The Washington Redskins didn’t quite limp out of FEDEX Field Monday night after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-13 on national TV but it was close. After having fairly good luck with the health of most of their starters during training camp and through their first preseason game, the injury bug got hold of them last night. Several key players were hurt in the victory… some a bit seriously, most not.
Backup-But-Starter-For-Now quarterback, Kirk Cousins, left the game early in the second quarter after suffering a mid-foot sprain, but told reporters that the initial X-rays came back negative. A Lisfranc injury — which promising rookie safety Phillip Thomas experienced recently and so is now on IR — had been tossed around as a possibility but was fortunately ruled out. Cousins, who was wearing a boot after the game, doesn’t anticipate missing much time.
The list of those injured in addition to Cousins is long enough to be troubling though: nose tackle Barry Cofield suffered a fractured hand; receiver Leonard Hankerson bruised his knee while wide out Aldrick Robinson bruised his thigh. Running backs Chris Thompson and Keiland Williams had injuries — an injured his arm and a strained left knee respectively.
If Cofield has any choice in the matter, his injury won’t keep him down for long.
“I do not know” he told reporters when asked if the injury would keep him out of the rest of the preseason. “Hopefully we can tape it up, and I can definitely get some work in practice. We’ll see what the coach’s plan is. But obviously, my main goal — the most important game — is Philly, and I’d be surprised if I wasn’t able to be out there.”
In his press conference after the game, head coach Mike Shanahan listed the injuries on the team as he understood them. He also addressed the results of the meeting between himself, Dr. James Andrews (who performed the surgery on quarterback Robert Griffin, III’s torn knee ligaments) and general manager Bruce Allen regarding Griffin’s progress.
“Kirk Cousins has a mid-foot sprain,” Shanahan said. “They feel like it’s mild right now, so that’s a good sign. Barry Cofield had a bone in his right hand, there was a little fracture in his right hand, but he should be okay, but he’ll have to have a cast on. Keiland Williams had a left knee strain. Chris Thompson has a left shoulder strain. Aldrick Robinson had a thigh bruise. Leonard Hankerson had a knee bruise. So those are some of the injuries today. I did talk with Dr. Andrews before the game; he feels great about Robert’s progress. He really feels the same way as he did before camp with practice – he feels good about him practicing. He doesn’t feel like we should put him in any games. He’s going to re-evaluate him after the Tampa game and then he’ll make a decision — at least from his perspective — about where he is. But, like I said, he feels very good about where he is at this time. If there are no setbacks, he thinks he’ll be ready, but that’s assuming there is no setback here over the next couple of weeks so that’s a good sign.”
Shanahan allayed some of the fears regarding Robinson, Hankerson, Williams and Thompson’s injuries, stating that he didn’t think they were too terribly serious.
“I don’t think it’s too bad,” the head coach said. “I think Aldrick was a little thigh bruise, and Hank, it was just a strain. [Hankerson] said he felt pretty good after the game, according to the trainers, but you never know for sure. Twenty-four hours, 48 hours, it can change, just like it did with Thomas so you never really do know. But I’m just giving you an idea of what they told me.”
Hail.