Good thing the Saints take on the hapless Panthers this Sunday, because they’ve become the walking wounded.

Reggie Bush (broken fibula) doesn’t need crutches anymore and is walking without pain. He believes he’ll be back sooner than expected, but that’s about the only injury news that favors the Saints right now.

Drew Brees will play Sunday against Carolina, but he’s expected to wear a brace on his sore left knee. He suffered the injury late last week in an overtime loss to the Falcons and while he doesn’t think the knee will affect his performance, you never know how a player will respond to an injury until he gets on the field. The good thing is that Brees is a tremendous pocket passer and even if he had two good knees we wouldn’t be seeing his best Michael Vick impression.

The other significant piece of injury news surrounding the Saints has to do with Pierre Thomas’ ankle. He’s going to be a game-time decision after missing practice the past two days, although the team has yet to active DeShawn Wynn from the practice squad so that’s a good sign. Head coach Sean Payton also said on Thursday that Thomas is a rare player in that he can miss practice and still be mentally ready to play on Sunday.

The Saints struggled to run the ball last week against the Falcons and it hurt them late in the game. Their passing attack was still unstoppable, but come overtime their defense was worn down from being on the field all day and Atlanta took advantage. I don’t expect the Panthers to pull off an upset this week, but with Brees and Thomas hobbled the game could be tighter than anticipated.

According to Adam Schefter’s Twitter page, Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney is expected to miss 2-3 weeks due to a right quad injury and 49ers.com reports that Frank Gore will miss three weeks with a high right ankle and a right hind foot sprain.

I don’t know if “devastating” is the right word to describe these injuries, but they’re both significant.

The Colts defense has played excellent so far this year, partly because they’ve been able to generate pressure using only their front four. Freeney has been a one-man wrecking crew at times, especially last Sunday night in Arizona. With him out, Indy might not be able to create pressure solely from their front four and it could change the way they game plan.

If rookie Glen Coffee can pick up where he left off in preseason, then the Niners will stay afloat without Gore for a couple weeks. Coffee showed a surprising burst and quickness in preseason and will now have to become a full-time back in just his first year.

What will be interesting to watch unfold is if Coffee can’t be productive. That would put pressure on Shaun Hill to make more plays in the passing game and outside of his play at Minnesota on Sunday and the game-winning drive in Arizona in Week 1 he hasn’t done that.

If San Fran wants to stay atop the NFC West, it’s time for Hill to step up and give the Niners a balanced offensive attack while Gore is out.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is reporting that Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington’s season is likely over after he suffered a torn capsule in his right throwing shoulder in a loss on Sunday to the Chargers. Pennington is seeking a second opinion, but it looks like Chad Henne will be the full-time starter now in Miami.

The team has not yet confirmed the severity of the injury. But Dolphins TE Anthony Fasano told the AP earlier the team was preparing to move on with backup Chad Henne.

“We’re going to have to go out there with Henne, who is a lot less experienced,” Fasano said. “There is definitely going to be a learning curve for Henne. He can learn as much as he wants in a classroom, but until he’s out on the field, in-game experience he’s not going to learn.”

Rookie Pat White, who’s seen action in the Dolphins’ Wildcat package thus far, is the only other QB on the roster.

White would be an intriguing option to start, but he doesn’t have any experience running a pro style offense because he played at West Virginia, which ran a spread option attack. So the Dolphins are essentially forced to start Henne and keep using White in the Wildcat.

This is a massive blow to Miami’s season. Pennington was limited as a passer, but he’s one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the game just based on his ability to read defenses and get the ball out of his hands quickly.

Unless Henne turns out to be the next Tom Brady off the bench, the Dolphins are going to struggle to even going .500 this year. They’re already 0-3 and play in one of the toughest divisions in football.

Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Carson Palmer will not play against the Cleveland Browns Sunday.

Fantasy owners: get Palmer out of your lineup. Ryan Fitzpatrick will start for the Bungles.

- RB Brian Westbrook and TE L.J. Smith once again did not practice for the Eagles on Friday, but QB Donovan McNabb did. It looks more and more likely that Westbrook and Smith will not play against the Bears Sunday night, but now that he’s practiced, McNabb of course will. (PhiladelphiaEagles.com)

- The Minnesota Vikings have listed RB Adrian Peterson as questionable for Sunday’s game at Tennessee. Peterson is battling a hamstring injury, but he was listed as questionable last week against Carolina and still played significant time so he’s like to start against the Titans. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

- New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Payton said Friday that the team could expect to have TE Jeremy Shockey back by Week 6. Despite several reports, Shockey doesn’t have a sports hernia and Payton noted that his tight end feels “comfortable” again. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

- Jerry Porter is reportedly set to make his debut this weekend for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Porter has dealt with a hamstring injury since arriving from Oakland in the offseason, but would provide the Jags’ passing game with a much-needed boost if he can play Sunday against the Texans. (Jaguars.com)

- Retired Bill Cowher told NFL Network’s Adam Schefter that he will not coach in 2009 and that the earliest he could see himself returning to the sidelines would be 2010. (NFL.com)

Sunday’s Best: Redskins (2-1) at Cowboys (3-0) 4:15 PM ET FOX
How stacked is the NFC East? Even Washington, the team expected to be the worst in the division, has looked strong since losing their opener to the Giants. In their sound win over the Packers last Sunday night, the Cowboys proved that they’re the class of the NFC. Dallas has a ton of offensive weapons, but the Skins could keep things close now that QB Jason Campbell is starting to look more comfortable in Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense. Plus with RB Clinton Portis running well and the Cowboys’ run defense missing S Roy Williams, maybe this is a good time for Washington to face their NFC East foe.

