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09-11-2007, 08:08 PM
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Kevin Everett sustained a "catastrophic" and life-threatening spinal-cord injury while trying to make a tackle during the Buffalo Bills' season opener and is unlikely to walk again, the surgeon who operated on him said Monday.
"A best-case scenario is full recovery, but not likely," orthopedic surgeon Andrew Cappuccino said. "I believe there will be some permanent neurologic deficit."
Everett was hurt Sunday after he ducked his head while tackling the Denver Broncos' Domenik Hixon during the second-half kickoff. Everett dropped face-first to the ground after his helmet hit Hixon high on the left shoulder and side of the helmet.
Cappuccino noted the 25-year-old reserve tight end did have touch sensation throughout his body and also showed signs of movement. But he cautioned that Everett's injury was life-threatening because he was still susceptible to blood clots, infection and breathing failure.
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/9823/nflapeverett275kq3.jpg
Everett is in the intensive care unit of Buffalo's Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital, where he is under sedation and breathing through a respirator as doctors wait for the swelling to lessen. Cappuccino said it will take up to three days to determine the severity of the injury and the recovery process.
Cappuccino repaired a break between the third and fourth vertebrae and also alleviated the pressure on the spinal cord. In reconstructing his spine, doctors made a bone graft and inserted a plate, held in by four screws, and also inserted two small rods, held in place by another four screws.
Doctors, however, weren't able to repair all the damage.
Bills punter Brian Moorman immediately feared the worst when Everett showed no signs of movement as he was placed on a backboard and, with his head and body immobilized, carefully loaded into an ambulance.
"It brought tears to my eyes," Moorman said after practice. He said the sight of Everett's motionless body brought back memories of Mike Utley, the former Detroit Lions guard, who was paralyzed below the chest after injuring his neck in a collision during a 1991 game.
Utley, Moorman recalled, at least was able to give what's become a famous "thumbs up" sign as he was taken off the field. Everett didn't.
"That's what I was waiting for, and that's what everybody else was waiting for," Moorman said. "And to have to walk back to the sideline and not see that made for a tough time."
Utley, who lives in Washington state, was saddened to see replays of Everett's collision.
"I'm sorry this young man got hurt," Utley told The AP. "It wasn't a cheap shot. It was a great form tackle and that's it."
Cappuccino said Everett was alert and aware of the extent of his injuries.
"I told Kevin that the chances for a full neurologic recovery were bleak, dismal," said Cappuccino, who works for the Bills as a consultant, specializing in spinal surgery. "I was honest with him, and he told me, 'Do everything you can to help me.' "
Cappuccino received permission to operate from Everett's mother, Patricia Dugas, who spoke by phone from her home in Houston. She and other family members arrived in Buffalo on Monday. Everett was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and played high school football there.
Buffalo's 2005 third-round draft pick out of Miami, Everett missed his rookie season because of a knee injury. He spent most of last year playing special teams. He was hoping to make an impact as a receiver.
The Bills now attempt to refocus while preparing to play at Pittsburgh on Sunday.
"It's difficult because you know the situation," said running back Anthony Thomas, one of Everett's best friends on the team. "We have to move on. But he'll always be in our thoughts and in our prayers."
Quarterback J.P. Losman said it was difficult to concentrate during practice.
"It seems like every couple of seconds that go by it's always popping into your head," Losman said. "Going through a walk-through, we're looking for him, wanting to hear his voice."
Coach Dick Jauron said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called him Sunday evening, offering the league's support.
"We honor ourselves by our work, and we honor Kevin by moving forward and working while never forgetting Kevin and never getting him out of our thoughts and prayers," Jauron said. "We're going to wait and see what the outcome is here and we're really hoping and praying for the best."
Everett, who was on placed injured reserve Monday, was not the only injury sustained by the Bills.
Cornerback Jason Webster (broken forearm) and free safety Ko Simpson (broken ankle) had surgery, and Jauron said both could miss the rest of the season. Also, linebacker Coy Wire has a sprained knee and is out indefinitely.
Associated Press
Rams lose offensive line anchor Pace for season
St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Orlando Pace will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder suffered in the season opener Sunday.
The injury is Pace's second season-ender in two games, after tearing his left triceps last November. Coach Scott Linehan said this one could be career-threatening.
Team physician Dr. Matt Matava estimated a six-month rehab period while calling it a "correctable injury."
