run plays, but K.C. also had no answers for the "Tush Push." This group needs a spark. Grade: C-

Falcons 22-6 over Vikings (Click here for full recap)

• Falcons takeaway: The red zone was a major issue for Atlanta, which relied heavily on fill-in kicker Parker Romo, but fortunately the new guy was perfect, including on a 54-yard field goal. Better yet, Raheem Morris' restocked pass rush finally came alive with six sacks, including one apiece by first-rounders Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. And the rushing tandem of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier kept the ball in their control. Grade: B
• Vikings takeaway: They were shorthanded, missing key vets like Christian Darrisaw and Blake Cashman, then Ryan Kelly and Aaron Jones later in Sunday's affair. And Brian Flores' defense showed grit in the red area. But all the luster of J.J. McCarthy's Week 1 comeback wore off, as he absorbed six sacks and tossed two picks, including an ugly game-sealing floater. It left even the chipper Kevin O'Connell looking disheveled by the end. Grade: D+

As for the other 22 grades that we handed out in Week 2, you can check those out by clicking here. 

3. Overreactions from Week 2: Will the Chiefs miss the playoffs? 

Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that's especially true when we're talking about the the NFL. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at several things that happened during Week 2 to decide if we're all overreacting. 

Statement: The Chiefs will miss the playoffs. 
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. They have Andy Reid as head coach and Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, and are missing Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. The defense is still good and there's a lot of talent and leadership on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs will be fine, but it's fair to ponder if they can quickly recover from this start.

Statement: Colts are the best team in the AFC South. 
Overreaction or reality: Reality. Two weeks into the season, the Colts have earned the right to be the best team in this division. The Colts couldn't move the ball much through the air in the second half against the Broncos, and still rallied to victory off the legs of Jonathan Taylor -- who had 10 carries for 98 yards in the fourth quarter. Daniel Jones threw for 316 yards and a touchdown, but that game was won off Taylor and the defense. ... This team appears to be a complete unit, despite how the preseason went. Colts have the look of the best team in this division through two weeks.

Statement: Brandon Aubrey saved the Cowboys' season. 
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. Aubrey won the game with a 46-yard field goal in overtime with no time left, capping a day in which he converted 51-, 44-, 64- and 46-yard field goals in the win. The Cowboys lose that game if not for Aubrey, meaning they would have been 0-2. Dallas isn't a good team, evidenced by a close victory over a not-good New York squad. But a win is a win thanks to Aubrey -- who may be the most valuable player on this team. 

There are plenty more overreactions, and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here. 

4. NFL Week 2 winners and losers: Justin Fields has an ugly game

You can't have a week of NFL action without having winners and losers, so we have some winners and losers. Jared Dubin came up with this week's list, which you can check out below. 

Let's check out this week's loser

LOSERS

• Giants coach Brian Daboll. Daboll's Giants played one of the more undisciplined games on Sunday that you will ever see in a 40-37 loss to the Cowboys. They were called for 14 penalties and took at least six more that were wiped off the board by either offsetting calls or being declined. They undermined themselves with a series of penalties on their opening drive of the game, and things continued on like that from there.
• Jets QB Justin Fields. Fields finished 3 of 11 for 27 yards (39.6 passer rating), as the Jets had 0.6 net pass yards per attempt when he was in the game! The Jets didn't even trust Fields in the second half as Fields had just 2 passing yards -- on one pass attempt -- in the third quarter. ... The Bills had more points (30) than Fields had passing yards (27). To say this was not Fields' day is an understatement.
• Browns QB Joe Flacco. Flacco winning the Browns' starting quarterback job at 40 years old is a cool story, even if it dives into the start of the quarterback position in Cleveland. The Browns may have to go in another direction. Flacco struggled with 199 yards passing on 45 attempts in Cleveland's loss to Baltimore, a paltry 4.4 yards per attempt. The Browns have scored just 13.5 points per game in Flacco's two starts, struggling to move the ball consistently. 

If you want to see Jared's list of winners, be sure to click here. 

5. The Monday night doubleheader is back: We've got two games tonight

The NFL is throwing a curveball at us tonight by giving us a Monday night DOUBLEHEADER. If you're wondering why this is happening, it's one of the perks that ESPN got in its new media contract with the NFL. There will be a total of four Monday night doubleheaders this season. Besides tonight, there will also be one in Week 4, Week 6 and Week 7. 

The first game of the night will feature Tampa Bay at Houston in a game that kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. 

Jared Dubin put a preview together for this game, and here's how he sees things playing out:

• Why the Buccaneers can win: If the Buccaneers defense can get after C.J. Stroud, there's a good chance that Tampa Bay will walk away with the win. In Week 1, Stroud was sacked three times during a 14-9 loss to the Rams. Dating to last season, the Texans are 3-7 when Stroud gets sacked three or more times in a game. This is a game where the Bucs are going to need players like Hasson Reddick and Lavonte David to show up early and often to keep the pressure on Stroud. 
• Why the Texans can win: If the Texans want to win, they're going to need to play better than they did last week. The defense was impressive, but the offense forgot to get off the bus in Los Angeles. The Texans couldn't throw the ball, they couldn't establish the run and they turned the ball over twice. The Texans have a solid stable of receivers and C.J. Stroud is going to need to get them going against a Bucs defense that gave up 298 yards passing to Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. last week. 

