NFL Week 8 injury report: What to know about Zach Wilson, Von Miller, more

By Dr. Matt Provencher
FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst

Here we are in Week 8 of the NFL season, and several teams have been hit by key injuries.

One of them — Zach Wilson's sprained knee — caused the team to go out and make a trade, as the New York Jets nabbed veteran Joe Flacco from the Eagles to step in for their injured rookie quarterback.

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Here's the lowdown on five key injuries, with expected time missed, as well as impact on production when the players return.

Zach Wilson, QB, Jets

Injury: Right PCL sprain

Impact: Affects mobility due to feelings of instability, swelling post-activity, trust in the knee

Surgery: Unlikely

Potential time missed: 3-4 weeks

Impact on production: A quarterback's rushing production typically is reduced 15-18% upon return from this injury, while his passing yards will drop 8-12% for the rest of the season on average. It will improve next year, though, and these numbers will get better.

Notes: The PCL is important for stability of the knee, but it is rarely reconstructed in NFL players, even with a Grade 3 tear (the grades go from 1-3). Players can usually rehabilitate the quad muscles and make the knee strong and functional.

Von Miller, LB, Broncos

Injury: Left ankle sprain

Impact: Affects quickness, power and burst speed

Surgery: No

Potential time missed: 0-1 games

Impact on production: Our data predicts a 6-8% drop in SNAP percentage, but that number could be a bit higher, given that this is a recurrence of a prior injury.

Notes: This was the same ankle Miller injured in 2020, and he missed that entire season. X-rays were negative this time around, but Miller did not practice Tuesday, and coach Vic Fangio said Miller is considered day-to-day.

Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles

Injury: Ankle sprain

Impact: Affects power, cutting, speed

Surgery: No

Potential time missed: 1-3 games

Impact on production: Even if the injury isn't severe, this type of injury is problematic due to his position. Our data shows that Sanders will see an 8-12% reduction in both SNAP percentage and rushing yards in his first three games back.

Notes: Reports say Sanders did not break his ankle and also avoided a high ankle sprain. This is most likely a mild-to-moderate high-ankle injury, given that he was in and out and attempting to play.

Jonathan Jones, DB, Patriots

Injury: Shoulder

Impact: Affects shoulder mobility, strength, tackling trust until after rehabilitation and return to sport drills

Surgery: Yes

Potential time missed: Remainder of season

Impact on production: Don't anticipate any production losses once he returns

Notes: This was most likely a soft tissue injury to his rotator cuff/labrum. Jones reportedly had surgery this week and will be out for the season. He should be ready for 2022 mini-camp with no restrictions, and I don’t anticipate any production losses.

Malcolm Brown, RB, Dolphins 

Injury: Quad 

Impact: Affects speed, push off/burst, reinjury if he takes big hit to same spot

Surgery: No

Potential time missed: At least three games, as he was placed on IR

Impact on production: Brown is likely to experience a 10% drop in SNAP percentage in his first two games back.

Notes: Since Brown was placed on IR, the assumption is that this is a partial quad strain/partial quad tear. The issue with this injury is that it could continue to be aggravated during this same season and even into next season.

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.