Week 13 Injury Report

Added on Dec 05, 2011 by Scott in

NFL

With the NFL postseason inching closer, now is not the ideal time to suffer significant injuries, but some teams continue to be hit hard. It’s no secret that health is critical to winning in December and January, and a number of the key players who went down on Sunday will no doubt impact their team’s playoff aspirations. Here’s a quick rundown of the most serious strains and tears.

Matt Forte (Bears) – First Jay Cutler, now Forte. Needless to say, the 7-5 Bears, losers of two straight, are in deep trouble to qualify for the playoffs. Forte’s sprained right MCL could cause him to miss the remainder of the regular season, which will make winning any of their final four games extremely difficult.

Andre Johnson (Texans) – Two weeks after returning to the lineup with a bad right hamstring, Johnson pulled his left hamstring in yesterday’s victory over Atlanta. He’ll undergo an MRI later today, although it doesn’t appear to serious. Then again, recent history would suggest otherwise.

Andre Smith (Bengals) – The Bengals starting right tackle sprained his right ankle and was seen wearing a walking boot. He’s confident he’ll play next week, but his ankle might not agree.

Christian Ponder (Vikings) – The rookie quarterback’s best game of the season was mired by a bruised hip. He played through it and seems assured he won’t miss any games.

Fred Davis and Trent Williams (Redskins) – This isn’t injury related, but both players will be sidelined the final four games after being suspended for violating the league’s drug policy. More bad news for what has been a disastrous 2011 for Washington.

Kyle Orton (Chiefs) – It took exactly one play for the Chiefs new quarterback to get hurt. Orton injured a finger on his throwing hand and will be evaluated during the week.

LaMarr Woodley (Steelers) – A tweaked hamstring ended Woodley’s day early. He sat out three games earlier in the season with a similar affliction, although it’s not known whether or not it’s the same hamstring. Pittsburgh plays Cleveland on Thursday.

Joe McKnight (Jets) – The Jets runner/returner hyperextended an elbow and is scheduled to receive an MRI today.

Eddie Royal (Broncos) – The wide receiver’s forgettable season took another hit after he injured his neck. Since Denver rarely throws the ball, he won’t be missed.

Kevin Boss and Chaz Schilens (Raiders) – More bad news for Oakland’s pass catchers. Both Boss and Schilens left Sunday’s loss to Miami. No word on the severity of either injury.

Charles Woodson (Packers) – A possible concussion forced the All-Pro corner to leave the Packers victory over the Giants. If it is diagnosed as a concussion, Woodson will have to pass the baseline tests before being cleared to play.

Kenny Phillips (Giants) – The starting safety suffered a sprained knee, but it’s not considered to be serious.

Peyton Hillis (Browns) – The dreaded “undisclosed injury.” It’s reportedly a right knee, but that has yet to be confirmed by the Browns.