ProFootballDoc: Top 10 Injury Concerns From Sunday Week 8

There was a fine line between 3-1-1 and 1-3-1 this week. If we had used the early lines when the injury information was posted at www.profootballdoc.com and gotten a little luck to break our way, we would have had a good week. Alas, instead our overall record drops to 24-14-2. The 49ers injuries did them in, as expected. The windy conditions kept scoring low, but there was still a push for the the Vikings/Packers total. We had used 50 since that was the line Saturday night at time of writing but went off at 48 due to weather. The Bills were the right side, but the line move got us. The Cowboys did hang with the Eagles, but the referees thought that the late scoop and score was valid, and their opinion is all that matters. Kudos to the Bengals for starting five offensive line backups but still handling the Titans. Leading off the top 10 injury issues of Week 8 is another pregame medical mishap. 1) Trent Brown - Just like with Tyrod Taylor, a team doctor mistake led to a player being taken to the hospital instead of taking the field.  Air inadvertently entered Brown's bloodstream from a pregame IV. The embolus traveled to the lungs and caused discomfort and breathing issues, and he was wheeled out of the locker room right before kickoff. Initial reports of non-COVID illness were technically accurate but far from the whole story. The good news is Brown should be fine and even return to play in Week 9. See the full video explanation posted as news broke at www.profootballdoc.com, and for further details about the only job in the NFL that requires no previous football experience, listen into the ProFootballDoc podcast on OutKick later today. 2) Ronnie Stanley - Market timing was in his favor as the Ravens left tackle just signed a deal to become the highest paid offensive lineman ever but now will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season. We posted in game that he suffered a left ankle fracture/dislocation. The team confirmed post-game that he had suffered a "severe ankle injury."  He should be ready and back to 100% for Week 1 of 2021 season. 3) Jimmy Garoppolo - Some thought he got pulled from the Seahawks game due to the lop-sided score, but video clearly shows he suffered an aggravation of the high ankle sprain from earlier this season. A frame-by-frame breakdown in game showed the same right ankle being trapped and twisted. Expect him to miss the Thursday night game vs the Packers where the line is currently Green Bay -2.5. That number will climb when word gets out about Jimmy G later today. Use the special OutKick codes for your new FanDuel account. 4) Sam Darnold - The Jets QB reinjured his throwing shoulder in the same way as he did in Week 4. He returned and finished that game with the AC joint sprain but then was held out for the next two games. He did play last week. If the Jets stick to their assertion that Darnold must fully practice before he can play, he may miss the upcoming Monday Night game versus the Patriots. The total is already depressed at 41.5 and might dip lower, depending on Darnold's status. 5) George Kittle - The 49ers TE made a great catch and then left the game with an announced ankle issue. Post-game, it was described as a foot issue where X-rays were negative. By video, it does not appear to be a major injury, and there is a reasonable chance that Kittle could play in four days in the Thursday matchup against the Packers. 6) Cooper Kupp - The Rams WR fell on an outstretched right wrist and had it taped and finished the game and continued to make plays. The way his wrist was dorsiflexed (forced back) means he will need imaging to make sure there is not an occult scaphoid fracture. This type of fracture can feel like a wrist sprain that lingers and often needs surgery. Let's hope for good news, but finishing the game doesn't necessarily put him in the clear. 7) T.Y. Hilton - The Colts WR has not clicked with his new QB Philip Rivers and that connection will get pushed back further. A groin strain is likely to sideline Hilton for a short stint as his team enters a tough stretch. The next four opponents for the 5-2 Colts are all also currently 5-2. 8) Tevin Coleman - The 49ers merry-go-round of running backs continues. Coleman just returned from an IR stint the previous day and exited due to knee pain again in the first quarter. Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson, Jr. are both on IR for leg injuries. Jerick McKinnon is playing but still not fully back to pre-ACL tear form of several years ago, and that leaves JaMycal Hasty as the lead option for the next several weeks. 9) Kenny Golladay - The Lions WR left the game after a non-contact hip injury that appears to be a muscle strain. An MRI will determine the severity and time missed. He did stay on the sidelines in the second half. He previously missed two games at the start of the season for a hamstring strain. No further details were given by the team. 10) Sheldon Rankins - TV announcers said the video of the injury looked so bad that they refused to show the replay. Our study of the game film showed a knee MCL sprain that is fairly routine. This was confirmed. Rankins should miss only a short stretch. For the rest of the league-wide injury issues, watch and listen for the injury rundown at the Pro/FootballDoc podcast on OutKick.

Written by
David Chao, MD -- known digitally as Pro Football Doc -- is an expert contributor for Outkick. Chao spent 17 seasons as the team doctor for the San Diego Chargers (1997-2013) and is part of the medical team at OASIS in San Diego where he treats and specializes in orthopedic sports injuries, working with high-profile professional athletes from the NFL, NBA, and MLB.