Throughout the season, SB Nation medical expert Dr. Ali Mohamadi will provide his insights on the most notable injuries in the NFL landscape and how they might affect roster decisions on game day. Here is a look at some key injuries and their impact for Sunday’s games.
Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola play on Sunday and other Week 14 injuries
Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola were both active for the Patriots on Sunday. Here’s a look at the most pressing injury situations for this week in the NFL.
It's been a tough past couple of weeks for the New England Patriots, but the cavalry is on the way Sunday night against the Texans in the form of Rob Gronkowski. The All-Pro tight end suffered a knee sprain and bone bruise two weeks ago in the Patriots' loss to the Denver Broncos and sat out last week's home defeat to Philadelphia. Gronkowski has practiced on a limited basis late this week and tested the knee in pregame warmups before the team's medical staff and head coach Bill Belichick made a decision on his status.
Gronkowski wound up being active, though early reports indicated he may be on a pitch count to minimize the risk of re-injury as the Patriots make their push toward the playoffs. His backup, Scott Chandler, was also on the injury report but he was also declared active for the game. Wide receiver Danny Amendola also played, though Julian Edelman was ruled out once again.
The Denver Broncos found themselves dealing with two ailing running backs as they prepared for Sunday afternoon's divisional matchup with Oakland. Ronnie Hillman was good to go despite dealing with a lingering foot injury, and C.J. Anderson was questionable due to an ankle sprain that forced him out of last week's win over San Diego in the second quarter.
Anderson missed the entire week of practice, which typically is a red flag when it comes to game status. But Anderson and Hillman were both active, though Anderson was on a very limited snap count.
The Chargers received a scare yesterday when quarterback Philip Rivers, one of the league's true ironmen, missed the team's walkthrough after catching the flu. Good news for San Diego: Rivers has recovered sufficiently to be active and will get the start as the Chargers face the surging Chiefs in Kansas City. The flu typically manifests with fever, chills, and muscle aches, but the key for Rivers today will be staving off dehydration with plenty of fluids before and during the game.
Browns tight end Gary Barnidge has been one of the few shining spots on an otherwise dismal season for the team, and despite dealing with an ankle injury, he started Sunday when Cleveland hosts the San Francisco 49ers. Barnridge was officially listed as questionable on the injury report and was limited all week in practice, but he has healed sufficiently to be active and take the field for the Johnny Manziel-led Browns today.
See More:
