TotalBroncos

We begin our look at the key injuries in the NFL with the Thursday Night Football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles. For the Bengals, first round cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (head/illness) has been ruled out, while kicker Mike Nugent (right calf) and backup running back Cedric Peerman (ankle) are “doubtful”. Nugent missed last Sunday’s game against the Cowboys and was replaced by veteran Josh Brown, who remains on the roster. Defensive end Michael Johnson, who is second on the team with 8.5 sacks, is “questionable” with a toe injury that has him in a walking boot. For the Eagles, quarterback Michael Vick, running back LeSean McCoy and tight end Brent Celek are out due to concussions. The Eagles also placed defensive tackle Mike Patterson on the “Reserve/Non-Football Illness” list, removing him from the active roster. Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin was limited in Wednesday’s practice due to a “mild” sprain of the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, but sounds intent on playing against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Left tackle Trent Williams (thigh) was also limited, while inside linebacker London Fletcher (ankle) did not participate. The Browns practiced with nearly a full allotment of players, listing three as “limited participant”, most notably left tackle Joe Thomas, who has a back injury. New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (forearm/hip) did not participate in Wednesday’s walk-through, nor did defensive tackle Kyle Love, whose wife gave birth to their child. As is usually the case, over a dozen Patriots were listed as “limited”, including wide receivers Wes Welker (ankle) and Brandon Lloyd (knee), tight end Aaron Hernandez (ankle), starting offensive linemen Dan Connolly (back), Logan Mankins (ankle/calf) and Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), defensive end Chandler Jones (ankle), linebackers Dont’a Hightower (hamstring) and Brandon Spikes (knee/ankle), cornerbacks Aqib Talib (hip), Kyle Arrington (knee) and Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring), and safety Patrick Chung (shoulder/hamstring). Four San Francisco 49ers were limited, including linebacker Aldon Smith and wide receiver Mario Manningham, who have shoulder injuries. Green Bay Packers safety Charles Woodson will not return from his broken collarbone this week as the club has already ruled him out Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. Woodson will lose another $62,500 “per game active” roster bonus, bringing his season-long tally to $437,500 in lost income. Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson’s hamstring injury prevented him from practicing on Wednesday, while linebacker Clay Matthews (hamstring), guard T.J. Lang (ankle), left tackle Marshall Newhouse (wrist) and receiver Donald Driver (thumb) were limited. The Packers may healthier than the Bears, who had a lengthy list of players not practicing on Wednesday. Quarterback Jay Cutler (neck/knee), running back Michael Bush (ribs), wide receiver Earl Bennett (concussion), defensive linemen Shea McClellin (knee) and Henry Melton (chest), linebackers Brian Urlacher (hamstring) and Lance Briggs (knee/hip) and cornerback Tim Jennings (shoulder) were out. Urlacher is not expected to play due to his strained hamstring, which could sideline him for the remainder of the regular season. New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw (knee/foot), wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (knee), defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (back), linebacker Michael Boley (back) and cornerback Prince Amukamara (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. Nicks is expected to return to practice later this week, but head coach Tom Coughlin was non-committal about the statuses of Bradshaw and Amukamara for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, who practiced without wide receiver Roddy White (knee), defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (ribs) and safety William Moore (hamstring). Cornerback Asante Samuel (shoulder), left tackle Sam Baker (hand), left guard Justin Blalock (elbow) and No. 3 receiver Harry Douglas (ribs) were limited.

More:
Robert Griffin, Jay Cutler headline Week 15′s initial practice participation reports (Shutdown Corner)