Aaron Rodgers Suffers Possible Hand Injury Before Colts Game
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers still seems set to play but appears to have injured his hand during pregame warmups shortly before Sunday’s kickoff against the Indianapolis Colts. As caught and shared by the CBS broadcast, Rodgers was flexing his right throwing hand and showing C Zach Frazier the back of his hand during warmups.
“Aaron Rodgers may have injured his hand during warmups,” studio analyst Matt Ryan said.
It’s not clear how the injury occurred or the severity of it. The broadcast noted Rodgers continued throwing throughout the session, but cameras caught him regularly flexing his hand and he seemed to be in some level of discomfort. Rodgers still seems on track to start the game, but the situation is worth monitoring against an aggressive Colts pass rush.
Tony Romo speculated that Rodgers may have jammed his hand while taking snaps from a backup center.
Pittsburgh enters the game with just two quarterbacks on its 53-man roster. Mason Rudolph is Rodgers’ backup, appearing only in mop-up duty this season. He’s completed both of his pass attempts for 12 yards.
Rookie QB Will Howard returned to practice last week but the Steelers, despite having an open roster spot, opted against activating him from injured reserve to their 53-man roster for today’s game. That would’ve allowed Howard to be inactive but serve as the emergency third-string quarterback.
Pittsburgh goes into the game with several defensive injuries, including playing without multiple safeties. Jalen Ramsey is expected to play exclusively at free safety today.
The Colts aren’t strangers to pre-game injuries. Earlier this year, QB Anthony Richardson suffered an orbital bone fracture after a resistance band snapped and hit him in the face. The same day, CB Charvarius Ward collided with a teammate and suffered a concussion that ultimately sent him to injured reserve.
Eagles leave bye week staring at a brutal Saquon Barkley reality
Every Philadelphia Eagles fan was excited to see their star running back, Saquon Barkley, bounce back massively with his performance in the team's 38-20 win over the New York Giants in Week 8.
Barkley needed one run (and two plays into the game) to break out his longest run of the season with a 65-yard score. He finished with a season-high 150 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown on the ground. Barkley also made four receptions for 24 yards and one touchdown catch.
It was the vintage game Eagles fans have been waiting for all season from Barkley, and they finally got it. The hope is that this is what Barkley needed to now have the type of season fans expect from him, but does it eliminate the struggles he has had all season?
Barkley has not had the type of season Eagles fans expected and needs to be consistent
When looking at the season in general, Barkley has struggled. He's rushed for 519 yards and four touchdowns, averaging just 4.1 yards per carry. Four times this season, Barkley has had games where he was averaging less than three yards per carry.
The Eagles' last game against the Giants was the first time all season he has rushed for over 100 yards in a game. His previous season-high was 88 yards back in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
There's plenty that goes into some of the struggles of Barkley. For one, Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has given up on him too quickly in games and doesn't give him the number of carries he needs. Only once this year has he had more than 20 carries in a game, and that was against the Chiefs earlier in the season.
Injuries to the offensive line haven't helped matters either, with Landon Dickerson not being 100% and missing time. Lane Johnson has also left multiple games early with injuries. Center Cam Jurgens did not play in the second Giants game.
Many Eagles fans are going to read all this and think this is meant to be a "negative" article. It's really not. Of course, we should celebrate the great game Barkley had against the Giants in Week 8, but it's just one game. He still has a long way to go to be fully back from his rough season.
Fans were caught up in the emotions of his great game, but how Barkley plays against one of the best teams in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers, will be a good test of where he truly is.
