Injuries are a fact of life in sports, but every so often, the injury bug bites harder than expected and it can change a team’s season.
Ben Roethlisberger
This biggest this year has been the injury to Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow. The injury and subsequent surgery are enough to end his season after only two games.
“I can only trust God’s plan, but I am completely determined to battle through this challenge and come back stronger than ever next season,” the 37-year-old Roethlisberger commented after the announcement of his season ending came.
He threw his support behind the team’s new started, Mason Rudolph, who took over after Roethlisberger left during week two’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. “I will do all I can to support Mason and the team this season to help win games. I love this game, my teammates, the Steelers organization and fans, and I feel in my heart I have a lot left to give.”
Like with any team that loses arguably their most important player, the news hit the Steelers hard, but they’re putting their faith in their team and appear to be pushing toward the playoffs following trading for the Miami Dolphins’ disgruntled second year safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Drew Brees
Another team dealing with quarterback injuries is the New Orleans Saints, following news that Drew Brees will probably miss six weeks — maybe more — following surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. What makes this worse is it’s the thumb on his throwing hand.
The injury was so severe that he was unable to hold onto the ball, which prevented him from returning to the game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The news came after he stayed behind to see a hand specialist while the team prepared to head to Seattle for next week’s game against the Seahawks. He tried to remain optimistic the injury was as bad as it seemed, but the specialist confirmed his concerns.
This puts the team’s immediate future in the hand of Teddy Bridgewater. The former first round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings has a different style than Brees, and head coach Sean Payton will tweak the offense to better fit him.
Unlike the Steelers, the Saints’ odds at returning to the playoffs are higher due to the estimated time of Brees’ injury. While the 40-year-old quarterback watches for the next few weeks, the Saints’ focus will remain on winning ball games. If the worst thing that happens is they break even during Brees’ absence, they’ll still have a chance for a late season run.