"I think it's too soon to say what implications there are for his future," Linehan said. "I would think it's all up to the mind-set of Orlando and how he responds to another recovery to a season-ending injury.
"He's got to go through it again."
An MRI exam Monday revealed the damage to the seven-time Pro Bowl player who was the first overall pick of the 1997 draft, and coach Scott Linehan said surgery will be scheduled. The 31-year-old Pace was injured on the first play after the two-minute warning while pass-blocking against the Panthers' Julius Peppers, minor jostling that didn't appear out of the ordinary.
"I feel very bad, obviously, for Orlando," Linehan said. "He had a real unfortunate injury and we'll have to pick up the pieces.
"Come Sunday, we'll have our best five out there."
After watching a tape of the play, Linehan wasn't sure what happened. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson said Pace told him he "just felt it give out."
"You really can't see it, but it must have been a pretty dramatic blow to have that kind of damage," Linehan said. "It was a very unusual injury, but pretty severe."
Pace injured his triceps last year, also while pass blocking on an innocent-appearing play, landing him on injured reserve for the final seven games.
Linehan said the coaching staff hadn't decided how to fill the void. The top option would be shifting the other tackle, 2005 first-rounder Alex Barron, to the left side to protect quarterback Marc Bulger's blind side.
Barron has indicated his preference for that side, his college position, several times in the past, although Linehan added "it's not set in stone." Olson considers Barron, who has struggled with false starts throughout his career, as one of the most athletic right tackles in the NFL.
"That was probably the reason Alex was drafted, to eventually take over for Orlando," Olson said. "If we do decide to make that move, we feel confident that Alex can handle the change."
Both Linehan and Olson said they'll stick with whatever backup plan they settle on to avoid further strain on a young line. Center Brett Romberg is in his first year as a starter, guard Richie Incognito is in his second and guard Mark Setterstrom, a seventh-rounder last year, made his seventh career start in the opener.
Complicating matters, Incognito has a high ankle sprain that kept him out of the opener, and he'll likely miss Sunday's game against the 49ers.
Last year, the Rams plugged in Todd Steussie when Pace missed Game 4, a 41-34 victory over the Lions. Adam Goldberg started Game 10, the week after Pace's triceps injury, and struggled, and Steussie started the rest of the season after moving from left guard.
The Rams can't fall back on Steussie, 36, for at least a few months this time around after he broke his foot in the final preseason game. Steussie was released with an injury settlement and can't re-sign with the team until November, and in any case won't be ready until the second half of the schedule.
Somehow, the Rams had a better record without Pace (5-3) than with him (3-5) last year.
"Everyone's got to pick their games up," Olson said. "Shoot, the players understand that."
Before last season, Pace had been to seven straight Pro Bowls. And until last season he had been durable, missing six games in 2002 with calf and hamstring injuries, but starting every game in the other six seasons.
Goldberg, who made two starts in 2006, replaced Pace in Sunday's 27-13 loss to Carolina, and his play was judged by Linehan as "fine." The Rams allowed one sack, but the offense struggled without the anchor of a young line, managing 16 first downs and 238 yards total offense.
AP
Knee injuries sideline Bears' Brown, Dvoracek
The defending NFC champion Chicago Bears have lost two defensive starters, free safety Mike Brown and nose tackle Dusty Dvoracek, to season-ending knee injuries sustained in the team's opening-day defeat at San Diego on Sunday afternoon.
Follow-up MRI examinations on both players confirmed on Monday that both have suffered ligament damage to their left knees. Bears officials had feared as much on Sunday evening.
Brown was placed on injured reserve Monday with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
It's the third season-ending injury in four years for Brown, the soul of the Bears' secondary. Joining Brown on injured reserve was Dvoracek, who also ruptured his left ACL in Sunday's 14-3 loss.
"Mike has gone through a lot," coach Lovie Smith said. "He's our team leader, great guy, competitor. We all feel for him. If I continue to talk about it, I could get emotional just knowing what Mike Brown has gone through to get himself back in position to play."
The loss of Brown is particularly devastating since this will mark the fourth year in a row in which the star-crossed defensive back will miss significant playing time, and the third time in four seasons that his campaign ended prematurely with him on the injured reserve list. It will increase to 43 the number of games that Brown has missed in the past four years.
Fearing the worst, Brown, 29, was emotionally distraught in the Chicago locker room on Sunday evening, after injuring his knee with 10 minutes remaining in the game. He called the injury "another sad day in the chapter of my football career."
Said Brown, who is recognized as the emotional leader of the Chicago secondary, and a safety who specialized in big, game-altering plays early in his career: "It's a shame. It hurts my feelings really bad."
The injury happened in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss on a shot from Chargers fullback Lorenzo Neal.
Smith sidestepped questions on Monday about the play involving Neal, saying: "There probably should have been penalties on a lot of plays out there that happened on the football field -- on them and on us. The officials did a good job. You can't get everything."
Will the Bears send video of that play to the league?
"Every play that we feel is missed, we send to the league," said Smith, who would not say if that play was one of them.
Brown missed 14 games in 2004 with a ruptured Achilles tendon, four in 2005 because of a severely strained calf, and 10 last season with a Lisfranc foot sprain. The former Nebraska star never missed a game the first four seasons of his NFL tenure (2000-03), but has not played a full season since 2003.
The former Pro Bowl performer (2005) moved from strong safety to free safety this spring to accommodate the Bears' acquisition of Adam Archuleta in a trade, and had a strong training camp. Before the injury on Sunday, he was authoring an excellent game, with four tackles, an interception that set up Chicago's only score, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery that rebuffed a San Diego scoring opportunity.
For his career, Brown, a second-round choice in the 2000 draft, has 304 tackles, four sacks, 15 interceptions, 22 passes defensed, and four forced fumbles.
With Brown and Dvoracek out, Smith said safety Danieal Manning and defensive tackle Darwin Walker would start Sunday against Kansas City.
Manning started 14 games as a rookie in 2006. Walker was acquired last month in a trade with the Buffalo Bills.
Dvoracek, 24, missed his entire 2006 rookie season when he was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury sustained in preseason. His starting assignment on Sunday represented the first appearance of his career, and he had two tackles before his injury.
A third-round choice, the former Oklahoma standout won the starting job in training camp this summer, filling the void left by the Bears' release of suspended nose tackle Tank Johnson.
ESPN/AP
Lewis says that triceps is torn
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis hurt his upper right arm on his first tackle Monday night, forcing him off the field while the Cincinnati Bengals scored their first touchdown on the way to a 27-20 win.
Lewis told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio that he suffered a torn triceps muscle in his right arm, but the Ravens are disputing that. Dr. Leigh Ann Curl, chief orthopedic surgeon for the Ravens, said there is no damage to the major triceps muscle, but an MRI will be peformed Tuesday in Baltimore.
The 32-year-old linebacker leveled receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh after he caught a 12-yard pass on the Bengals' second play of the game. Lewis got up holding his arm in pain.
He finished the series, then came to the sideline and got a stretch wrap applied to his upper arm. Lewis played the next series, but shied away from contact with the arm.
Lewis later jogged to the locker room to get the arm examined while Carson Palmer threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson. Lewis had joked with Johnson that he wouldn't get into the end zone against the Ravens.
Lewis returned after getting his upper right arm tightly wrapped. During his next series, Lewis pulled down Rudi Johnson with his opposite arm, clearly favoring the injured one.
The Bengals also suffered a setback when kicker Shayne Graham aggravated his bruised hip while trying to make a tackle on his short, 53-yard field goal attempt. Punter Kyle Larson had to attempt the extra point after Johnson's touchdown, and the kick was blocked.
Graham returned and kicked a 23-yard field goal that made it 9-0 later in the first quarter.
AP
Ravens QB Steve McNair
McNair suffered a groin injury in the first quarter of Monday's game against the Bengals, reports the Washington Post. He did not come out of the game until right before the final series of the game, giving way to Kyle Boller.
ESPN
Eagles Lito Sheppard
Sheppard (sprained right MCL) is not expected to be available for Monday's game against the Redskins, coach Andy Reid told the Philadelphia Daily News.
ESPN
Jets QB Chad Pennington
Pennington sustained a high right ankle sprain in Sunday's game with the Patriots. Coach Eric Mangini told the New York Times, "We"ll review it during the course of the week like we do every injury situation." His X-rays came back negative, but the ankle is still extremely swollen.
Pennington isn't considered a scrambler, but he moves well enough to create time for himself in the pocket and needs ideal conditions to succeed. If the injury restricts his movement--not just his scrambling, but his pass drops or setup--the Jets might be better off giving QB Kellen Clemens his shot.
ESPN
Kevin Everett sustained a "catastrophic" and life-threatening spinal-cord injury while trying to make a tackle during the Buffalo Bills' season opener and is unlikely to walk again, the surgeon who operated on him said Monday.
"A best-case scenario is full recovery, but not likely," orthopedic surgeon Andrew Cappuccino said. "I believe there will be some permanent neurologic deficit."
Everett was hurt Sunday after he ducked his head while tackling the Denver Broncos' Domenik Hixon during the second-half kickoff. Everett dropped face-first to the ground after his helmet hit Hixon high on the left shoulder and side of the helmet.
Cappuccino noted the 25-year-old reserve tight end did have touch sensation throughout his body and also showed signs of movement. But he cautioned that Everett's injury was life-threatening because he was still susceptible to blood clots, infection and breathing failure.
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/9823/nflapeverett275kq3.jpg
Everett is in the intensive care unit of Buffalo's Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital, where he is under sedation and breathing through a respirator as doctors wait for the swelling to lessen. Cappuccino said it will take up to three days to determine the severity of the injury and the recovery process.
Cappuccino repaired a break between the third and fourth vertebrae and also alleviated the pressure on the spinal cord. In reconstructing his spine, doctors made a bone graft and inserted a plate, held in by four screws, and also inserted two small rods, held in place by another four screws.
Doctors, however, weren't able to repair all the damage.
Bills punter Brian Moorman immediately feared the worst when Everett showed no signs of movement as he was placed on a backboard and, with his head and body immobilized, carefully loaded into an ambulance.
"It brought tears to my eyes," Moorman said after practice. He said the sight of Everett's motionless body brought back memories of Mike Utley, the former Detroit Lions guard, who was paralyzed below the chest after injuring his neck in a collision during a 1991 game.
Utley, Moorman recalled, at least was able to give what's become a famous "thumbs up" sign as he was taken off the field. Everett didn't.
"That's what I was waiting for, and that's what everybody else was waiting for," Moorman said. "And to have to walk back to the sideline and not see that made for a tough time."
Utley, who lives in Washington state, was saddened to see replays of Everett's collision.
"I'm sorry this young man got hurt," Utley told The AP. "It wasn't a cheap shot. It was a great form tackle and that's it."
Cappuccino said Everett was alert and aware of the extent of his injuries.
"I told Kevin that the chances for a full neurologic recovery were bleak, dismal," said Cappuccino, who works for the Bills as a consultant, specializing in spinal surgery. "I was honest with him, and he told me, 'Do everything you can to help me.' "
Cappuccino received permission to operate from Everett's mother, Patricia Dugas, who spoke by phone from her home in Houston. She and other family members arrived in Buffalo on Monday. Everett was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and played high school football there.
Buffalo's 2005 third-round draft pick out of Miami, Everett missed his rookie season because of a knee injury. He spent most of last year playing special teams. He was hoping to make an impact as a receiver.
The Bills now attempt to refocus while preparing to play at Pittsburgh on Sunday.
"It's difficult because you know the situation," said running back Anthony Thomas, one of Everett's best friends on the team. "We have to move on. But he'll always be in our thoughts and in our prayers."
Quarterback J.P. Losman said it was difficult to concentrate during practice.
"It seems like every couple of seconds that go by it's always popping into your head," Losman said. "Going through a walk-through, we're looking for him, wanting to hear his voice."
Coach Dick Jauron said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called him Sunday evening, offering the league's support.
"We honor ourselves by our work, and we honor Kevin by moving forward and working while never forgetting Kevin and never getting him out of our thoughts and prayers," Jauron said. "We're going to wait and see what the outcome is here and we're really hoping and praying for the best."
Everett, who was on placed injured reserve Monday, was not the only injury sustained by the Bills.
Cornerback Jason Webster (broken forearm) and free safety Ko Simpson (broken ankle) had surgery, and Jauron said both could miss the rest of the season. Also, linebacker Coy Wire has a sprained knee and is out indefinitely.
Associated Press
Rams lose offensive line anchor Pace for season
St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Orlando Pace will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder suffered in the season opener Sunday.
The injury is Pace's second season-ender in two games, after tearing his left triceps last November. Coach Scott Linehan said this one could be career-threatening.
Team physician Dr. Matt Matava estimated a six-month rehab period while calling it a "correctable injury."
