Tua, please end your career! And what’s going on in Minnesota?

United States – If you see the Concussion Protocol warnings on NFLstar Tua Tagovailoa, fans of all colors are already contracting their organs. The quarterback suffered Two such severe concussions within four daysthat it led to huge debates among spectators, officials and the media – and rightly so.

We had to experience a flashback on this second match day.

There were just under four and a half minutes left in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills. Fourth attempt, 21 points behind, no passing options available.

Tagovailoa puts everything on the line, runs himself, dives – head first – clearly over the first down marker – and slams into Bills defender Damar Hamlin.

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Immediately afterwards, the scenes that we all still remember bitterly from that time: the playmaker lies helpless on the artificial turf, his movements slow, his arms and hands appearing cramped are moving towards his helmet, and the medical team is immediately on its way to him.

I’m not a doctor. But as a fan – including of Tua – I have a concern: For him, the second serious concussion was one too many. And now again. I hope he takes the necessary step – as difficult as it must be for him – and ends his active career. If only to make a statement. Yes, he’s only 26, but that’s exactly what it’s about.

Do we really want to see him hammer his brain to the point where he needs his diapers changed in his mid-40s? I don’t. There’s no point in sacrificing your body to a game when you might not even remember it. Doom and gloom? Hardly – some of the events from the past that have been made into films support my fears. But I’d be happy if I were completely wrong.

As a rule, you are also wrong if you base your life on superstition. But with the San Francisco 49ers, that will probably be difficult after this week 2 in the NFL.

For one thing, the guys from the Bay Area have to do without their absolute offensive weapon: running back Christian McCaffrey.

Last year, he was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year and – oh, oh – landed on the cover of the latest video game, Madden 25. Legend has it that whoever lands on it will have a bad season or get injured.

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He was already rested in the first game and stood on the sidelines in his private clothes. He has now landed on the injured list due to his calf injury and Achilles tendonitis. Presumably for the next four weeks.

Curse number 2: The Niners haven’t won a game in Minnesota since 1992, no matter how strong their squad was. And on Sunday they had to play the Vikings. You can guess three times: Minnesota totally deserved to win. Pretty much everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for San Francisco.

Despite the total failure, the Vikings won in the end with “only” a touchdown difference (without the extra point). Why the vice-champion could not win against Skøl’s men remains a mystery. Minnesota is said to be right…

This is how the football teams played in the 2nd week of the NFL.

(As is typical for the league, the away team comes first.)

• Buffalo Bills – Miami Dolphins 31:10
• Las Vegas Raiders – Baltimore Ravens 26:23
• Los Angeles Chargers – Carolina Panthers 26:3
• New Orleans Saints – Dallas Cowboys 44:19
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Detroit Lions 20:16
• Indianapolis Colts – Green Bay Packers 10:16
• The Cleveland Browns – Jacksonville Jaguars 18:13
• San Francisco 49ers – Minnesota Vikings 17:23
• The Seattle Seahawks – New England Patriots 23:20
• New York Jets – Tennessee Titans 24:17
• New York Giants – Washington Commanders 18:21
• Los Angeles Rams – Arizona Cardinals 10:41
• Pittsburgh Steelers – Denver Broncos 13:6
• Cincinnati Bengals – Kansas City Chiefs 25:26
• Chicago Bears – Houston Texans 13:19
• Atlanta Falcons – Philadelphia Eagles (Tuesday, 2:15 a.m.)

On the second day of play in the NFL, no team had a free game.