NFC South

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had an injury scare in Sunday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, as star quarterback Tom Brady appeared to have some discomfort in his shoulder after taking a big hit. However, it appears that the team avoided disaster.

Brady was asked about how his shoulder is feeling during his Let's Go podcast on Monday and he replied, "My shoulder's doing OK, just some bumps and bruises. ... I'm sure I'll be fine in the end. Thank God for Alex [Guerrero], who's always taken care of me."

Late in the second quarter, Brady was sacked by Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed and fumbled the ball. He appeared to land hard on his shoulder, and he was seen on the sideline working on his arm as backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert started loosening up. Despite the apparent discomfort, Brady didn't miss a snap and played the entire game.

The 45-year-old signal-caller put forth a strong effort in the 41-31 loss, throwing for 385 yards and three touchdowns. Tampa Bay fell behind early and was forced to rely on the passing attack, as Brady completed 39 of 52 passes while the team ran the ball just six times.

Through four games this season, Brady has taken a total of 11 hits, seven of which were sacks, per Pro Football Reference. At his age, it's obviously not ideal for him to be getting hit so much. Still, he's continued to perform at a high level and ranks eighth in the NFL with 1,058 passing yards.

Despite its second consecutive loss, Tampa Bay remains tied for first place in the NFC South with a 2-2 record. The team is expected to be one of the top contenders in the NFC this year, but it surely has some issues to address.

The Buccaneers will hope to get back on track when they take on the Atlanta Falcons (2-2) on Sunday.

The Atlanta Falcons have placed running back Cordarrelle Patterson on injured reserve because of a knee injury, the team announced Monday.

Head coach Arthur Smith revealed Patterson had a minor procedure on the knee Monday morning.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the 31-year-old is expected to return when he is eligible to come off the IR in four weeks.

Patterson entered Sunday's game with a questionable tag but played through the injury, totaling nine carries for 38 yards and a touchdown in the 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Through his first four games of the year, the veteran had 340 rushing yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. It's a continuation of strong play after a breakout 2021 campaign in which he set career highs with 1,166 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns.

The 2013 first-round pick had mostly been used as a receiver and kick returner during his career, earning four first-team All-Pro honors as a specialist, but he has proved to be one of the game's most dynamic running backs since joining the Falcons last season.

Atlanta will now have to move on without him, likely turning to rookie fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier. The former BYU player has 139 rushing yards on 26 carries this season, including 84 on Sunday.

Caleb Huntley should also have a significant role after totaling 10 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown against Cleveland while Patterson was sidelined with his knee injury.

After a 2-2 start, Atlanta is set to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 at Raymond James Stadium.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarterback Tom Brady had a strong performance in Sunday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it all meant nothing after a disappointing showing from the Tampa Bay defense.

The Buccaneers suffered a 41-31 loss on Sunday Night Football as the Chiefs offense looked like a well-oiled machine. Brady finished with 385 yards and three touchdowns on 39-of-52 passing, but it wasn't enough to help Tampa Bay avoid its second straight loss.

Entering Sunday night's game, the Bucs were known for their strong defense. The team allowed an average of just 9.0 points through the first three weeks of the season; Kansas City surpassed that number in the first quarter.

It was surprising to see the Todd Bowles-coached defense struggle so much. Tampa Bay looked overmatched for much of the game as Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes toyed with the defense on multiple occasions. The Bucs also had trouble stopping the run, surrendering 189 yards and two scores on the ground.

NFL Twitter was not happy with the Buccaneers' defensive performance Sunday night and ripped the team's effort against Kansas City.

The Bucs entered the year with aspirations of competing for a trip to the Super Bowl. There's a chance that Sunday night's game is an anomaly, but it was still a concerning performance. It could indicate that Tampa Bay can't hang with the elite teams in the NFL.

While the loss is disappointing, it gives the Bucs a chance to reevaluate themselves as they enter the second quarter of the regular season. Tampa Bay (2-2) will look to end its two-game skid next week when they host the Atlanta Falcons (2-2).

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is active for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported Saturday that McCaffrey was "likely to play" in the contest.

McCaffrey, who has recorded 300 total yards and one touchdown through three weeks, missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a thigh injury that left him officially questionable in the team's injury report.

There was some optimism moving forward about his status, though, per The Athletic's Joe Person:

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule notably called the ailment a quad injury and that he wasn't sure when it occurred. McCaffrey played the entirety of his team's 22-14 win over the New Orleans Saints last Sunday and stayed in for the final snap.

The former Stanford standout entered the NFL in 2017 after Carolina selected him with the No. 8 overall pick in the draft.

McCaffrey crushed NFL competition in 2018 and 2019 with 4,357 yards and 32 touchdowns and paced the league with 2,392 total yards and 19 TD in 2019.

However, a high ankle sprain and then a shoulder injury in 2020 forced the 26-year-old to miss all but three games, and then a separate ankle ailment ended his 2021 season after seven matchups.

D'Onta Foreman, Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear comprise the rest of the Panthers' depth chart at running back. Luckily for the Panthers, they won't have to put that depth to the test against Arizona.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston will not play Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings in London because of back and ankle injuries, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Winston had been listed as doubtful before officially getting ruled out, paving the way for veteran Andy Dalton to get the start.

Winston missed 10 games last year after suffering a torn ACL and MCL damage in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, New Orleans signed him to a two-year, $28 million contract extension in March to keep him as the team's starter, and he recovered in time to start the season opener.

Through three games this season, the Florida State product has struggled. He's thrown for 858 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.5 percent of his passes, giving him a 79.5 quarterback rating. He has been sacked 11 times, which obviously hasn't been good for his back injury.

The 2015 No. 1 pick is a reliable starter when healthy. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in his rookie season and led the NFL in passing yards in 2019. He has also had a propensity for turnovers throughout his career, but he hasn't given up the ball as much with the Saints.

While Winston is out, the Saints will turn to Dalton.

The 34-year-old was selected to three Pro Bowls during his run with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Taysom Hill, who moved to tight end permanently to start the season, will revert to the team's backup until Winston returns.

Former USC and NFL running back Reggie Bush said on the latest edition of I Am Athlete that ex-New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said "f--k you" to Bush's then-agent, Joel Segal, who requested that the team pass over his client in the 2006 NFL draft.

Bush's remarks about the situation start at 25:25:

News broke the night before the draft that the Houston Texans had decided to take North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams at No. 1 overall. The Saints held the No. 2 pick, the Tennessee Titans were at No. 3, and the New York Jets had No. 4.

Bush took the audience behind the scenes of what went down next, noting concerns about the New Orleans franchise's situation:

"At that time, the Saints don't have a home stadium [because of Hurricane Katrina].

"It just went through all the destruction, and it was like, that's probably not the best situation to go into. And my agent was like, 'We want to go to New York.'

"Third pick. Big city. Marketing. ... You're gonna make a lot more money. So I was kind of sold an idea. Like, 'All right, let's do it.'

"So my agent called Sean Payton and was like: 'Don't draft us. We not coming. Don't draft us, all right?'

"And Sean's like, just verbatim: 'F--k you. I'm drafting Reggie Bush.' And hung the phone up. Swear to God, hung the phone up."

Bush was quickly swayed that New Orleans was a good option. Quarterback Drew Brees, who had signed with the Saints after a stint with the San Diego Chargers, called Bush and told him that he had a chance to be as good or better than his ex-teammate LaDainian Tomlinson and that he couldn't wait to play with the ex-USC star.

"Right there on the spot, that just changed everything," Bush said. "The way I felt about the place I was going. Just in that time period, it felt good to be wanted."

Bush said he was thankful he went to New Orleans. Shortly after the draft, he visited the Ninth Ward. He said it "completely shifted my purpose" and referenced the opening stages of an investigation that in 2010 led to his voluntary forfeiture of the 2005 Heisman Trophy.

