NFL teams
ESPN.com 6y

Biggest NFL injuries of Week 5

NFL

Here are the most significant NFL injuries in Week 5:

Monday

Sam Bradford, QB, Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings pulled Bradford with 25 seconds to play in the first half with Minnesota leading Chicago 3-2. Case Keenum finished out the Vikings final drive of the second quarter. Bradford returned for the first time since injuring his left knee in Week 1 of the season, lacked mobility and did not look comfortable throughout a brutal first half where he was sacked four times for 35 yards.

John Timu, LB, Chicago Bears: Starting in place of the suspended Danny Trevathan, Timu suffered a left leg injury when multiple players appeared to collide with him during a run play in the third quarter. Timu remained on the ground receiving medical attention before being helped to the sideline and carted to the locker room. He was quickly declared out for the remainder of the game due to a knee injury.

Sunday

J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans: Watt suffered a left leg injury while trying to make a play on Alex Smith during the first quarter of Sunday night's game against the Chiefs, and remained on the ground while he was examined by Texans medical personnel. Eventually, Watt rose and made his way slowly to the sideline while attempting to keep weight off that leg. He then was carted off to the locker room for further evaluation. The team quickly announced that Watt was out for the remainder of the game, and he left the stadium in an ambulance. Later during the game, the Texans announced that Watt had sustained a tibial plateau fracture in his left leg, and that he'd be out indefinitely.

On Monday, the "indefinitely" part was clarified to indicate that he'll miss the rest of the season.

Whitney Mercilus, LB, Houston Texans: Mercilus left the game during the Texans' first defensive series, and he was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game due to a chest injury. And it was more than just a minor injury: Monday morning, it was revealed that Mercilus will miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle.

Chris Conley, WR, Kansas City Chiefs: Conley was the fourth Chiefs receiver to leave the field at some point during the game, as he was carted off during the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the injury was the most dire for Conley, as he was diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles tendon and will miss the rest of the season.

Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs: Kelce took a hard hit at the tail end of the second quarter, and after getting back on the field for some plays in the first half, did not appear to start the second half. The Chiefs subsequently announced that Kelce had a concussion, and he did not return.

Steven Terrell, S, Kansas City Chiefs: Terrell was accidentally kicked in the head on the opening kickoff, and he was down for some time before walking off the field with some assistance. Shortly thereafter, he was ruled out of the game due to a concussion.

Bilal Powell, RB, New York Jets: Powell left the game during the second half and his return was deemed questionable because of a calf injury. After the game, Jets coach Todd Bowles said that Powell will have tests on his injured calf. This is troublesome, especially with fellow RB Matt Forte still dealing with turf toe.

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants: Late in the fourth quarter, Beckham injured his left ankle after his lower left leg was pinned beneath a defender after attempting to catch a pass. After being attended to by Giants medical staff, Beckham was carted off the field. The receiver hurt his left ankle in the preseason, which caused him to miss the club's Week 1 game. He was quickly ruled out of the rest of the game. After the game, a source told ESPN's Jordan Ranaan that Beckham will need surgery, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that it was a fractured ankle.

Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions: Stafford walked gingerly out of the locker room late Sunday afternoon, clearly favoring his right leg -- walking with it almost peg-legged straight after Detroit's 27-24 loss to Carolina on Sunday, per ESPN's Michael Rothstein. Stafford received treatment after the game, but he declined to say when he injured his right leg and wouldn't say exactly what he injured, either.

Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Dallas Cowboys: Already pretty banged up on the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys lost Awuzie during the game against Green Bay due to a hamstring injury.

Kevin King, CB, Green Bay Packers: The Packers' top draft pick this year (No. 33 overall), King was sidelined with a concussion during Sunday's game against Dallas and declared out for the remainder of the game. As with any such injury, he'll have to clear the league-mandated concussion protocol to return.

Terrance West, RB, Baltimore Ravens: West started the game well, rushing for 17 yards on two carries, but fell to the ground before reaching the sideline, clutching his left leg. He was helped off the field by trainers and carted to the locker room. West was designated as doubtful to return with a calf injury.

Matt Skura, OG, Baltimore Ravens: Skura, who has been filling in for injured starting guard Marshal Yanda, was declared questionable to return with a knee injury.

Haloti Ngata, DT, Detroit Lions: Ngata was ruled out of the rest of Sunday's game against Carolina with an elbow injury. The DT had been dealing with injuries the past two weeks, including getting his shoulder worked on during last week's win over Minnesota. He came off the field midway through the second quarter and soon made his way to the locker room for more testing. With Ngata out, the Lions leaned more on Akeem Spence and Jeremiah Ledbetter opposite A'Shawn Robinson.

DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins: Parker went to the locker room in the first quarter of the game with Dolphins training staff, and the team subsequently announced that he was questionable to return with an ankle injury before downgrading him to out in the second half. After the game, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Dolphins believe Parker has a sprained ankle.

Lane Johnson, OT, Philadelphia Eagles: A head injury sidelined Johnson during the third quarter of Sunday's game, and he was quickly declared out by the team. Second-year player Halapoulivaati Vaitai replaced Johnson in the starting lineup. This puts Johnson's status for Thursday night's game at the Carolina Panthers in question. If it proves to be a concussion, there would be little time for him to pass the league-mandated protocol.

Brandon Marshall, WR, New York Giants: While attempting to come down with an Eli Manning throw during the second quarter, Marshall landed awkwardly and appeared to injure his ankle. He was carted off to the locker room for further evaluation. He was declared questionable to return before being ruled out. After the game, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Marshall sprained his ankle.

On Monday night, Marshall posted on Instagram that he is having season-ending surgery, yet another blow to a Giants receiving corps decimated by injuries.

Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants: Shepard limped off the field during the second quarter, attempting to put minimal pressure on his left foot. Giants trainers attended to him on the sideline, but he did not return to the locker room. Like Marshall, he was declared questionable to return with an ankle injury; also like Marshall, he was later ruled out.

Dwayne Harris, WR, New York Giants: Harris left on a cart in the third quarter and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. While Harris is primarily a special-teams contributor, his injury left the Giants with two healthy wide receivers on the active roster. During the fourth quarter, the Giants announced that Harris suffered a fracture in his foot. Sunday night, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Harris will miss the rest of the season with the injury.

Adam Jones, CB, Cincinnati Bengals: A lower-back injury plagued Jones throughout the first half of Sunday's game, and eventually he departed for the locker room with Bengals training staff. He was originally deemed questionable to return before being downgraded to out.

Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Cincinnati Bengals: Kirkpatrick left the field in the first quarter and was attended to by the Bengals' training staff. The club originally indicated that he was questionable to return with a shoulder injury, but he was later downgraded to out.

Charles Clay, TE, Buffalo Bills: Clay was helped to the medical tent on the sideline with help from two trainers under each arm late in the first quarter and was subsequently carted off to the locker room. Clay caught a 24-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor and then took a hit to his left leg from Bengals safety Shawn Williams, causing Clay to fall over on the sideline in pain. He was originally declared questionable to return with a knee injury before being downgraded to out.

On Monday, Bills coach Sean McDermott indicated that Clay will miss multiple weeks with the injury.

Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: Boyd was quickly declared out of Sunday's game against the Bills in the first quarter after limping off the field with a knee injury. Boyd was tackled near the sideline while trying to catch a short pass from Andy Dalton.

Leonard Johnson, CB, Buffalo Bills: Slot cornerback Johnson left the game against Cincinnati in the second quarter and was originally deemed questionable to return due to a hamstring injury before being downgraded to out.

Taylor Lewan, OT, Tennessee Titans: Already missing starting quarterback Marcus Mariota in Week 5, the Titans lost starting left tackle Lewan during the first quarter. The team indicated at the time that Lewan has a knee injury and was questionable to return, and Dennis Kelly took his place in the lineup. Shortly thereafter, Lewan returned to the field before leaving again in the second quarter. After the game, the team indicated that Lewan will undergo an MRI when they return to Nashville.

Aaron Brewer, LS, Arizona Cardinals: The rough start to Sunday's game against the Eagles was made worse as long-snapper Brewer departed for the locker room holding his left forearm with Arizona training staff. The Cardinals announced that he was doubtful to return, and he did not. After the game, the team announced that Brewer has a broken hand.

Vontaze Burfict, LB, Cincinnati Bengals: Burfict suffered a left thumb injury in the first quarter of the game against the Bills and was deemed probable to return. He made his return later in the first half.


Thursday

Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots: A thigh contusion made Gronk a late scratch for the game against the Buccaneers -- much to the chagrin of fantasy owners worldwide who had to scramble to find a replacement for the week. Nevertheless, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Patriots expect Gronk to be ready for the Week 6 game, owing to the extra rest before that contest against the Jets takes place.

Josh Robinson, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Robinson exited the game against the Patriots in the first half due to a concussion, and did not return. Robinson serves primarily as the Bucs' gunner on special teams.

Ryan Russell, DE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A shoulder injury knocked Russell out of action during the second half on Thursday night, and he did not return. Following the contest, the team indicated Russell had dislocated his shoulder, and he is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.

^ Back to Top ^