Welcome to NFL kickoff week, as we await the much-anticipated season opener between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday — a rematch of Super Bowl LX.
Kicking off the news cycle ahead of Week 1 was word from the Atlanta Falcons that Tua Tagovailoa had been named the starting quarterback over Michael Penix Jr. for Week 1’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tagovailoa had just about every opportunity to win the job while Penix recovered from an ACL injury that ended his 2025 campaign, but had a shaky performance in training camp and the preseason, likely leaving the door open for Penix to re-take the job.
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Fans will also be keeping an eye on the injury status of several stars ahead of Week 1, including San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and pass rusher Nick Bosa, as well as New England Patriots second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson — all of whom are dealing with bumps and bruises on a short week leading up to their teams’ season openers.
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Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest NFL news, injury updates and more leading up to Week 1 of the regular season.
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Teddy Ricketson
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was at practice, but did not participate.
The veteran running back could have just gotten his practice reps managed, which could happen throughout the season, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows.
McCaffrey didn’t practice on Sunday, which would have been Monday local time in Australia.
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Teddy Ricketson
The San Francisco 49ers will play the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night in Australia.
With the time difference, the game will actually be on Friday afternoon. This also disrupts the typical practice schedule for both teams throughout the week. On Sunday, but technically Monday local time in Australia, Nick Bosa didn’t practice.
The veteran defensive lineman is still working his way back from a torn ACL that ended his 2025 campaign early.
He was cleared for practice to begin in August, but if he isn’t able to practice leading up to the game, he will likely be sidelined for San Francisco’s first game.
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Chris Cwik
The Atlanta Falcons are going with the veteran in Week 1. Tua Tagovailoa was named the team’s starter against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, the team announced.
Tagovailoa was considered the favorite to win the job, but stumbled enough in the preseason that some thought Michael Penix Jr. could start in Week 1. Penix, who is recovering from a knee injury, may not be fully ready to play just yet, and Tagovailoa’s role could be tenuous depending on Penix’s health moving forward.
Tagovailoa threw for 20 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in 14 games last season.
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