"I gotta leave this college stuff behind me. I gotta leave this Heisman stuff behind me because these people need me right now," Bush said. "... And I didn't realize as much as they needed me, I needed them."

Bush also said he has a great relationship with Payton, who is now his colleague at Fox, where both work as football analysts.

Brees, Bush and Payton also delivered the Saints' first Super Bowl title in February 2010 with a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

The New Orleans Saints are going into Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings in London, England, with a banged-up offense.

Head coach Dennis Allen announced on Friday that Michael Thomas won't play because of a toe injury. He also noted Jameis Winston is doubtful, but the team will wait until as long as possible before deciding if Andy Dalton will start at quarterback.

Thomas injured his toe in New Orleans' Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He didn't practice with the team on Wednesday and Thursday.

Winston hasn't participated in practice due to back and ankle injuries.

Once arguably the premier receiver in all of football, Thomas has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons. Ankle issues limited him to just seven games over the last two seasons and led to some tension between the Saints and their three-time Pro Bowler.

Thomas spent much of training camp and the preseason on the shelf because of a hamstring injury, but he was available for the Saints' Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons. He's compiled 16 receptions for 171 yards and three touchdowns through the first three games of the season.

Rookie first-rounder Chris Olave will see an increased target share with Thomas out of the lineup, while fellow receiver Jarvis Landry, tight end Juwan Johnson and running back Alvin Kamara could also see an uptick in usage.

Winston has been playing with four fractures in his back suffered during the Saints' Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The 28-year-old has thrown for 589 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions in the past two games.

The Saints have lost back-to-back games since opening the season with a 27-26 win against Atlanta.

The Glazer family, which owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is donating $1 million toward the Hurricane Ian relief effort.

"The destruction suffered in Southwest Florida and the damage inflicted throughout our state will be felt for some time," co-owner Darcie Glazer Kassewitz said. "It will take entire communities resiliently working together for an extended period and our family is committed to aiding in the recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with the countless people affected, the heroic first responders and all of those helping to keep others safe."

The DeVos family, which owns the Orlando Magic, announced Friday it will also donate $1 million to relief efforts.

“Our hearts are with this community, which has long been part of our family,” Orlando Magic Chairman Dan DeVos said. “We will continue to partner with organizations closest to those most impacted, and as always, prioritize the health and safety of the people in the region. This community is resilient, and our thoughts and prayers are with those affected as well as the leaders and first responders who continually put neighbors first.”

Ian made landfall Wednesday and was a Category 4 storm when it began hitting the Florida coast. After getting downgraded to a tropical storm, it returned to hurricane status as it made its way up the Eastern seaboard.

President Joe Biden said Thursday that Ian "could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history" and warned of a potentially "substantial loss of life."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis equated Ian to "basically a 500-year flood event."

Per CNN, there are at least 15 reported deaths attributed to the storm. Ian has also caused significant damage to buildings and infrastructure, with 2.6 million Florida residents without power.

The Buccaneers host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. The NFL identified U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis as an alternative location if Ian forced the league to move the game. The Bucs announced Thursday the game will still be held at the original site, Raymond James Stadium.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is donating to the Florida Disaster Fund in the wake of Hurricane Ian's destruction in the state, and he is encouraging others to do so as well:

Brady and the Buccaneers relocated to the Miami Dolphins' facilities to practice this week in an effort to avoid the direct path of the storm.

While the league monitored the situation, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday's game between the Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs will be played as scheduled. U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis was the contingency site if the game could not be played in Tampa Bay.

According to Amir Vera, Eric Levenson, Jason Hanna and Nouran Salahieh of CNN, at least 15 people have died as a result of Hurricane Ian's torrential rains, winds and flooding from storm surge.

While it was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall in Florida on Wednesday, it is expected to regain strength and become a Category 1 hurricane by the time it makes landfall again in South Carolina on Friday.