"I think it's too soon to say what implications there are for his future," Linehan said. "I would think it's all up to the mind-set of Orlando and how he responds to another recovery to a season-ending injury.
"He's got to go through it again."
An MRI exam Monday revealed the damage to the seven-time Pro Bowl player who was the first overall pick of the 1997 draft, and coach Scott Linehan said surgery will be scheduled. The 31-year-old Pace was injured on the first play after the two-minute warning while pass-blocking against the Panthers' Julius Peppers, minor jostling that didn't appear out of the ordinary.
"I feel very bad, obviously, for Orlando," Linehan said. "He had a real unfortunate injury and we'll have to pick up the pieces.
"Come Sunday, we'll have our best five out there."
After watching a tape of the play, Linehan wasn't sure what happened. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson said Pace told him he "just felt it give out."
"You really can't see it, but it must have been a pretty dramatic blow to have that kind of damage," Linehan said. "It was a very unusual injury, but pretty severe."
Pace injured his triceps last year, also while pass blocking on an innocent-appearing play, landing him on injured reserve for the final seven games.
Linehan said the coaching staff hadn't decided how to fill the void. The top option would be shifting the other tackle, 2005 first-rounder Alex Barron, to the left side to protect quarterback Marc Bulger's blind side.
Barron has indicated his preference for that side, his college position, several times in the past, although Linehan added "it's not set in stone." Olson considers Barron, who has struggled with false starts throughout his career, as one of the most athletic right tackles in the NFL.
"That was probably the reason Alex was drafted, to eventually take over for Orlando," Olson said. "If we do decide to make that move, we feel confident that Alex can handle the change."
Both Linehan and Olson said they'll stick with whatever backup plan they settle on to avoid further strain on a young line. Center Brett Romberg is in his first year as a starter, guard Richie Incognito is in his second and guard Mark Setterstrom, a seventh-rounder last year, made his seventh career start in the opener.
Complicating matters, Incognito has a high ankle sprain that kept him out of the opener, and he'll likely miss Sunday's game against the 49ers.
Last year, the Rams plugged in Todd Steussie when Pace missed Game 4, a 41-34 victory over the Lions. Adam Goldberg started Game 10, the week after Pace's triceps injury, and struggled, and Steussie started the rest of the season after moving from left guard.
The Rams can't fall back on Steussie, 36, for at least a few months this time around after he broke his foot in the final preseason game. Steussie was released with an injury settlement and can't re-sign with the team until November, and in any case won't be ready until the second half of the schedule.
Somehow, the Rams had a better record without Pace (5-3) than with him (3-5) last year.
"Everyone's got to pick their games up," Olson said. "Shoot, the players understand that."
Before last season, Pace had been to seven straight Pro Bowls. And until last season he had been durable, missing six games in 2002 with calf and hamstring injuries, but starting every game in the other six seasons.
Goldberg, who made two starts in 2006, replaced Pace in Sunday's 27-13 loss to Carolina, and his play was judged by Linehan as "fine." The Rams allowed one sack, but the offense struggled without the anchor of a young line, managing 16 first downs and 238 yards total offense.
AP
Knee injuries sideline Bears' Brown, Dvoracek
The defending NFC champion Chicago Bears have lost two defensive starters, free safety Mike Brown and nose tackle Dusty Dvoracek, to season-ending knee injuries sustained in the team's opening-day defeat at San Diego on Sunday afternoon.
Follow-up MRI examinations on both players confirmed on Monday that both have suffered ligament damage to their left knees. Bears officials had feared as much on Sunday evening.
Brown was placed on injured reserve Monday with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
It's the third season-ending injury in four years for Brown, the soul of the Bears' secondary. Joining Brown on injured reserve was Dvoracek, who also ruptured his left ACL in Sunday's 14-3 loss.
"Mike has gone through a lot," coach Lovie Smith said. "He's our team leader, great guy, competitor. We all feel for him. If I continue to talk about it, I could get emotional just knowing what Mike Brown has gone through to get himself back in position to play."
The loss of Brown is particularly devastating since this will mark the fourth year in a row in which the star-crossed defensive back will miss significant playing time, and the third time in four seasons that his campaign ended prematurely with him on the injured reserve list. It will increase to 43 the number of games that Brown has missed in the past four years.
Fearing the worst, Brown, 29, was emotionally distraught in the Chicago locker room on Sunday evening, after injuring his knee with 10 minutes remaining in the game. He called the injury "another sad day in the chapter of my football career."
