Two of this week's primetime teams, the New Orleans Saints and Washington Redskins, seem to be in trouble for their matchups as of right now. Will that change within the next few days?
The Saints will face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, but they face a lot of questions on the offensive side of the ball. For starters, big names such as Pierre Thomas (out 2-3 weeks), Khiry Robinson (missed practice Wednesday) and Jimmy Graham (significantly limited in Sunday's game) will be unable to contribute at full force. Thomas injured his shoulder against the Lions on Sunday and is the latest setback to the Saints' backfield. He'll miss at least two games.
Robinson received only three carries in Sunday's loss, likely because he lost a fumble in the second quarter on top of Mark Ingram returning after missing a month with a broken hand. Robinson is now dealing with a forearm injury and was held out of practice on Wednesday. It's not the worst news, but it's also not good, because they'll need Robinson with Thomas out especially since the rookie showed his ability to carry the load when Ingram went down.
But it gets worse. Tight end Jimmy Graham, the team's leading receiver in 2013, is dealing with a shoulder injury and was limited in practice on Wednesday. He played against Detroit on Sunday, but was only on the field for 30 of the 75 offensive snaps, and recorded zero catches on two targets. Graham didn't appear to be part of the game plan, which makes sense because he wasn't at 100%. The fact that he's limited in practice on Wednesday isn't a very good sign, so the Saints could be in trouble against the surging Packers on Sunday night.
On Monday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys will host the Washington Redskins. Dallas has had barely any injury troubles this season, which is a big reason they're 6-1. But Washington is facing some speculation at the quarterback position. Will Robert Griffin III be ready to play after suffering a dislocated ankle in Week 2?
Well, the answer is probably not, but head coach Jay Gruden said Griffin is a "wild card" and has a chance of starting against the Cowboys. As of right now, Colt McCoy will be under center after Kirk Cousins was benched at the conclusion of the first half during Sunday's win against the Titans. But Griffin is participating in a number of team and individual drills, which has him moving toward being cleared for full contact. Gruden said he'd like to make a decision on Griffin's status at the conclusion of Thursday's practice, so it'll probably be known by then.
Check out the NFL injury report for Week 8.
