National Football League

NFL Week 12 injury report: What to know about Justin Fields, CeeDee Lamb, more

Updated Nov. 25, 2021 7:32 p.m. ET

By Dr. Matt Provencher
FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst

Injuries continue to be a major story as the NFL season heads into Week 12.

There are some serious injuries to players such as Green Bay's Elgton Jenkins and Seattle's Chris Carson and also some troubling ailments that could linger to Chicago's Justin Fields, the Chargers' Asante Samuel Jr. and others.

On top of that, we have some players — Aaron Rodgers, for one — playing through something a little more serious than the usual aches and pains.

All of this is very important, as the health of any NFL team can have a direct impact on the standings. We've worked to quantify player and team health with our BUS score, which you can learn about in the video below.

What is the "Banged Up Score"? Dr. Matt Provencher explains

Dr. Matt Provencher explains what the B.U.S or "Banged Up Score" is and how it affected teams last season in the NFL.

For more analysis of the NFL from Dr. Matt, follow him on Twitter or go to FantasyPredictors.com.

As far as this week goes, here is the lowdown on nine key injuries, with players' expected time missed and impact on production when they return.

Justin Fields, QB, Bears

Injury: Bruised ribs and/or bruised rib cartilage

Impact: Affects core strength, mobility, throwing motion

Surgery: No

Potential time missed: 1-2 games

Notes: Rib injuries affect breathing, mobility and, for a quarterback, how they move and throw. Fields could return with a flak jacket for protection, and the Bears could adjust the game plan so that he doesn’t have to be as mobile, but that is not his playing style, and with a short week, it makes more sense to play Andy Dalton and let Fields rest. It looks like that's what the Bears plan to do. When Fields returns, I would expect him to wear some extra protection for his ribs. In the meantime, getting the symptoms to calm down and improving his motion will be the top priorities.

'Justin Fields may miss 1-2 games'

Dr. Matt Provencher broke down Chicago Bears' QB Justin Field's chest/rib injury and how much time he can expect to miss.

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys

Injury: Concussion

Impact: Affects cognitive ability, decision-making

Surgery: No

Potential time missed: 0-1 game

Notes: Concussions need to be handled carefully. Lamb will need to make it through the concussion protocol to be allowed back on the field. It’s a short week, which gives him less time. He has said that he’s OK, however, and the team seems to think he will have an opportunity to play. They will need to take all the necessary safety steps to allow him to return, and there is a highly scripted protocol with five phases that he needs to successfully complete.

Elgton Jenkins, G, Packers

Injury: ACL tear

Impact: Affects knee and leg stability, strength, quick changes of direction and lateral mobility

Surgery: Yes

Potential time missed: Remainder of season

Notes: Jenkins was playing great football, so this is a big hit to the Packers' O-line. We all know how ACLs can affect the O-line, as David Bakhtiari has dealt with the same issue. Strength of the quadriceps musculature, as well as hamstrings, core and glutes, will be very important. After surgery and rehabilitation, feeling stable on that knee and being able to trust it will all play into the amount of time he'll miss, whether that will be a quicker seven-to-nine months or a longer nine-to-12 months. Either way, he is finished for this season and will turn his focus to a next season return. Packers fans, he will be back in solid form next season after a successful rehabilitation program. However, he might be down about 10% in overall snap percentage the first six games back.

Dr. Matt evaluates Elgton Jenkins' knee injury

Dr. Matt Provencher looks at Elgton Jenkins' noncontact knee injury and discusses what it could mean for the Green Bay Packers' offensive line moving forward.

Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Chargers

Injury: Concussion

Impact: Affects cognitive ability, mood, reaction time

Surgery: No

Potential time missed: 1-3 games

Notes: This is Samuel's second concussion this season, which is tough. His first came in Week 8, and he missed the following game. He will have to go through the protocol, but the team should give him the time he needs to return. Even once he passes the protocol, it will be important to watch him for symptoms and make sure he is doing well. Joey Bosa talked to him as well and let him know how he felt when he had two concussions in the same season. Having someone such as that whom he can talk to will be very beneficial.