Said Brown, who is recognized as the emotional leader of the Chicago secondary, and a safety who specialized in big, game-altering plays early in his career: "It's a shame. It hurts my feelings really bad."
The injury happened in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss on a shot from Chargers fullback Lorenzo Neal.
Smith sidestepped questions on Monday about the play involving Neal, saying: "There probably should have been penalties on a lot of plays out there that happened on the football field -- on them and on us. The officials did a good job. You can't get everything."
Will the Bears send video of that play to the league?
"Every play that we feel is missed, we send to the league," said Smith, who would not say if that play was one of them.
Brown missed 14 games in 2004 with a ruptured Achilles tendon, four in 2005 because of a severely strained calf, and 10 last season with a Lisfranc foot sprain. The former Nebraska star never missed a game the first four seasons of his NFL tenure (2000-03), but has not played a full season since 2003.
The former Pro Bowl performer (2005) moved from strong safety to free safety this spring to accommodate the Bears' acquisition of Adam Archuleta in a trade, and had a strong training camp. Before the injury on Sunday, he was authoring an excellent game, with four tackles, an interception that set up Chicago's only score, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery that rebuffed a San Diego scoring opportunity.
For his career, Brown, a second-round choice in the 2000 draft, has 304 tackles, four sacks, 15 interceptions, 22 passes defensed, and four forced fumbles.
With Brown and Dvoracek out, Smith said safety Danieal Manning and defensive tackle Darwin Walker would start Sunday against Kansas City.
Manning started 14 games as a rookie in 2006. Walker was acquired last month in a trade with the Buffalo Bills.
Dvoracek, 24, missed his entire 2006 rookie season when he was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury sustained in preseason. His starting assignment on Sunday represented the first appearance of his career, and he had two tackles before his injury.
A third-round choice, the former Oklahoma standout won the starting job in training camp this summer, filling the void left by the Bears' release of suspended nose tackle Tank Johnson.
ESPN/AP
Lewis says that triceps is torn
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis hurt his upper right arm on his first tackle Monday night, forcing him off the field while the Cincinnati Bengals scored their first touchdown on the way to a 27-20 win.
Lewis told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio that he suffered a torn triceps muscle in his right arm, but the Ravens are disputing that. Dr. Leigh Ann Curl, chief orthopedic surgeon for the Ravens, said there is no damage to the major triceps muscle, but an MRI will be peformed Tuesday in Baltimore.
The 32-year-old linebacker leveled receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh after he caught a 12-yard pass on the Bengals' second play of the game. Lewis got up holding his arm in pain.
He finished the series, then came to the sideline and got a stretch wrap applied to his upper arm. Lewis played the next series, but shied away from contact with the arm.
Lewis later jogged to the locker room to get the arm examined while Carson Palmer threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson. Lewis had joked with Johnson that he wouldn't get into the end zone against the Ravens.
Lewis returned after getting his upper right arm tightly wrapped. During his next series, Lewis pulled down Rudi Johnson with his opposite arm, clearly favoring the injured one.
The Bengals also suffered a setback when kicker Shayne Graham aggravated his bruised hip while trying to make a tackle on his short, 53-yard field goal attempt. Punter Kyle Larson had to attempt the extra point after Johnson's touchdown, and the kick was blocked.
Graham returned and kicked a 23-yard field goal that made it 9-0 later in the first quarter.
AP
Ravens QB Steve McNair
McNair suffered a groin injury in the first quarter of Monday's game against the Bengals, reports the Washington Post. He did not come out of the game until right before the final series of the game, giving way to Kyle Boller.
ESPN
Eagles Lito Sheppard
Sheppard (sprained right MCL) is not expected to be available for Monday's game against the Redskins, coach Andy Reid told the Philadelphia Daily News.
ESPN
Jets QB Chad Pennington
Pennington sustained a high right ankle sprain in Sunday's game with the Patriots. Coach Eric Mangini told the New York Times, "We"ll review it during the course of the week like we do every injury situation." His X-rays came back negative, but the ankle is still extremely swollen.
Pennington isn't considered a scrambler, but he moves well enough to create time for himself in the pocket and needs ideal conditions to succeed. If the injury restricts his movement--not just his scrambling, but his pass drops or setup--the Jets might be better off giving QB Kellen Clemens his shot.
ESPN