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The big injury story of the week was the New York Jets ruling All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis and tight end Dustin Keller out for their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who may be without both James Harrison and Troy Polamalu on Sunday. All of the final injury reports of the week are in, so now it’s time to take a look at the injury situations worth keeping a close eye on this weekend. Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwell declared Kevin Kolb the starting quarterback for this week, but head coach Ken Whisenhunt wasn’t ready to rule John Skelton (ankle) out of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, listing the Fordham product as “doubtful” on Friday’s report. With Skelton missing all of this week’s practices, it would be a major surprise if he even suited up on Sunday, which means Kevin Kolb gets yet another bite at the apple. For the Patriots, right guard Dan Connolly is listed as “questionable” with a concussion. The Cardinals arguably have the best 3-4 defensive line in football and defensive coordinator Ray Horton is very creative when it comes to sending pressure at opposing quarterbacks. Marcus Cannon, Donald Thomas or Nick McDonald would start in Connolly’s place and draw the unenviable task of dealing with Darnell Dockett all afternoon. (Either way, Gisele may want to stock up on ice.) Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers DeSean Jackson (hamstring) and Jeremy Maclin (hip) missed practice during the week and are listed as “questionable” after returning on a limited basis on Friday. Both receivers are expected to play against the Baltimore Ravens, who will once again be without right tackle Jah Reid, but are expected to have Matt Birk and Ed Reed, who are listed as “probable” with thigh injuries. Linebacker Scott Fujita (knee) was one of nine Cleveland Browns listed as “probable” on the injury report. Fujita had his bounty suspension overturned last Friday and likely would have played had he not missed practice while serving the first of a three-week suspension. Fujita could make his 2012 debut against the Cincinnati Bengals, who may add some depth in the backfield as running back Bernard Scott is “questionable” with a hand injury that kept him out of the opener. The Dallas Cowboys will once again be without nose tackle Jay Ratliff, but with the additional time off after opening the season on Sept. 5, they are a fairly healthy team heading into Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Ten players, including Miles Austin, DeMarco Murray, DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten were listed as “probable”. Seahawks tight end Zach Miller (foot) and left tackle Russell Okung (knee) are questionable. Okung struggled with Cardinals linebacker Sam Acho in the opener and committed three false start penalties. If Okung plays, how he deals with Ware and Anthony Spencer could be determining factor in the game. Five Jacksonville Jaguars, including outside linebacker Daryl Smith, will miss Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. The Jaguars will also be without starting right tackle Cameron Bradfield (ankle) and Eben Britton is listed as “questionable” (also with an ankle injury), prompting the Jaguars to elevate offensive lineman Daniel Baldridge from their practice squad on Saturday. The Kansas City Chiefs will once again be without safety Kendrick Lewis, but the secondary is expected to receive a boost with the return of cornerback Brandon Flowers, who missed the season-opener with a foot injury. Flowers is officially listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, who will be without running back Fred Jackson (knee) for the next few weeks. The Indianapolis Colts’ pass rush took a hit as an ankle injury prevented Dwight Freeney from practicing all week and will keep him out of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. With Freeney out, 2010 first round pick Jerry Hughes and first-year player Mario Addison are expected to play opposite Robert Mathis. Hughes and Addison tied for the Colts’ lead with three sacks during the preseason. The Colts listed wide receiver Austin Collie (head) as “doubtful” and, like last week, he’ll be a player they won’t make a final determination on until inactive lists are due 90 minutes before kickoff.

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Inside the NFL’s Week 2 injury report (Shutdown Corner)

Reggie Rivers and Tom Nalen use four downs to preview the Broncos as they travel to Atlanta to take on Matt Ryan and the Falcons.

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Broncos/Falcons Preview With Reggie And Tom

In the Pantheon of great NFL quarterbacks, John Elway’s name is always going to come up on the short list. From 1983 through 1998 for the Denver Broncos, Elway defined a team and a town as few players ever have. Now, as the team’s executive vice president of football operations, Elway was able to bring Peyton Manning, another member of that Pantheon, to the Mile High City in hope that more Lombardi Trophies could be won by Elway’s favorite team. So far, so good — Manning looked masterful in the Broncos’ 31-19 opening win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, completing 19 of 26 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Manning, never known as the most mobile of quarterbacks, even ran for a first down on a seven-yard play — perhaps Manning’s tribute to his formerly more mobile new boss. We recently spoke to Elway about his longtime team, his new quarterback, and his involvement in Dove’s ” Journey to Comfort ” campaign. Shutdown Corner: It was obviously a big triumph for your team, the opening-week win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Peyton Manning playing the way he did. I spoke with his dad this week , and we discussed the struggle Peyton went through to come back. You persevered a lot through your career — the Super Bowl losses, the feud with Dan Reeves — so you’re a survivor. You’ve been through it. What were your impressions, watching Manning, knowing what he went through, and then seeing him play like that? John Elway: Yeah, no question. I was just so proud, not only of Peyton, but the whole football team. To be dead-honest with you, knowing what I knew about Peyton, and the time I’d spent with him before he came here and just knowing what kind of guy he is — that’s what gave me so much confidence. The fact that he wanted to come back and play football, and play football well … anytime you challenge a guy like Peyton Manning,  you know he’s going to succeed. Because he has that willpower and the will to work. I felt that when he was released by Indianapolis — it’s still surprising that he was released, though I understand — it also put a chip on his shoulder. Not that he needed to work even harder, but he really wanted to prove that it wasn’t the right move. So, whenever you challenge a guy with the ability and the work ethic that Peyton has, you’re going to see good things come out of it. SC: From a quarterback perspective, are there things he can do that you couldn’t? How are you different? JE: You know, I think we just had different styles. His game is probably a bit more cerebral than my game was, especially early in my career. The older I got, the more cerebral I became — you lose some of your athletic ability. I was  more a mover and a scrambler, and he’s more of a pocket guy. But i think the mentality, as far as a quarterback’s concerned — no matter how you get it done, it’s your competitive nature and how bad you want to win. I think we’re very similar there. SC: There’s a new guy in the NFL out of Stanford, your alma mater — Andrew Luck. You’ve most likely heard of him. What are your thoughts on his overall makeup and skillset? JE: I think he’s going to have a great career. He had it all coming out of college – -not only the physical side, but the maturity on the mental side. He’s smart, he ran that whole offense at Stanford under [Jim] Harbaugh, and I think he’s going to have a tremendous career. He’s going to get better with each start, and he’s going to get better as his team gets better around him. SC: Mike Shanahan, one of the guys most crucial in your development, now has a new quarterback in Robert Griffin III. I’ve seen Shanahan offenses with mobile quarterbacks like you and Jake Plummer, but the system he’s set up for Griffin might be the most diverse he’s ever done. What were your thoughts about that first game? JE: That’s where Mike is so good — Xs-and-Os-wise, offensively, I don’t know that there’s anyone better. He did a tremendous job with a rookie quarterback going into that first game, and how the Redskins brought RGIII through the preseason. Starting him in that first game against New Orleans, they did a great job of putting him in situations that quarterbacks can handle. They did a great job of keeping him in things he was comfortable with, they didn’t make him make plays that were difficult for any quarterback, and they created situations in which he was able to flourish. A lot of those quick screens, together with the read option they ran to take advantage of Robert’s mobility, they did a tremendous job with the game plan. And then, with Robert playing the way he did, I thought it was great. SC: It was a bit similar to the way [Denver Broncos offensive coordinator] Mike McCoy handled Tim Tebow when he started mid-season for your team last year. You don’t force an NFL game plan on a system college quarterback — you merge your concepts with what he does well. The Panthers did the same thing with Cam Newton. It seems that there’s a greater understanding of the need to meet those quarterbacks halfway. JE: To me, it s a sign of a great football coach. They can adjust what they do to get the most out of anyone playing any position. In that case, as you said, with the quarterback position, what McCoy did last year with Tim in adjusting the offense to what Tim was best at — same thing at Carolina with Cam. To be able to get the most out of an athlete, you do have to meet him halfway. What they did with Cam, and what we did with Tim, it’s a compliment to those coaches. SC: Your current position in running the Denver Broncos — you don’t need to do this. You’re obviously doing it because you love football, and it’s certainly not ceremonial. What is your day-to-day? Take me through what John Elway does every day at Dove Valley. JE: I’m in charge of football operations, so I oversee all decisions on the football side. I’m heavily involved in personnel — once we get involved in the season, with the draft and free agency, I make the final decisions on all those things. [Head coach] John [Fox] runs the football team on the field, and I’m here to try and supplement that team the best I can. To give us the best 53 guys during the season, and then we go into the offseason and improve the team through free agency and the draft. So, I’m really most involved on the personnel side. But then again, I’m responsible for anything on the football operations side.

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The Shutdown Corner Interview: John Elway (Shutdown Corner)

ENGLEWOOD — Everybody is going to know everybody’s business Monday night. The Broncos and Falcons coaching staffs have plenty of crossover to work with as long-time associations and the transient nature of the job mean both teams have plenty of top-drawer information.

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No secrets between Broncos, Falcons