You can get a full preview of the game from Dubin by clicking here. 

In late game, we've got the Raiders hosting the Chargers at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. And no, that is not a typo. This game will be starting at 10 p.m. ET, so you might want to take a nap at some point on Monday if you're planning to stay up and watch the entire game. 

Zachary Pereles put a preview together for this game, and here's how he sees things playing out:

• Why the Chargers can win: Two words here: Justin Herbert. The Chargers quarterback had one of the best performances of Week 1 with 318 yards passing and three touchdowns and it won't be surprising if he tops those numbers against a Raiders defense that gave up nearly 300 yards passing to Drake Maye last week. Watch for Keenan Allen to have another big game. The Chargers brought him back to L.A. last month and he responded by going off for 68 yards and a touchdown on seven catches in Week 1. 
• Why the Raiders can win: Brock Bowers is questionable for this game, but he's likely to play, which is good news for the Raiders, because they're going to need him if they want to win. Bowers and Jakobi Meyers form an impressive pass-catching duo and Geno Smith knows how to unlock them. The two combined to go for 200 yards receiving in Week 1 and if they get anywhere near that number again, there's a good chance the Raiders will pull off the upset here. 

You can get a full preview of the game from Pereles by clicking here.

If you're thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props (via BetMGM). 

• ONE PROP I LIKE FROM BUCCANEERS-TEXANS: Bucky Irvin OVER 84.5 rushing AND receiving yards (-115): The Texans surrendered 66 yards rushing to Kyren Williams last week and I could see Irving getting around that number tonight. On top of that, the Texans have a strong-pass rush, so we could see a game where Baker Mayfield is frequently dumping it off to Irving. This feels like a game where Irving could go over 100 scrimmage yards, so I'll happily take over 84.5.  
• ONE PROP I LIKE FROM CHARGERS-RAIDERS Keenan Allen OVER 4.5 receptions (-140): After watching Keenan Allen spend the 2024 season in Chicago, Justin Herbert seemed thrilled to have him back. In Week 1, Allen was targeted 10 times and he ended up catching seven passes and I won't be surprised if we see something similar this week, which would put the receiver way over 4.5 catches. 
  
• ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE TONIGHT: Ka'imi Fairbairn OVER 7.5 points (+100): Dating to last season, Fairbairn has had at least two field goal attempts in 14 of Houston's 18 regular-season games. That tells me he's going to get plenty of opportunity to score some points tonight, which should push him way over 7.5 points.   

Of course, we also have some picks for tonight, so let's get to those. 

PICKS FOR THE MNF DOUBLEHEADER

BUCCANEERS-TEXANS
My pick: Buccaneers 20-17 over Texans (I'm 13-1 with my picks this week)
Dubin's pick: Texans 20-17 over Buccaneers
Prisco's pick: Texans 23-17 over Buccaneers

CHARGERS-RAIDERS
My pick: Chargers 31-23 over Raiders
Pereles pick: Chargers 27-20 over Raiders
Prisco's pick: Chargers 31-30 over Raiders

Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, all eight of our NFL experts are taking the Chargers to win straight up, but only five of us are taking them to cover as a 3.5-point favorite. As for the other game, we're split down the middle on who's going to win with four of us taking Houston and four of us taking Tampa Bay. The Texans are a 2.5-point favorite in the game. 

6. Extra points: Cowboys set to sign Jadeveon Clowney

It was a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• Clowney planning to sign with Cowboys. Jerry Jones broke some news on Sunday: He said his team is planning to sign Jadeveon Clowney, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Clowney, 32, spent the 2024 season in Carolina where he racked up 5.5 sacks in 14 games. You can read more about his signing here. 
• Justin Fields in concussion protocol. The Jets quarterback is officially in concussion protocol after taking a big hit from Nick Bosa during the fourth quarter of New York's 30-10 loss to the Bills. If Fields isn't cleared for Week 3, that means Tyrod Taylor will be the starter on Sunday against the Buccaneers. 
• Tyler Smith gets record-setting contract from Cowboys. Jerry Jones wouldn't give Micah Parsons a record-setting deal, but he did give one to Smith. The Pro Bowl left guard has agreed to terms on a a four-year, $96 million extension that will make him the highest-paid guard in NFL history. For more on Smith's deal, you can head here. 
• Patriots trade Ja'Lynn Polk to the Saints. The Patriots have given up on Polk after just one season. The receiver, who was a second-round pick in 2024, has been shipped off to New Orleans. The Patriots are sending Polk and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Saints in exchange 2027 sixth-round pick. You can read more about the trade here. 
• Austin Ekeler out for the season. The Commanders running back suffered an injury on Thursday and that has been diagnosed as a torn Achilles, which means Ekeler's season is now over. With Ekeler done for the year, that means that rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt will likely be seeing a lot more action for Washington. We've got the full details on Ekeler's injury here.