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As we fully settle into the NFL season, teams around the league are showing their true colors. It’s hard to get a gauge on who is what and who wants to be what in the first couple of weeks of the season, but by now, we’re starting to build an understanding across the league. However, one thing that makes that difficult is injuries. Roles change, feelings change, and situations change when key players are injured. And as always, Week 6 delivered some injuries to some big names around the NFL.
WR – Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams had the world at their feet heading into 2026. They had traded for Myles Garrett, were on the brink of securing a return for Aaron Donald, and were viewed as the overwhelming favorites for the Super Bowl. Life was good. But six weeks into the season, there’s concern. The Rams are 2-4 after losing to the Arizona Cardinals on a last-second field goal and are facing heavy scrutiny following back-to-back losses. To make matters worse, they await an injury update on a key piece of the offense, veteran wide receiver Davante Adams.
Adams entered Week 6 with 27 catches for 441 yards and four touchdowns, and caught five passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns in the overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. He had three catches for 39 yards against the Cardinals before suffering a non-contact knee injury on the Rams’ final offensive drive of the game. Adams went to the sideline holding his knee and looked in discomfort, but we don’t yet know the extent of the injury. But on the surface, any non-contact injury to a knee naturally makes you fear the worst. For now, Adams is only banged up. But he could be forced to miss time.
The struggling Rams’ offense can’t afford to miss Adams. He’s become Matt Stafford’s go-to receiver in the red zone, and at his best still looks like one of the NFL’s top-10 receivers. Together, he and Puka Nacua are an elite receiver duo. But they’re also just about all the Rams have at receiver. Konata Mumpfield has stepped in when needed, and Jordan Whittington can help at times, but if Adams is on the shelf, the Rams might line more into 12 and 13 personnel looks with more tight ends on the field, especially if Terrance Ferguson returns from IR soon. For now, the Rams sit and wait.
S – Antonio Johnson, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense has been electric since Anthony Campanile got the job as the team’s defensive coordinator at the start of 2025. They were one of the league’s best units in 2025 and are currently 11th in EPA per play allowed in 2026, per Sümer Sports. Year-to-year defensive consistency is hard in the NFL, but Campanile and the Jaguars have found a formula, and safety Antonio Johnson is a key part of that formula. The 2023 fifth-round pick has been a star for the team over the last two seasons, and had five interceptions in 2025. He’s started every game at safety for the Jaguars this season, but suffered an ankle injury against the Houston Texans in the 34-31 loss in London.
Johnson suffered the injury while tackling Texans tight end Brevin Jordan early in the third quarter and didn’t return for the rest of the game as the two teams battled down to the final seconds of the game. His importance to the team is obvious. Johnson can play at both safety spots and is excellent against the run and in coverage, where he’s become a ballhawk. He can show up as a blitzer too, and already has one sack on the season.
Losing, potentially, your best defensive player at this point in the season stings. But the Jaguars can at least be buoyed by the fact they have a bye week in Week 7, which gives Johnson more time—if needed—to get healthy and back on the field. If it takes a little more time, the Jaguars are blessed with decent depth, too. Sixth-round rookie Rayuan Lane III has shown his worth early in the season, and veteran safety Eric Murray is still an important role player. Johnson is an exceptional player, but the Jaguars’ defense is one of the best in the league for a reason.
LB – Nolan Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
For whatever reason, the Football Gods have not taken kindly to the Philadelphia Eagles this season. Worse than that, they’ve absolutely smited them with injury woes. The Eagles lost Jalen Hurts in the build-up to Week 6 with a superficial blood clot, which landed him on IR—eventually. They’ve lost Saquon Barkley, Lander Dickerson, Lane Johnson, and what feels like anyone who’s made any significant contribution to the Eagles in the last few years. The Football Gods smited the Eagles again in their 25-14 loss to the Panthers when linebacker Nolan Smith was ruled out with a second-quarter concussion while trying to sack Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young.
