Jimmy Graham looked pretty good out there for the most part against the Broncos. He had moments where he looked a bit hesitant with his cuts and wasn’t as dynamic as he normally is. I don’t know exactly how much we could have expected being only 3 weeks post-high ankle sprain, but the key is that he didn’t have any reported setbacks. He should be fine moving forward
Trent Richardson looked more like himself against the Chargers, as the hesitancy that he played with last week seemed to be gone. He looks to be recovering nicely from the bruised ribs and is going to benefit from games like Sunday’s, as the Browns had to run the ball a ton due to inclement weather. In terms of his ribs, I’d say he should be back to normal in Week 9 and moving forward.
Danny Amendola seems on track to be ready for Week 10 following the Rams’ bye. It’s pretty remarkable that he made the trip to London and was officially listed as questionable considering that the dislocation he suffered is so rare and there’s really no protocol for the rehab timeline. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s usually 5-6 weeks for physiologic healing to occur with bone/ligament complexes, so Week 10 puts him right at 5 weeks. Look for him to be a go after the bye week and hopefully get back to himself.
Don’t buy into Greg Jennings being back in 3 weeks. “Sports Hernia” surgeries are a bit more involved than they’re made to sound and there’s no way to know the exact extent of the damage until they actually get in there and see for themselves, regardless of MRI results. I’d be shocked if he was back prior to week 13, with week 12 being the probable best case scenario. Abdominal tears are tough to predict because the core is involved with all movements, especially for WRs. Good news is this isn’t a risky thing to come back from and he won’t be prone to recurrence, but I’d put his prognosis closer to 6 weeks, not 3.
Caught up in all the hoopla of the dramatic Giants-Cowboys finish was Dez Bryant limping off the field after his game winning then overturned TD. Based on the mechanism, it looked like a bone bruise/contusion type of landing, as he hit just near the outside of his hip. I wouldn’t expect anything serious, but some soreness and discomfort is definitely on the docket. Monitor him this week for practice participation.
The Packers did the right thing in resting Jordy Nelson’s bum hamstring in week 8 and will reap those benefits now that he’ll have had 10 days to rest prior to their next game. Barring setbacks or abnormally slow healing, expect Nelson to be out there this week. But just in case, take a look at his participation this week for confirmation.
I think I may have been a bit premature with saying that Hakeem Nicks would be back to his old self against the Cowboys. He didn’t look bad by any stretch, but he seemed to be a bit rusty out there. He did get 7 targets from his buddy Eli, which is a definite positive, and he didn’t look limited at all. I still maintain that he’s close to 100% and will continue to get better as he gets back into the flow of offense.
Something’s going on with that knee of Calvin Johnson, as it appears that it’s hindering him more than anyone thought. He even stated that he was bothered by it and he lacked his normal freakish athleticism/explosiveness against the Seahawks. I’m not concerned that he’ll miss time, but two subpar weeks in a row is slight cause for concern. There hasn’t been any reports of an exact diagnosis, but it could be something as simple as a bone bruise or patellar tendonitis. Hard to say for sure without seeing any diagnostic testing done, but keep an eye on him this week as I can’t imagine they’ll list him as probable again after how limited he looked.
I’m not sure what to make of Jermichael Finley and his dwindling production. I really don’t think his shoulder is limiting him at all, as he’s practiced fully and had no setbacks for weeks. I thought this would be the week he’d contribute more with Jennings and Nelson both out, but he just doesn’t seem to be on the same page with Aaron Rodgers. I’d fully support any Finley owner’s decision to bench him at this point until he breaks out of this funk if you have a good secondary guy.
Wes Welker left the Pats’ big win over the Rams with an ankle sprain. He’s got the whole bye week to rest and will have two weeks off before their week 10 contest against the Bills. I think he’ll be fine, and remember he torched the Bills for 9-129 last time out.
Dolphins’ QB Ryan Tannehill left the game against the Jets with what was termed a quad contusion. From the looks of the injury, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some mild ligamentous involvement, possibly the MCL or PCL. He’s scheduled to have an MRI done on Monday, so more will be known then. As of know, expect him to be out there for week 9 until you hear otherwise.
Desean Jackson tweaked his ankle during the contest against the Falcons, leaving the game to get checked out in the locker room. He returned to the game and finished it, which is always a good sign. Expect him to be fine for week 9
Word is that DeMarco Murray is out of the walking boot and has gotten rid of the crutches, which is a great sign for the Cowboys’ star RB. Next step is going to begin doing more football-related activities to see how he tolerates more force and load through his sprained midfoot. I’d expect him to make some sort of limited return to practice this week, but Friday will be the key day in terms of his participation level. My thought is that this may be a bit to soon and I’m expecting him to be back in week 10 at the earliest. Should be one more week of butterfingers Felix Jones, which can be construed as a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it.
Ziad Dahdul 