Upset Watch: Eagles (2-1) at Bears (1-2) 8:15 PM ET NBC
Philadelphia is coming off an impressive win over the Steelers while Chicago once again gave up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter while dropping its home opener to Tampa Bay. But the Eagles are banged up right now, with QB Donovan McNabb, RB Brian Westbrook and TE L.J. Smith all missing significant practice time this week. By all accounts, the Bears should be 3-0 right now, but blew wins at Carolina and home against Tampa Bay. Da Bears are tough to beat at home and the defense should bounce back after Brian Griese tuned them up in the fourth quarter and overtime last week. But can the offense generate enough points? Philly’s defense harassed Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger last week and will no doubt attempt to do the same this week against Kyle Orton. As of Friday, Devin Hester is still listed as questionable on the Bears’ injury report, but he could give Chicago a huge boost in the playmaking department if he could return.

Intriguing Matchup: Packers (2-1) at Bucs (2-1), 1:00 PM ET FOX
Aaron Rodgers suffered his first defeat as a starter last week against Dallas, so it’ll be interesting to see how he and the Packers respond. Things don’t get any easier this weekend in Tampa, where the Bucs have won two straight and the offense is clicking with Brian Griese under center. Without the threat of a running game last week, Green Bay wasn’t as effective offensively as it had been in wins over Minnesota and Detroit, respectively. Can RB Ryan Grant bounce back against a tough defensive front seven of the Bucs? And how will the Packers fare without starting CB Al Harris (spleen)? Even though Green Bay is 2-1, it has issues that Jon Gruden and Tampa could expose.

Other Notable Games:
Vikings (1-2) at Titans (3-0), 1:00 PM ET FOX
After notching their first win of the season last week against Carolina, are the Vikings back? Adrian Peterson didn’t run wild last week, but the Minnesota defense stepped up and created scoring opportunities. They might need to do so again this week given the Vikes’ offense could struggle against a tough Titans’ D.

49ers (2-1) at Saints (1-2), 1:00 PM ET FOX
The 49ers would go long way in proving they’re for real if they can beat a banged up Saints team in New Orleans this Sunday. With how well the rest of the division is playing so far, the Saints can’t afford to fall to far behind in the NFC South.

Falcons (2-1) at Panthers (2-1), 1:00 PM FOX
The Panthers are eager to bounce back following their loss to Minnesota last Sunday, while the Falcons want to prove that their record isn’t just a byproduct of beating two bad teams (Detroit, Kansas City). The Panthers have the better overall talent, but Atlanta (especially DE John Abraham) has had some success playing in Carolina over the years.

- The news just keeps getting worse for the Cleveland Browns. Not only have the Brownies started 0-3 this season, but they also lost one of the main pieces of their offensive line, as guard Eric Steinbach will reportedly miss the next 3-5 weeks with a separated shoulder. (Rotoworld.com)

- RB Brian Westbrook (ankle), QB Donovan McNabb (chest) and TE L.J. Smith (back) continue to miss practice this week for the Eagles. Westbrook and Smith probably won’t play this Sunday night in Chicago, but McNabb still seems likely to start. (PhiladelphiaEagles.com)

- After missing Wednesday with a groin injury, Rams’ RB Steven Jackson returned to practice on Thursday and is expected to play this week when St. Louis hosts Buffalo. (Belleville News-Democrat)

- Detroit Lions’ interim GM Martin Mayhew recently said that the team has no plans for putting WR Roy Williams on the trade block. Also, Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com expects that Jon Kitna will remain the starter at quarterback after the Lions’ Week 4 bye.

- Brett Favre (ankle) is expected to start this weekend against the Cardinals. (Newark Star-Ledger)

- The New York Giants have suspended WR Plaxico Burress one game because of insubordination. Burress didn’t show up for a team meeting on Monday and then wouldn’t answer his phone Tuesday. The Giants are on a bye this week and Burress will not play next Sunday in Seattle. (FoxSports.com)

Update: Burress has filed a grievance against the Giants for docking him two weeks of pay.

- The Rams released starting CB Fakhir Brown. Less than a week ago Brown had replaced Tye Hill in the starting lineup, so the news of his release is surprising. Although at this point, nothing should surprise any of us about the Rams. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

- The Bears cut former second round draft pick, Mark Bradley. The former Oklahoma product was productive early in his career but after tearing his ACL, Bradley just never recovered. (ChicagoBears.com)

- It’s official: Browns’ head coach Romeo Crennel will stick with QB Derek Anderson this week when the team travels to Cincinnati. Anderson lit up the Bengals last year, but he’ll be on a short leash this week. Brady Quinn is warming up as I type. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)