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Tampa Bay safety John Lynch hurt his right shoulder late in the second quarter Sunday, knocking him out of the game against Tennessee.

The Buccaneers came into the game with 11 players already on injured reserve. Lynch apparently was hurt on a run by Titans running back Chris Brown with about a minute remaining in the first half.

Defensive tackle Anthony McFarland sprained his left ankle on the Titans' second series. His return was listed as questionable.

Rookie quarterback Rex Grossman of the Chicago Bears injured his hand in the second quarter against Kansas City and left the game Sunday.

The Bears said X-rays were negative. He was replaced by Kordell Stewart.

Grossman was making his third NFL start after winning his first two.

Denver coach Mike Shanahan sat out Jake Plummer and five other offensive starters against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

With the Broncos already owning an AFC wild-card berth, Shanahan made Plummer his third quarterback and deactivated tight end Shannon Sharpe, starting fullback Reuben Droughns and starting wide receiver Rod Smith.

Shanahan announced earlier that halfback Clinton Portis (ankle), offensive guard Dan Neil (ankle) and cornerback Kelly Herndon (hand) wouldn't play against the Packers, who needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Yet Shanahan maintained all week he'd start Plummer, but Jarious Jackson got the start.

With Plummer, Sharpe, Portis, Smith, Neil and Droughns out, more than half the Broncos' offensive starters were deactivated.

Replacing Herndon at right cornerback was Jimmy Spencer, the first official player/coach in the NFL since Dan Reeves did it for the Dallas Cowboys in the early 1970s.

There are others who do the job unofficially -- offensive tackle Lomas Brown did it with Tampa Bay last season, and he referred to himself as the ``assistant line coach.''

Defensive back Aeneas Williams, playing free safety for the Rams, has that role this season for an otherwise young secondary.

The Packers deactivated three starters: receiver Robert Ferguson (Achilles' tendon), nose tackle Gilbert Brown and left cornerback Mike McKenzie.

Javon Walker replaced Ferguson, Michael Hawthorne replaced McKenzie and Grady Jackson, who has gotten the bulk of the snaps anyway, took Brown's place in the starting lineup.

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