Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy suffered a rib injury in Sunday’s 16-9 win over Houston and will undergo an MRI and additional testing today to determine the extent of the injury.
Jeudy suffered the injury on a pass attempt from QB Russell Wilson in the first quarter. He raised up off the ground in an attempt to catch it, but missed and landed awkwardly on his shoulder. Jeudy stayed on the ground for a few minutes before being able to walk off the field under his own power. In the third quarter, he was downgraded to out.
Initially, based on how he fell, the injury was assumed to be in his shoulder. However, after the game, the team announced Jeudy was dealing with a rib injury.
Until MRIs confirm what exactly he injured, we can only speculate on what the injury is. However, we predict Jeudy injured the SC joint in his chest or suffered a small fracture. The SC joint sits just above the highest ribs in the middle of the chest where the collarbone meets sternum.
Injuries to the SC joint can range from a mild sprain to a fracture of the clavicle. Mild sprains tend to be the most common, and involve the surrounding ligaments getting stretched or strained. Since Jeudy’s x-rays came back negative, we know he didn’t suffer a fractured clavicle, meaning if he did injure his SC joint it’s likely a mild to moderate sprain.
An MRI will confirm the severity of the sprain. If it is mild, Jeudy is likely to miss the next two weeks and possibly up to four. If the sprain is moderate, he’s likely to miss four weeks with the potential to miss six.
Using the mechanism of Jeudy’s fall, our algorithm gives Jeudy a 14-day Optimal Recovery Time. His Injury Risk is High (39%) and his Health Performance Factor is Poor (37%).
