Week 7 Injury Report: Knee-Deep in Trouble

The injury train never seems to stop in the NFL, and Week 7 was no different, including a season-ending injury for Cole Kmet and aggravation of a knee injury for Aaron Jones. Let’s take a look at some research-backed return protocols and injury mechanism analysis after all the action this week!

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Cole Kmet

Injury: Knee

Projected Return: Season-ending

Cole Kmet suffered a season-ending knee injury on Thursday night football. It’s unclear which specific structures he injured. It seemed like he had some valgus planting force into the turf before bracing for contact, which could signal some combination of ACL, MCL, meniscus, or multi-ligament knee injury.

Jaylen Waddle

Injury: Shoulder/Chest

Projected Return: TBD

After losing the football momentarily, Jaylen Waddle dove to the ground, and it looked like he landed on his left arm first. After the play ended, he was seen grabbing at his left upper shoulder area. It’s currently unknown what the official diagnosis is, but it is being listed as a chest injury. This makes it sound like a rib contusion or fracture. However, looking at the mechanism, I would not be surprised if it were an AC joint sprain or other shoulder pathology.

Aaron Jones

Injury: Knee

Projected Return: Week 8-Season Ending

It’s being reported that Aaron Jones aggravated his left MCL sprain in the Vikings’ Sunday win. He had a big collision that resulted in some valgus-directed force at his knee, the mechanism for an MCL sprain. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the aggravation. Worst case, he could be dealing with a grade 3 MCL sprain that requires surgery, which would leave him out for a few months. A grade 1 sprain would keep him out for one to four weeks; grade two would be three to six weeks. However, because this is a repeat sprain, his return to sport would likely be more determined by symptom severity rather than a set period of time. There is also the possibility that there was additional damage to other ligaments in the knee. We will wait for the MRI results and further reports. The good news is that Jordan Mason is back from his injury and will be able to fill in if Jones misses time.

Cam Skattebo

Injury: Hamstring

Projected Return: Week 9

During the final drive of the game, Cam Skattebo had a 42-yard run but seemingly pulled up with a hamstring injury. Skattebo told reporters he felt something directly in his hamstring, but it's unclear if he suffered an actual strain or if it was just a bit of discomfort. The Giants have a bye in Week 8, so he will have an extra week to recover. If it is a true strain, he will have some additional re-injury risk in his first game back.

CJ Donaldson

Injury: Shoulder

Projected Return: TBD

CJ Donaldson left in the first quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return to the game. It’s not exactly clear what happened or how serious the injury was, but Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller are the remaining backs for now until Travis Etienne is able to return.

Jaylin Noel

Injury: Turf Toe

Projected Return: Week 8-Season Ending

Head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed that Jaylin Noel is dealing with turf toe. He left the game in a boot. Depending on the severity, this can cause him to miss some time. A grade one injury can result in a return in less than a week; grade two is often a two- to four-week injury; a non-operative grade three is four to six weeks, while an operative grade three can be four plus months out.

Erick All Jr.

Injury: Knee Injury

Projected Return: TBD

Erick All Jr. suffered an injury to his right knee, the same knee that he has a history of two prior ACL tears. After the game, he appeared to be optimistic, though he is awaiting further testing on Monday.