I can honestly say I don’t remember the injuries in the NFL ever being this bad, this frequent and this early before, especially on teams contending for at least a playoff spot.
The biggest and scariest injury from Week Three was Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who went down in the third quarter of their 12-6 win over the St. Louis Rams, clutching his left knee. Roethlisberger was blitzed by Rams safety Mark Barron and took a shot to the knee. Roethlisberger left the game and didn’t return.
Mark Barron ended Carson Palmer’s season last year with a clean hit. It was Barron who just brought down Ben Roethlisberger.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 27, 2015
An MRI gave a little good news Monday. Roethlisberger just suffered a sprain so his season isn’t over, but depending on the performance of Michael Vick, the Steelers season might be. Roethlisberger suffered a sprained MCL and could miss four-to-six weeks.
https://twitter.com/RamsGab/status/648583376664961025
Vick’s numbers were’nt horrible in relief of Roethlisberger, but he was far from effective in directing the offense. Vick finished 5-of-6 for just 38 yards and was sacked four times. With Vick floundering, the rest of the offense didn’t do much, but thanks to a late Rams turnover, they didn’t have to.
The good thing for the Steelers (2-1) is that they have their bye week in this four-to-six game stretch. Next week they have the Baltimore Ravens at home, a game that now becomes a must-win for the Ravens just to keep coaches employed. Then comes the bye week, followed by a trip to San Diego and the Arizona Cardinals at home. If Roethlisberger misses more time than that, they’ll roll with Vick at Kansas City and against the Bengals.
Lynch leaves Bears’ blowout with hamstring injury
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll doesn’t expect Marshawn Lynch to be out an extended time with the hamstring injury he suffered late in their 26-0 win over the Chicago Bears, Sunday, but he doesn’t sound optimistic the All-Pro running back will suit up this week.
“We’ve checked it all out and there is nothing to be alarmed by,” Carroll said Monday. “So we’ll just have to wait and see. Lynch came into the game banged up with a calf injury he picked up against Green Bay the week before. If Lynch does sit out next Monday night’s game against the Detroit Lions it will be the first game he’s missed since 2011.
The Seahawks have just three running backs on the roster, with Fred Jackson serving as Lynch’s primary reliver. Thomas Rawls is third on the depth chart and does get carries almost every game.
Jets get good news on Revis and Colon
Cornerback Darrelle Revis, already dealing with a groin issue, tweaked his hamstring late in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but should be fine. In fact, that’s his exact worlds.
“I’ll be fine,” Revis told the New York Post.
And while the report on guard Willie Colon’s knee injury isn’t as rosy, it doesn’t appear that it will cost him his season.
Jets RG Willie Colon's right knee injury isn't believed to be season-ending. Left MetLife Stadium in a cart. #nyj
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaSports) September 28, 2015
Colon suffered a strain MCL like Roethlisberger, but it wasn’t as severe. He’s expected to miss just one game.
Joe Haden day-to-day with rib injury
It’s officially listed as a “rib contusion” and while not very serious for those of us with normal jobs, bruised ribs can be a real issue for a professional football player. Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden injured his ribs on his first defensive snap Sunday in a loss to the Raiders and returned in the third quarter. An MRI Monday revealed the contusion.
Haden had a particularly rough time covering Raiders first-round draft pick Amari Cooper lit up the Browns’ defense, and especially Haden after the injury. Haden, who had difficulty breathing the entire game, didn’t want to use the injury as an excuse, but it seems like a pretty good one to me.
Joe Haden guarding Amari Cooper?
Amari Cooper does not care. #OAKvsCLE http://t.co/o78WjbENXQ— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2015
Charles Johnson could miss multiple weeks with hamstring
The Carolina Panthers are 3-0, but they lost another star player Sunday, at least for a couple of weeks. Defensive end Charles Johnson injured his hamstring in the fourth quarter of Carolina’s victory over the Saints Sunday. Johnson has five tackles and a sack this season.
It is a hamstring injury for Charles Johnson. The concern is that it might be several weeks.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 27, 2015
The Panthers wasted no time finding a replacement for Johnson, finalizing a trade with the Chicago Bears for defensive end Jared Allen for an undisclosed late-round draft pick. Allen has four tackles, a fumble recover and a pass defense this season.
Other injuries
The San Diego Chargers took a hit along the offensive line, losing Guard Orlando Frankin with an ankle, center Chris Wyatte with a groin injury and tackle King Dunlap with a concussion. Cornerback Jason Verrett injured his foot.
San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis strained his knee and is day-to-day.
Atlanta Falcons tight end Jacob Tamme suffered a concussion against the Dallas Cowboys.