Smith has been a breakout star for the Eagles in 2026. He’s one of the team’s leaders in sacks (3.0), has 12 pressures on the season, and seven run stops, per Sümer Sports. High energy, burst, and playing with his hair on fire—that’s Smith’s game in a nutshell, and he’s been one of the bright spots in an Eagles season that is fast heading in the wrong direction. The Eagles are already without another key edge rusher in Jalyx Hunt, and now Smith suffering a concussion puts them in jeopardy of losing yet another important cog.
What comes next for the Eagles? After the loss to the Panthers, they’ve fallen to 2-4 on the season, and will be without Hurts for at least the next three to four weeks while he’s on IR. Though it could be longer. There was an equal amount of hope that the defense could carry the burden of the struggling offense, though. If they keep losing guys like Nolan Smith, that can’t happen. The defense has already fallen to 24th in EPA per play, and might not be heading in the right direction. Getting Jonathan Greenard back is huge for the team, but it’s one step forward and two steps back for the Eagles right now.
OL – Alijah Vera-Tucker, New England Patriots
As winners of three games in a row and now sitting with a record of 4-2, the New England Patriots look to have put some early-season jitters behind them as they look to find their way back to the postseason. Quarterback Drake Maye is back to producing after looking lost in the first few weeks of the season, and the offense as a whole looks to be heading in the right direction. However, it’s not all rosy. Offensive line injuries are stacking up in New England. The team lost starting guard Mike Onwenu to injury earlier in the season, and lost right tackle Morgan Moses and left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker to injury in their Week 6 win against the New York Jets.
Moses suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and exited, before Vera-Tucker looked to have suffered a hamstring injury on a run play in the second quarter and was flexing his leg. He did finish the drive, but went to the blue tent after and then headed to the locker room. He did not return to the game. Backup guard Ben Brown, who had been starting at right guard in place of Onwenu, moved over to Vera-Tucker’s spot, while free agent signing Matt Pryor slotted in at right guard.
The Patriots allowed a 42.86% pressure rate against the Jets in the win, higher than the NFL average, but also lower than their season average of 46.2%. In a one-game sample size, that’s okay, but if the Patriots are to be without Vera-Tucker and Moses, while they’re already embattled with injury woes along the offensive line, that’s concerning. The team is just looking like it’s turning a corner, with Maye playing good football and star receiver A.J. Brown back in the lineup. It would be a shame for that to fall away because of their inability to protect Maye—or because they’re incapable of setting up a run game.
CB – Sauce Gardner, Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are in a sticky spot. What felt like a make-or-break season for the front office, coaching staff, and potentially the quarterback has, so far, looked just about as bad as it can get. The Colts handed the Tennessee Titans their first win of the season in Week 6, falling to 2-4 in the process. The Colts aren’t done, but they look miles behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans in the race for the AFC South. Right now, that make-or-break season is heading towards break territory. Trading two firsts for cornerback Sauce Gardner was a major swing for the fences, but ultimately right now feels like the sliding-doors moment for the team.
Gardner has been good, but not close to his usual elite self early in his Colts career, and injuries have also lingered more often than they would hope, continuing to hamper any consistency. Unfortunately, Gardner suffered a calf injury in the third quarter of the loss to the Titans and never returned to the field after initially being called questionable. The concern over the injury is doubled because Gardner suffered the injury to his left calf, the same one he injured twice in 2025. He’ll likely undergo testing on Monday to reveal the extent of the injury, but the warning signs are there.
The big picture for the Colts without Gardner is that they’ve not got the consistency and play from someone they traded two first-round picks for so far. He played in just four games in 2025 and could potentially miss time again for the Colts in 2026, at a point where the team can’t afford to lose him. The defense is already 25th in EPA per play and floundering, and their depth at cornerback right now is ludicrously thin. It’ll be up to Cam Taylor-Britt or nickel corner Justin Walley to deputize at outside corner.
Photo Credit: REUTERS
