The Dallas Cowboys face two Thursday games in a row, starting with a showdown against the defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving, followed by a showdown with the Detroit Lions to open Week 14 on December 4. If the Cowboys want to keep any hope of qualifying for the NFC playoffs alive, they need to win both.
But in the opening Thanksgiving Day game, pitting the Lions against the Green Bay Packers, a key Lions player left the game with an injury, a situation that may help clear the path for a Cowboys victory on Thursday Night Football next week.
Two-time first-team All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown exited the game with 6:19 on the clock in the first quarter when offensive lineman Kayode Awosika appeared to roll onto his leg while blocking for a Jahmyr Gibbs run.
Clearly in considerable discomfort, the 26-year-old former USC Trojan limped to the locker room after being examined on the field by Detroit training staff. St. Brown was initially listed as questionable to return to the game, but by late in the third quarter the Lions announced that he had been ruled out.
@nfloncbs Amon-Ra St. Brown went to the locker room with an ankle injury, according to Jonathan Jones #nfl #lions #nflfootball
What is St. Brown’s Injury Status?
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Lions said that St. Brown suffered an injury to his ankle. But they gave no further details as to the severity of the injury.
According to information provided by the Cleveland Clinic, ankle sprains are divided by severity into three grades.
“Grade 1 (Mild). The ligament fibers stretched slightly or there is a very small tear. Your ankle will have minor swelling and tenderness to the touch.
“Grade 2 (Moderate). The ligament is torn, but it isn’t a complete tear. Your ankle has swelling over the injury and it hurts to move.
“Grade 3 (Severe). The ligament is torn completely. Your ankle has significant swelling, the injury is painful and walking is difficult,” according to the Clinic’s website.
But there are also two types of sprains: high-ankle and low-ankle. “High ankle sprains involve turning inward or outward while your foot is flexed upward. Most low ankle sprains happen when the ankle rolls inward, while other low ankle sprains happen when the ankle rolls outward,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Will St. Brown be Active For Cowboys Game?
Whether St. Brown’s injury is classified as low-ankle or high-ankle, the three-time 1,000-yard receiver appears unlikely to play against the Cowboys, though a low-ankle sprain would give him a better chance.
“The average time for a wide receiver to miss with a high-ankle sprain is 2.8 games,” wrote Dr. Jesse Morse, a Florida-based sports-medicine specialist who frequently analyzes NFL injuries for media outlets and online.
Rounding to three games, the injury is of the high-ankle variety, St. Brown can expect not only to miss the Cowboys game, but games against the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers as well, returning most likely for Detroit’s Christmas Day game against the Minnesota Vikings.
According to a video analysis by Dr. David Chao of Sports Injury Central, the injury appeared to affect the “high ankle mechanism” of St. Brown’s leg.
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