NFL injury report, Week 3: Danny Woodhead, Dennis Pitta could be done for the year
It wasn’t as rough as Week 2, but Sunday’s NFL action featured a long list of injuries that will affect the depth charts for a number of teams. Here is SB Nation Medical Expert Dr. Ali Mohamadi’s Monday morning injury update from the week.
Michael Adamucci
Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel broke multiple bones in his left foot while scrambling in the second quarter of Minnesota's loss to the Saints on Sunday. He'll miss significant time while recovering. Cassel's timetable for a return to action depends largely on whether the fractures will require surgery to set the bones back into place, but at a minimum, he is likely to miss at least two months of action, if not more. Cassel's injury heralds the start of the Teddy Bridgewater era for the Vikings, and the rookie acquitted himself well in his first regular season action Sunday.
Danny Woodhead, RB, San Diego Chargers (ankle)
Woodhead was carted off the field during the Chargers’ opening drive Sunday against Buffalo after suffering a right ankle injury and reportedly a fractured fibula. The fibula, along with the tibia and talus, make up the ankle joint, which is bound together by the joint capsule and surrounding ligaments.
Early reports indicate that, at a minimum, Woodhead suffered a severe high ankle sprain, usually used to describe an injury to the syndesmotic ligaments of the ankle, which hold the lower ends of the tibia and fibula (lower leg bones) together.
The timetable for his return gets pushed back even more if a fractured fibula is included, which would usually require surgery to stabilize the bone and put Woodhead's season in jeopardy. The Chargers are already down Ryan Mathews to a knee injury. Backup Donald Brown is likely to get even more carries during next week's matchup with Jacksonville.
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts (ankle)
Hilton exited the Colts' blowout win over Jacksonville with an ankle injury, although the team hasn't offered any information regarding the severity or prognosis. Indianapolis faces a divisional contest next week at home against Tennessee. Hilton's midweek practice status will likely provide a good indication of his status for the game. If he is unable to play, Andrew Luck will have to rely further on Reggie Wayne and Hakeem Nicks in the passing game.
Dennis Pitta, TE, Baltimore Ravens (hip)
For the second time in just over a year, Pitta suffered a dislocation of his right hip, which will almost certainly end his 2014 campaign and put his career in jeopardy. The hip is a ball-and-socket joint comprised of the pelvis and head of the femur (upper leg) bone. Dislocations are rare in healthy adults; second occurrences after a surgical procedure, which Pitta had after last year’s injury, are extremely rare. The major concern with hip dislocations is loss of blood flow to the joint, which can ultimately cause a condition known as avascular necrosis. This can lead to fragmentation of the hip bones, and for many, a hip replacement.
There have been mixed reports out of Baltimore regarding whether there was an associated fracture with the hip dislocation, but either way, Pitta will be unable to resume athletic activities for a significant period of time. Owen Daniels is likely to take over at TE next week when the Ravens host Carolina.
Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings (groin)
The Vikings tight end suffered a right groin strain late in Sunday’s 20-9 loss to New Orleans and was unable to finish the contest. Rudolph reported that he felt a “popping” sensation in the area, aggravating an injury he had been dealing with during the practice week. An MRI is scheduled for Monday morning to determine the extent of the injury, but given the likelihood of reinjury to the groin muscle if not completely healed before a return to activity, it would be a surprise if Rudolph is not limited, at best, during practice this week entering Sunday’s game with Atlanta.
DeAngelo Hall, CB, Washington (Achilles)
Hall, Washington’s top corner, left in the second quarter of his team’s 37-34 loss to Philadelphia with a non-contact injury to his Achilles tendon. Although the team has not made an official diagnosis, all indications are that it could be a ruptured tendon, which would end Hall’s season.
Sometimes called the “heel cord,” the Achilles is the largest tendon in the human body. When the calf muscles contract, the tendon is tightened, pulling the heel. This allows the foot to point and an individual to stand on tiptoe. It is vital to such activities as walking, running and jumping.
If Hall is lost for the season, rookie Bashaud Breeland or veteran E.J. Biggers is likely to step into the starting cornerback job opposite David Amerson on Thursday when Washington hosts the Giants.
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