Analysis: Injuries are already piling up, forcing teams to call on the next man up

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Whoever comes after that will be in full action in the NFL.

There are already many injuries in the competition, causing several star players to drop out and forcing teams to rely on reserves and backups.

Everyone needs to be ready, because “one play away” is more of a reality than a cliché in football. The best teams at the end of the season are often the ones with the depth to overcome injuries early on.

The inactive players resemble a Pro Bowl selection.

Russell Wilson has yet to make his debut for Pittsburgh due to a calf injury he suffered in preseason. Jordan Love injured his knee in Green Bay’s season opener. Miami lost Tua Tagovailoa for at least four games and possibly longer after he suffered his fourth concussion in five years last week.

Those are just the quarterbacks who start on the sidelines.

Defending NFC champion San Francisco continues to lose playmakers. The 49ers are already missing running back Christian McCaffrey with Achilles tendinitis and will be without wide receiver Deebo Samuel this weekend because of a calf injury. All-Pro tight end George Kittle missed practice Thursday with a sore hamstring and his status for Sunday is uncertain.

That could limit what coach Kyle Shanahan can do on offense.

“We still have the same number of plays, just slightly different styles of plays, different people in different spots,” he said. “You eliminate some of the special things that you would do just for those guys, but the number doesn’t change. There are just things that those guys do really well. Nothing that other guys can’t do. But there’s kind of different percentages of how often you call them and things like that.”

Brock Purdy still has Brandon Aiyuk as his regular receiver and Jordan Mason has 247 yards rushing and two touchdowns in place of McCaffrey.

“It obviously sucks when you don’t have guys like Deebo and Christian and stuff like that, so it’s like, ‘OK, how can we get the ball to other guys?'” Purdy said. “But man, we have playmakers. We have a really good scheme, great play callers and some great players that step up and do their jobs really well. So I still have to do my job, in terms of my reads and my progressions, more than I have to change how I think and make sure I get it to this guy or that guy because a couple guys are out. That’s not how it is.”

The 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams, a team that is also depleted. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has an ankle injury and Puka Nacua is on the injured list with a knee injury.

Not only is Matthew Stafford without his top two targets, but he’s also playing behind a battered offensive line. Guard Steve Avila (knee) and tackle Joe Noteboom (ankle) are on IR.

“There’s a lot of different moving parts, but our job is to figure it all out, how do we move forward? How do we represent the things we want to represent?” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “I like how the guys came in here with a good look in their eyes and we should have a great week of preparation.”

The two-time reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs have lost running back Isiah Pacheco indefinitely. Pacheco underwent surgery this week after fracturing his fibula.

The Bengals were without wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) for the first two games and he is questionable this week. Eagles wideout AJ Brown (calf) is questionable this week after missing one game and Bears wideout Keenan Allen (heel) is questionable. Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson (quadriceps) also is dealing with an injury.

Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle) is questionable, though he appears to have escaped a more serious injury after what he thought was a hip-swipe tackle went unpunished against the Bears.

There are also plenty of talented defenders. Bills linebacker Matt Milano, Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown and Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland are on the injured list.

Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore is looking to return this week after missing one game.

The Buccaneers were without defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield last week when nose tackle Vita Vea suffered a strained knee ligament in a win over Detroit.

“Everybody that’s been on our roster, we’ve been told, ‘You’ve got to be able to do your job. When your number is called, be ready to go,'” Buccaneers assistant coach Kacy Rogers said. “And that’s worked out well for us because we’ve had a lot of guys step up when guys have been regressing and we’ve had guys move from one position to another. It’s just that guys were ready when their number was called.”

Players need to be prepared to go, because the NFL is a collision sport. Starting players get injured all the time, and teams have to find backups. ___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL