Week 4 in the AFC East kicks off with the New York Jets hosting the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots heading out west to face the San Francisco 49ers.
The other half of the schedule is the Buffalo Bills going to the Baltimore Ravens and finishing up with the Miami Dolphins hosting the Tennessee Titans.
Read below for an injury analysis on every team.
Miami Dolphins | New England Patriots | New York Jets | Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
OUT
OT Terron Armstead (Concussion)
Armstead was injured with 8:58 in the first quarter when he was hit in the eye during a routine run play. He can be seen grabbing at his right eye through his mask after he went down to the turf. He stayed in for several more plays before exiting with what was termed an eye injury.
He was later downgraded to out and placed in the concussion protocol on Thursday as part of the injury reporting updates. He was unable to practice all week even with the extra day and ruled out. He was not seen at practice this week indicating he is still in the early stages of the concussion protocol.
CB Kendall Fuller (Concussion)
Fuller was downgraded to out after he was diagnosed with a concussion early in the third quarter. Looking at the film, he broke up a pass to Tyler Lockett with 2:32 left in the second quarter. When he fell to the turf, he smacked his facemask off the ground. He stayed in to finish the series but when he came off, he may have reported some symptoms and been taken out of the game. While he was doing some work off to the side at practice. This suggests that he is at Stage 3 in the concussion protocol. Unfortunately, he was unable to get any meaningful practice in and has been ruled out for Week 4.
DOUBTFUL
LB David Long (Hamstring)
Long suffered a hamstring strain sometime late in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss. He attempted to tackle Zach Charbonnet with 2:48 left in the third quarter but Javon Holland was credited with the tackle. He briefly touched his right hamstring and finished out the series before exiting the game.
Given his position, the injury, and doubtful designation, it would not be wise to try and play even with the extra day of rest.
QUESTIONABLE
RB Raheem Mostert (Chest)
Mostert continues to work back from his chest injury sustained in Week 1 that has been described as unusual. There still isn’t much clarity other than it’s painful which continues to suggest some type of cartilage damage or avulsion or chip fracture that requires rest to fully heal.
QB Skylar Thompson (Ribs)
Thomson took a hard hit from Seahawks LB Tyrel Dodson with 9:46 left in the third quarter, suffering a rib injury. Whether this is rib cartilage or rib fracture, he has had difficulty in even jogging and throwing at practice strongly indicating that he won’t play meaningful snaps on Sunday. This opened the door for Tyler Huntley to make his first start.
On Saturday, it was announced that Tyler Huntley would start.
WR Malik Washington (Quadriceps)
Washington was finally able to practice in full all week and should make his NFL debut after missing the first three games with a quadriceps injury sustained in the preseason.
ACTIVE
LB Jaelan Phillips (Achilles/Shoulder)
Phillips continues to ramp up from his Achilles tear last year but added a shoulder injury to the report this week with no additional details.
CB Storm Duck (Shoulder)
Duck landed hard on his right shoulder trying to make a tackle near the edge of the field with 12:02 left in the third quarter. Based on how he hit, he either suffered a stinger or an AC joint sprain but was able to return after missing about a quarter of football.
Given he was limited all week until Friday with a red non-contact jersey, this suggests more of a stinger.
FB Alec Ingold (Shoulder/Knee)
Ingold still saw his normal workload of snaps on special teams despite working through his injuries this week and has no designation.
S Siran Neal (Hamstring)
Neal suffered a hamstring tweak at some point during Sunday loss and was unable to practice on Thursday before increasing his workload throughout the week. Considering he is a veteran and mainly on special teams, his workload is limited and can realistically play through the injury given he has more opportunities to rest throughout the game.
New England Patriots
OUT
CB Alex Austin (Ankle)
After leaving Thursday’s game late in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, Austin was unable to practice all week and was ruled out prior to Sunday.
Update: He has been placed on Injured Reserve.
G Michael Jordan (Ankle)
Jordan was unable to finish Week 3 and couldn’t practice all week, ruling him out for Week 4. The specifics of the injury are unknown.
OT Vederian Lowe (Knee)
Lowe appeared to injure his knee in the fourth quarter of Week 2 and was replaced by Caden Wallace. Following the game, Lowe was ruled out in Week 3. The specifics of his injury are not known but looking at the video below, he looked to get his right knee clipped, potentially causing an MCL sprain. He has battled abdomen and now knee injuries since late in the preseason.
QUESTIONABLE
OT Sidy Sow (Ankle)
Sow was able to return to practice as a limited participant after missing the first three games of the season due to an ankle injury suffered in the preseason. This timeline continues to suggest a high-ankle sprain or even a bone bruise as seen in the video below. He had thought he tore his Achilles at the time but thankfully he avoided the injury. His upgraded status suggests he is close to returning and considering he has been out for a month, I would expect he plays.
LB Anfernee Jennings (Shoulder)
Jennings was working through a knee injury last week which appears to have gotten better but picked up a shoulder injury in Week 3. He was hoping to play on Sunday.
OT Caden Wallace (Knee)
Wallace appeared to suffer a knee injury on the play below when Leonard Williams hit his right leg from behind. According to Mike Reiss, he motioned to come off and did not finish the game. The mechanism for injury is there more for an ankle than a knee but if he got hit from behind more than the video shows, then this could have caused an MCL sprain. It would not surprise me to see him return with a hinged knee brace and occasionally get beat on the outside if he can’t push off that right leg to keep the defensive end outside.
CB Jon Jones (Shoulder)
Jones is questionable after getting in limited practices all week without any additional specifics.
ACTIVE
G Mike Onwenu (Wrist)/S Jabrill Peppers (Ankle)
Both practiced in full all this week and played last week despite being questionable with their respective injuries.
CB Christian Gonzalez (Shoulder)/TE Hunter Henry (Ankle)
All are new to the injury report this week with their respective injuries with no in-game designation.
New York Jets
OUT
OT Morgan Moses (Left Knee)
Moses injured his knee on the final play of the third quarter when he was hit from behind, rolling into his left knee and forcing him down to the ground.
He was later diagnosed with an MCL sprain and is expected to miss the next 2-4 weeks. Given that he plays right tackle, his left leg will stay inside but he will need to push off his left leg to keep his block outside. His size and positional demands will likely put him closer to the four week mark. When he does return, he will have a hinged brace on to help protect the area and reduce re-injury.
DOUBTFUL
LB CJ Mosley (Toe)
Mosley injured his big toe when he kicked a Titans player early in Week 2. He tried to gut it out but was forced to leave early after only playing in 24 percent of snaps. He was unable to practice all week on the short week and later required an injection in the big toe to attempt to play on Thursday but was ultimately ruled out.
The big toe is vital to allow for any player to push off effectively on the foot when running, sprinting, or jumping, all tasks a linebacker has to perform. Given the toe is jammed and sprained, performing any activities on that side will only aggravate it until it has time to heal. Considering he is doubtful, I would not expect him to play.
Buffalo Bills
For a full injury preview between the Bills and Ravens, click below.
Top Photo Credit: Phinsider.com