Chris Carson, RB, Seahawks

Injury: Neck (spinal fusion surgery)

Impact: Affects cervical mobility, strength

Surgery: Yes

Potential time missed: Remainder of season

Notes: Carson will undergo a spinal fusion for a bothersome disc injury he has been experiencing. Head coach Pete Carroll has said they expect him back in late spring. It’s important to note that cervical surgery in a contact sport such as football can be finicky, and many players have had careers ended by neck surgery. That said, this seems to be on the less severe side in terms of the chance of it being a career-ending injury, but we will have to wait to see how he rehabilitates and if there are any remaining symptoms following surgery. Either way, we won’t see him back this season — that is for certain.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers

Injury: Toe joint capsular injury

Impact: Affects throwing, mobility in the pocket, quickness and push-off

Surgery: No

Potential time missed: Likely none

Notes: Here’s the deal: Rodgers described his injury as "a little worse than turf toe." Green Bay lost last week, but that didn’t stop Rodgers from going off for 385 yards and four touchdowns. He needs to take it easy with limited practice this week and make it through the Rams game on Sunday. Then he has a bye week to get healthy. I don’t foresee him missing any games due to the toe injury unless it gets worse in Sunday's game. If that happens, he is going to be out most likely for one-to-three weeks, but that is a worst-case scenario. To help him keep playing, he can wear a carbon fiber toe plate in the shoe and/or potentially get an injection in and around the toe joint to help with the pain. Most likely, he'll take it easy, and we will see him out there.

Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals

Injury: Left ankle sprain

Impact: Affects mobility, quickness, burst speed

Surgery: No

Potential time missed: Likely will return following bye week

Notes: Murray has been out the past three weeks nursing a left ankle sprain. He was a game-time decision last week, and his acceleration was diminished to the point that the team opted to play Colt McCoy instead. Arizona has a bye this week, which I’m sure played into that decision, giving Murray an extra two weeks to improve before game time. I am confident we will see him back on Dec. 5 against the Bears.

Michael Carter, RB, Jets

Injury: Mild high ankle sprain

Impact: Affects direction change, acceleration, reinjury probability

Surgery: No

Potential time missed: 2-4 weeks

Notes: High ankle sprains are especially tough for the running back position, given their responsibilities for cutting and making quick moves out the gate. We have seen a number of running backs suffer them in the past, including Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey. The severity of the sprain can determine the length of time missed. In Carter's case and from video analysis, this is a bit on the mild side of a high ankle sprain — and I expect him back in two-to-four weeks after swelling and pain management, followed by strengthening of the ankle. He might also be treated with an injection into the high ankle ligaments to help with pain, swelling and recovery.

Quenton Nelson, OL, Colts

Injury: Right ankle reaggravation

Impact: Affects strength, mobility, stability

Surgery: No

Potential time missed: 0-2 weeks

Notes: Nelson’s ankle has given him trouble since he suffered a high ankle injury in Week 3. He was ultimately placed on injured reserve. Last week against the Bills, he suffered a reinjury to that ankle. The team considers him day-to-day. Reinjuries can be tougher than initial injury because they show the continued instability in the joint. Without proper time to heal, something can quickly become a season-long problem. Due to this, the Colts' medical staff might play it safe with their O-line leader and sit him a game or two. It is possible we see him this week with a lot of tape and a brace on the ankle, but after he went down twice this week, I would imagine they might give him a rest to avoid serious time missed in the future.

Renowned orthopedist Dr. Matt Provencher and his company, Proven Performance Technology (PPT), deliver data-driven injury insights to football fans. In this first-of-a-kind role as Athlete Injury and Performance Analyst for FOX Sports’ digital platforms, Provencher provides important predictive player health and recovery information about post-injury performance, the impact of weather, field conditions and more.