Several playoff teams saw notable stars suffer injuries just one week before the postseason kicks off. The scuffling Eagles were hit hard in particular as two of their biggest stars, Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown, were hurt in their 27-10 loss to the lowly Giants.
Hurts suffered a gruesome-looking finger injury early in the second quarter. He banged it on a Giants defender’s hand and helmet while following through on an incomplete fourth-down pass. He stayed in the game for a handful of drives before Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni pulled him following an interception.
Sirianni said after the game that “we’ll see” if Hurts plays next week against the Buccaneers. However, while it was a nasty-looking injury, early reports are that he’s likely to start at Tampa Bay.
Meanwhile, Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown went down in the first quarter with what looked to be a serious knee injury. He clutched his knee and remained on the ground for several minutes. Brown was quickly ruled out, but several reports are that he might have dodged a bullet and it’s possible he'll play in the Wild Card round.
While Hurts and Brown avoided the worst, the same can’t be said about safety Sydney Brown, who reportedly tore his ACL against the Giants. The rookie’s been a solid contributor for Philadelphia, and notably had a 99-yard pick-six a week ago.
Meanwhile, stud tight end Sam LaPorta appears to have dodged a significant knee injury as the Lions played their starters despite having a playoff spot locked up. He was carted to the locker room, and the initial fear was he might have blown out his knee. Fortunately, head coach Dan Campbell told reporters he instead suffered a hyperextended knee and bone bruise. LaPorta will likely miss next weekend’s playoff game against the Rams, but it certainly could have been much worse. Still, it’s a potentially crushing blow as the tight end made the Pro Bowl in his rookie year.
Green Bay clinched the final wild card spot in the NFC. However, it may have come at a cost as wide receiver Romeo Doubs suffered a chest injury and did not return. He was reportedly coughing up blood after falling hard while trying to haul in a long pass for a touchdown. Doubs has been terrific for Jordan Love this year and led Green Bay in catches, receiving yards and touchdown receptions heading into the game. There was no immediate info on him after the game.
The night game Sunday saw Buffalo lose Gabe Davis to a knee injury. He went down in the first half and watched the remainder of the game in street clothes. Davis entered the game with 45 catches for 746 yards and seven TD receptions, which was one shy of Stefon Diggs for the team lead.
Buffalo also lost top cornerback Rasul Douglas to a knee injury as it battled Miami for the AFC East crown. The Bills traded a third-round pick to the Packers for Douglas in late October, and he's been a pivotal member of their defense ever since.
The Dolphins didn't come out of the game unscathed as their defense continues to take a beating. Do-it-all linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel went down with a foot injury in the third quarter and was ruled out as the fourth quarter got underway. Van Ginkel entered the game fourth on the team in sacks, and his absence further thins a pass rush that's already lost Jaelen Phillips and Bradley Chubb for the year.
