Dr. Beth Sullivan | September 29th, 2019
The first quarter of the NFL season will be over after the Monday night game between the Steelers and Bengals. It has been a big-name injury fest to this point for sure. We have already lost several big-name quarterbacks and other players for the season. Thursday Night Football saw one player from each side taken from the field and transported to the hospital for further evaluation. Let’s take a look at some of the injuries from the last week as we get ready for the action to complete the first quarter of the season.
Matthew Stafford QB Detroit Lions
Stafford was added to the Lions injury report on Friday with a hip injury however there have been reports out of Detroit that the issue isn’t his hip but rather a flareup of his back issues. Since the exact mechanism of the injury isn’t common knowledge speculating on whether it is back or hip is pointless. Stafford currently has the 6th longest consecutive starts in the league and I fully expect him to play Sunday. Whether he will be effective remains to be seen, but as I said, he will give it a try on Sunday.
Saquon Barkley RB New York Giants
Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain last week and despite the extended recovery time has not been placed on IR by the Giants. MRI and medical exam determined he would not need surgery, but he is expected to miss six to eight weeks. When he returns will probably depend on how the middle of the season goes for the Giants. I think it is conceivable if the season is a wash and a push to the playoffs is out of the question, the Giants could decide to keep him on ice to make sure he is fully recovered.
Julian Edelman WR New England Patriots
Edelman suffered a chest injury at the end of the first half of the Patriots week three game. He left the game and did not return. He practiced on a limited basis all week and is expected to participate when the Patriots face the Bills at New Era Field Sunday. With this type of injury, pain tolerance is the name of the game. Provided he is able to adequately control any pain he is experiencing from the injury, he should be the reliable target Brady has come to rely on.
Allen Hurns WR Miami Dolphins
Hurns left the week three game in concussion protocol and remains there currently. Since concussion recovery is now determined by an independent neurologist no further info is available as long as he remains in the protocol. He is out for Sunday’s game. If you want to read more about how the NFL and other leagues handle concussions check out my concussion protocol article here.
T.Y. Hilton WR Indianapolis Colts
Hilton was listed as doubtful on the Friday injury report. He suffered a quadricep injury last week during the Colts game against the Falcons. Since the normal recovery time for even a mild grade one strain is about two weeks, and the risk of further injury is great, I suspect Hilton will be a non-participant for the Colts this week. More information on sprains and strains is available in my previous article on the subject here.
LeSean McCoy RB Kansas City Chiefs
McCoy injured his ankle initially in week two and aggravated it in week three. He was a limited participant in practice early in the week but was a full participant Friday. A return from a low ankle sprain is predicated on pain management and swelling reduction. Since McCoy was a full participant he looks like he dodged a bullet with the aggravation last week. He will participate Sunday and hopefully, he can get out of the game without further injury to the ankle. I linked my article on sprains and strains earlier so check it out if you want more info.
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