Injury Roundup: Wild Card
The 2014 Wild Card round was almost devoid of injuries and thankfully no injuries to key players on teams that advanced to the next round. That's what we like to see, especially in the playoffs when hopefully the best team advances.
Trent Richardson was listed as questionable going into Sunday’s playoff game due to an illness and even though he was active, he only saw one snap and no touches. It’s not too a big leap to question how ill Richardson really was, especially after using an illness to explain away Daniel Herron starting over him in Week 12. We’ll see how much Richardson works next week against Denver, but even with Herron’s fumbling woes it appears Richardson is not in the Colts’ playoff game plan this year as Zurlon Tipton (Emperor of Zoltar) saw all the clock killing work after Herron fumbled for the second time.
Rolando McClain missed Week 17 due to an illness and then had to leave the Wild Card Round due to his illness and dehydration. Dallas will need all hands on deck against the Packers next Sunday and McClain has proven to be one of if not their best defensive player this season.
Aaron Rodgers didn’t practice on Saturday and has already let it be known he won’t be 100% due to his calf injury. Of course the bye week is going to help and there's no doubt that he'll play, but if he can practice this week it would go a long way toward letting us know where his calf is going into their bout against the Cowboys.
Julius Thomas has not been himself ever since injuring his ankle, but he believes the bye week will help him rehab instead of just trying to practice and play. We’ll see in a week if the extra rest helps him out in a nice matchup against the Colts who rank 27th against the tight end according to Football Outsiders.
Panthers’ wide receiver Philly Brown injured his shoulder in Saturday's Wild Card game against the Cardinals. He had three receptions when he was injured and is the best receiver the Panthers have to keep the defense honest as a deep threat. He’s considered day-to-day and we’ll keep you updated as the week goes on.
The Cardinals rookie receiver Jaron Brown suffered a fractured scapula in Saturday's Wild Card loss to the Panthers and will be out 4-6 months. Brown should be ready to go for training camp and if Larry Fitzgerald were to leave he would be the frontrunner for the #3 wide receiver slot in Arizona.
Bengals middle linebacker Rey Maualuga was forced from Cincinnati's Wild Card game against the Colts with a hamstring injury. He has been plagued by hamstring injuries this season and will go into the open market before his seventh NFL season.
