Philadelphia: Evan Mathis suffered an MCL sprain & Allen Barbre sprained an ankle.
From all accounts, Evan Mathis’ injury in the first half was scary. Mathis reportedly was rolled up on and was screaming in pain. He was then carted off the field. Usually this portends a season ending injury. There is an MRI scheduled for Monday, however multiple sources are already reporting this to be an MCL injury. While this is somewhat better news, chances are Mathis will be out of commission for several weeks. There are many examples of linemen playing through MCL injuries, but the severity of this injury can vary. Andrew Gardner subbed in his place, and played fairly well. However, this was not the only injury to the Eagles’ line, as Allen Barbre later left the game with a sprained ankle. With Lane Johnson still three weeks away from returning from suspension, Barbre started the game at right tackle. After Barbre’s injury, Gardner slid to right tackle and backup center David Molk filled in at left guard. Molk actually played well during the Eagles’ epic comeback. The Eagles (like most teams) only dressed seven offensive linemen and did not have any options beyond Molk. Next week, Gardner will start at right tackle while Dennis Kelly will likely start for Mathis, leaving Molk as the backup center once again. UPDATE 9/8: Mathis reportedly out 4-8 weeks. Barbre likely out a similar timeframe with high ankle sprain. Besides Kelly, Molk, and Gardner, Matt Tobin is reportedly also in line for playing time, should he get healthy. Expect Gardner to play well but the other spot will likely be a reason for a downgrade.
Dallas: What happened to Tyron Smith?
After getting lauded all offseason (by yours truly as well), the Dallas offensive line laid an egg against the San Francisco 49ers, and a primary culprit among the media was left tackle Tyron Smith. Smith gave up a sack and was called for two penalties, including the shameful leg whip penalty (the last refuge of the truly beaten). So what’s up with Tyron Smith? Not much. It's week one, and I’m chalking it up to a bad few plays, calling it a bump in the road. Smith actually had a decent day overall, great in run blocking and solid for most of the day in one on one assignment with the Niners’ best pass rusher. The job of a left tackle is not easy, and another way to describe his performance is that for sixty offensive plays, Smith played great. For three plays he had a problem. Look for Smith to return to elite status as early as next week.
Chicago: Garza and Slauson to get MRI’s on their respective ankle injuries.
In the first half, Chicago lost their center and starting left guard to sprained ankles. In their place Brian de la Puente and Michael Ola actually played well. The line’s problem spot continues to be right tackle, where Jordan Mills was beaten for as sack by Mario Williams. If these injuries prove to be chronic, teams will try to attack Michael Ola more than de la Puente (who has an accomplished track record as a starter). But still no major downgrade to this unit for now, as the replacements did a quality job. UPDATE 9/8: Slauson and Garza were both diagnosed with high ankle sprains and are expected to miss several weeks. The Bears' line is currently ranked 14th and could fall a few spots during that time. But they stay 14th for now. The key will be Ola. De la Puente is a starter and that's really a wash between him and Garza. But Ola's potential replacement of Slauson is going to determine their rank. If Ola plays well, they still grade out as a mid-tier unit with Bushrod and Kyle Long. The franchise has alot shown alot of faith in Michael Ola this preseason and the staff will give him every opportunity to succeed.
Atlanta: Jake Matthews sprains his ankle, Gabe Carimi steps up.
Jake Matthews had a strong start to his NFL career, and was playing pretty much lights out in his debut, until he went down with a sprained ankle. It is not clear how much time Matthews will miss. In his place Gabe Carimi stepped in, and probably had his best game since his salad days at Wisconsin. Aside for one bullrush, Carimi had a perfect day. Just my theory, Carimi has always been a natural left tackle, teams try him at all these other spots, but maybe he’s just best at that particular role, despite lacking what scouts would consider NFL left tackle agility. Maybe Carimi can become trade bait if he keeps up his strong play in Matthews’ absence. In the meantime the Falcons are happy to have him on the roster, and can hopefully look forward to similar efforts while Matthews recovers.
Tampa Bay: Logan Mankins left first half with a knee injury (hyperextension).
Although Garrett Gilkey played about as well as can be expected, the Buccaneers line was somewhat of a disaster in the absence of Mankins. This line needs this player (which is why the deal was made in the first place). Mankins is extremely tough and this injury is unlikely to sideline him for any major time. It's way too early to speculate (but that never stopped me before). From the reports of a mild hyperextension and a bad bruise, I’d say about even money that Mankins should be available Week 2. Just because of his toughness.
New England: This week in schadenfreude.
The Patriots might be happier about the sequence of events in Tampa, had the Dolphins defensive line not dominated the Patriots front to the tune of four sacks (two of them strip sacks). Most of the pressure was on four man rushes, this was not a situation where the Dolphins were selling out on blitzes. Marcus Cannon started at left guard, and was not great in pass protection. Cannon can get overextended and is prone to be ragdolled aside by pass rushers. Jordan Devey rotated in at right guard (and had a weird rotation with Dan Connolly, who would slide over to center for Ryan Wendell, when Devey was in the game). Devey did ok and probably will stick as a starter. Can't say the same for Cannon. As one would expect from so many changes, the Patriots line did not look cohesive.
Indianapolis center and San Francisco right tackle: The quiet fill-ins.
In Indianapolis, recently acquired A.Q. Shipley (cut by Baltimore last week) started for Khaled Holmes (ankle). In San Francisco, Jonathan Martin started for Anthony Davis (hamstring). Both situations were not total game day surprises, as the starters had been dealing with supposedly minor injuries for weeks. The teams apparently hoped for their starters to recover but the subs actually played well in their spot starts. Shipley is a solid vet who was probably cut for money reasons (John Urschel is not a better player right now, but he is cheaper and younger). Martin's play is of special note as it was his first return to action from the Incognito unpleasantness. Both teams' starters are expected back within a timeframe of days (not weeks), but then again, that's what they've been saying all summer.
