NOTE: This column is a living document. I'll be updating as needed after team press conferences, imaging reports, Monday Night Football injuries, etc. Major changes to the content will be noted in red. I'll also be retweeting any key pieces of news and my own reaction and analysis, so make sure you're following @JeneBramel and checking my timeline on Twitter throughout the week.
INJURY ROUNDS
Two rookie quarterbacks suffered what could be mulitple week injuries on Sunday, with Derek Carr going down with a dual ankle and knee injury and Teddy Bridgewater leaving with an ankle injury. They headline this week's column.
teddy bridgewater | ankle | week-to-week
The first two television angles shown on Sunday did not show a conclusive injury mechanism for Bridgewater. But, after the rookie was carted off the field, Fox showed the angle to the right. It's a mechanism consistent with a high ankle sprain (toes of the foot are forced outward). And, although it doesn't look as frightening as some others we've seen this season, it's impossible to know exactly how much torque and force are applied across the ligament from a TV angle.
Bridgewater's x-rays were negative, ruling out a Grade 3 sprain and a 6-8+ week absence, but he'll need an MRI on Monday to confirm the extent of the injury. Don't read much into the fact Bridgewater couldn't return to yesterday's game. The amount of pain and swelling he has over the next 48 hours will determine whether he can play this week.
However, two things are working against Bridgewater this week. The injury is to his front leg, which will see some torque when he follows through, particularly on passes across his body. But the bigger issue is that he'll have to be ready for a Thursday game this week. Given the injury mechanism and his inability to finish yesterday's game, consider Bridgewater doubtful for Week 5.
115 ET: Mike Zimmer was optimistic in his open remarks to the media today.
#Vikings Zimmer presser underway. He said Teddy Bridgewater (ankle) is doing lot better today. Hopeful he'll play Thursday.
— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterStrib) September 29, 2014
Zimmer said Bridgewater's MRI was clean, which very likely means he has only a low grade sprain. Zimmer has played it straight with injuries this season, so hopefully this is real optimism and not false hope to force the Packers to prepare for Bridgewater. At minimum, Zimmer's comments and the lack of any local or national media member reports suggesting a longer recovery is strong evidence for a low grade injury. Bridgewater will still need to recover quickly over the next 24 hours to begin game prep on Tuesday, but this is a great sign for his availability on Thursday night.
derek carr | mcl sprain / high ankle sprain | week-to-week
Carr had has foot and knee twisted awkwardly at the end of a scramble. Generally, players don't injure more than one joint without a significant injury mechanism, but this is a unique situation. Some high ankle sprain occur when the upper body is bent back over the lower leg. That happened in Carr's case, but his knee was also in a difficult spot. When he rolled over, the ligament to the inside of his knee (the MCL) also gave.
We won't know the severity of either injury without an MRI, but it's going to be difficult to rehab both at the same time and return quickly. With a low-mid grade high ankle sprain carrying a 0-4 recovery and a low to mid grade MCL sprain carrying a 0-4 recovery, expect Carr to miss at least one week and possibly a month.
vernon davis | back spasms | day-to-day
Davis took a very hard hit to the back on Sunday. X-rays were negative and Davis left the locker room gimpy but telling reporters he was dealing with back spasms rather than a structural injury. Spasms can be tricky, but Davis should have enough time to recover and practice by the end of the week. That tune will change if we hear Davis needs additional imaging early this week.
deangelo williams | ankle | week-to-week
Williams had his right ankle twisted on Sunday. The mechanism was not clear, even with a good television angle. I could make a case for both a low ankle or high ankle sprain, but Williams reached for the back and outside of his lower leg near his Achilles. I don't think Williams has an Achilles injury, but that's not a classic response for either type of ankle injury. It makes me suspicious Williams has something more than a simple low ankle sprain.
Williams left the locker room in a walking boot and will likely have more imaging on Monday.
1200 ET: The tone on Williams is decidedly pessimistic from Ron Rivera and most media members. Expect him to miss at least one week.
cecil shorts | hamstring strain | week-to-week
Shorts yet again aggravated a left hamstring strain on Sunday. It's an injury that cost him three weeks (including the first two regular season games) this season. Aggravations are commonly as severe as the initial injury and sometimes worse. Expect Shorts to miss 2-4 weeks and hope he can come back sooner.
FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENTS
I'll be looking for additional information on Ryan Mathews (MCL sprain), Knowshon Moreno (elbow dislocation), and Mark Ingram (broken hand) this week. The Dolphins have a bye, which puts Moreno's earliest return at Week 6. The Saints have a Week 6 bye and I don't expect to see Ingram until Week 7 at the earliest. Mathews isn't likely to return before Week 6 either. With luck, we'll get updates on their rehab status in this week's press conferences.
