As Week 1 finished its Sunday slate I am going to recap all of the major injuries and how it will affect the team going forward.
Kansas City Chiefs - Eric Berry has a torn ACL out for season. Huge blow to the identity of the Chiefs and their defense. Had excellent coverage on Rob Gronkowski all Thursday night. Chiefs will replace Berry with core special trainer Daniel Sorenson. AFC West opponents Oakland and Los Angeles will exploit this weakness.
New England Patriots - Dont'a Hightower has a strained MCL and should be considered Week to Week. Similar to Berry, Hightower is the leader of the Patriots Defense. This season newly acquired David Harris took over the role of the Mike Linebacker Middle)with Hightower moving to the Sam Position (Strong Side) and is able to handle play calling duties. However, he has looked slow since coming to NE and could be a liability on pass protection. Expect players like Kyle Van Noy and Harvey Langai to fill in for Hightower if needed.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Allen Robinson torn ACL out for season. The Jags are going to have to rely on star rookie Leonard Fournette to be the engine of this offense. There is speculation he will receive more targets in the passing game. Wide Receivers Allen Hurns and Marquise Lee will be in line for many more targets. Rookie Dede Westbrook could contribute after Week 8 if he is healthy coming off IR.
Houston Texans - TE CJ Fiedorowicz, LB Brian Cushing, WR Bruce Ellington, TE Ryan Griffin all left Sunday's game for Concussion Protocol, did not return. Each of these players should be considered Week to Week. These injuries leave the Texans dangerously thin at TE and WR. Stephen Anderson an undrafted FA from Cal is next in line to start at TE. He is smaller and quicker (6'2" 230lbs) than Fiedorowicz and Griffin with a chance of providing upside in the passing game.
Arizona Cardinals - David Johnson has a sprained wrist with conflicting reports Week to 1-8 games. More details will become finalized later today. The Cardinals plan to use a committee of Kerwynn Williams on early downs and Andre Ellington for passing. Each are significant downgrades which is understandable. Carson Palmer, who played poorly Sunday will have to pick things up in any potential abscense for Johnson. If that is the case, Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown, and JJ Nelson will all see an uptick on usage.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Stephon Tuitt is believed to have torn his bicep potentially ending his season. There will be an MRI to confirm Monday. An improving defense is in danger of losing one of their core pieces if Tuitt is expected to miss significant time. The Steelers can supplement his play with a rotation of former 1st round pick Tyson Alualu and James Harrison rushing on the line.
Chicago Bears: Kevin White broken collarbone out for season, MRI to confirm on Monday. The former 2015 1st round pick has had a real difficult time staying on the field. The Bears will move newly acquired WR Kendall's Wright to the #1 receiver with Jay Bellamy as the 2. Rookie RB Tarik Cohen showed a lot in his first game and is line for a lot more targets out of the backfield this season as a result.
Stephon Tuitt had just signed a 5 year $60 million contract extension.
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