Injuries unfortunately occur every week. However, Sunday was particularly brutal as a boatload of key players left and didn’t return, including a pair of starting quarterbacks.
Derek Carr was carted off early in the fourth quarter after getting blasted by defensive end Bruce Irvin. The Saints announced he suffered shoulder and back injuries on the play, as well as a possible concussion. Jameis Winston replaced him, but he wasn’t able to rally the Saints past the Lions.
Meanwhile, Kenny Pickett had looked like a new man after the Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury trying to fight his way into the end zone during the first quarter of a loss to Arizona and did not return. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Pickett is expected to "miss a couple weeks" with the injury.
Mitchell Trubisky replaced him and completed 11-of-17 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. Director of Predictive Analytics Sean Koerner projects an approximate one-point swing of the spread going from Pickett to Trubisky.
Perhaps the most gruesome injury of the day happened to Tank Dell. He’s reportedly out for the season after fracturing his tibia in the Texans’ 22-17 win over the Denver Broncos. It’s a massive blow, as the explosive wide receiver had hauled in 47 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns during an impressive rookie season.
Rhamondre Stevenson suffered an ankle injury on the Patriots' second drive of the game and didn’t return. He was primed for another busy day as he had nine carries on New England’s first 16 plays of the game. Stevenson was injured by a hip-drop tackle, which some are pushing to be banned next season.
Stevenson wasn’t the only running back to leave early and not return. Brian Robinson suffered a hamstring injury late in the first half of Washington’s loss to the Dolphins. He was terrific before departing, carrying the ball seven times for 53 yards.
Derrick Henry was in the midst of a vintage performance before being forced out with a potential concussion. He pounded the rock 21 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Tyjae Spears thrived in his place, carrying the ball 16 times for 75 yards. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the Titans fell to the Colts in overtime.
Meanwhile, Amari Cooper suffered a concussion midway through the second quarter of the Browns’ loss to the Rams. He caught three passes for 34 yards, including a 22-yarder before the injury.
Finally, although he came back into the game, Jalen Hurts put a scare into NFL fans everywhere after taking a brutal hit in the Eagles' loss to the 49ers. He was trying to scramble for a first down when he got rocked and was evaluated for a potential concussion. He was briefly replaced by Marcus Mariota before making his way back into the game.