Let's start this week's followup appointments with three big names who played through injury on Sunday.
arian foster | hamstring strain | week-to-week
Foster was reportedly limping after pregame warmups. But he was active and played all but one series in the first half. The Buffalo defensive front was dominant against the run and Foster was never able to accelerate to or cut at top speed. He looked reasonably healthy when the Texans threw the ball to him in space.
However, Foster looked tight and tentative in his lone third quarter series and Alfred Blue took the remaining base offensive snaps in a close game. Foster was back on passing downs only and often used in a receiver role. There was no video evidence of an aggravation and it may be that Foster tightened up at halftime after his usual workload in the first half. Watch Foster's practice participation closely this week and don't be surprised if he sits out the Wednesday session.
It may be unfair to list Foster as week-to-week here, but I'll err on the side of caution given Foster's history with muscle strains.
calvin johnson | ankle sprain | day-to-day
Johnson was active but used primarily as a decoy on Sunday. Johnson wasn't on the field on many running plays to avoid being asked to block and didn't run any routes at speed.
Though he told reporters after the game he felt good enough on Saturday to contribute, Johnson laughed at Jim Caldwell's belief he was at 90% strength. Johnson will have another week to rest, rehab and recover, but his readiness is clearly a concern.
brandon marshall | ankle sprain | day-to-day
Marshall is still battling through an ankle injury and isn't close to full speed. The Bears are limiting his routes, but still allowing him to run block and using him heavily around the red zone. However, the route tree and usage have limited his targets to less than half of his usual number over the past two weeks. I'm still not ready to say Marshall has a high ankle sprain, but it's clear he's dealing with more than a garden variety low ankle injury.
carson palmer | brachial plexus injury | week-to-week
Palmer has told anyone who'll listen he will be back in Week 5. And that may prove true. But it's very unusual for a brachial plexus injury (a stretching of the nerves to the arm causing weakness) to fully heal in 3-4 weeks. There's actually no evidence Palmer's injury has fully healed. He's shown progress but is still only soft tossing, hasn't thrown any passes over ten yards and has yet to throw a pass at full speed.
While the slow return to passing drills is part of the rehab program, nerve injuries recover at a slow rate and it's possible Palmer will hit a plateau in his rehab. It's also possible Palmer will be just healthy enough to play this week but still struggle with arm strength and accuracy. We're sure to get frequent rosy updates on Palmer's condition this week, but don't buy into them fully unless and until we hear Palmer is throwing the ball at speed on consecutive days.
ben tate | knee sprain | week-to-week
The exact nature of Tate's knee injury has never been confirmed. Ian Rapoport's report strongly hinted at a mid-grade ligament sprain and a multiple week absence. It's been three weeks now, including the Browns' Week 4 bye. Last week, Cleveland running back coach Wilbert Montgomery hinted Tate would return to his starting role when he recovered, but didn't give any indication of when that may be. I'll be watching Mike Pettine's press conferences and the Wednesday practice report for more information.
jordan reed | hamstring strain | week-to-week
Reed never had a chance to play last Thursday night, but he still hasn't been healthy enough to take any limited practice reps. Most often, a player who hasn't practiced for more than a week needs at least a week of limited practice to see how a muscle strain responds before they're trusted with any part of the team's game plan. So I think Reed's best case scenario is to practice some this week and work to return for Week 6.
marvin jones | fractured foot | day-to-day
Marvin Lewis told reporters last week Jones was healthy enough to play in Week 3. And a video Jones posted of his bye week workouts certainly looks reassuring. Barring an unexpected setback, Jones will be back on the active roster in Week 5.
ladarius green | hamstring strain | week-to-week
I wrote yesterday of the possibility Green may not see any snaps even if he was on the active roster on Sunday. The Chargers had more injured players than room on the inactive list. And that appears to be what happened to Green. The question now becomes whether Green's hamstring strain was of very low grade but just too much to overcome with only 48 hours of recovery time or whether it's a higher grade injury that may cost him more than a week. As yet, the Chargers have not addressed Green's Week 5 status.
AROUND THE TRAINING TABLE
I'll also be keeping an eye on the status of Joique Bell (concussion protocol), Mike Evans (groin strain), and Bruce Carter (quad strain) among many others.
1200 ET: Mulitple media members have reported Mike Evans will miss 2-3 weeks with his groin injury.
I'll be updating this feature throughout the day. Footballguys Insiders will get a full update with additional fantasy perspectives on Wednesday, with analysis of the week's game-time decisions early Sunday morning. Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.
