Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

In light of Derek Carr's injury a few days ago, what are some other late-season (week 14-17) injuries that have hurt SB chances in the past?

Wes Welker's torn ACL in week 17 of the 2009? season.

Terrell Owens' broken ankle. (Didn't hurt the Eagles' chances that badly, I guess.)

Jerry Rice re-injuring his knee against Denver on MNF, after he defied modern science to come back in three months or so.

If not for a miraculous second half in the AFC wild-card game against Houston, I would include Cornelius Bennett injuring a hamstring in week 16 of 1992, and Jim Kelly's knee injury a week later. Both missed the opening round of the playoffs. (Thurman Thomas was slowed in that game-and missed the second half- with a hip pointer but I don't know when he suffered the injury.)

It looked like the Steelers were going to get their one for the thumb in the early 80's when Terry Bradshaw's hand hit a Raiders helmet after throwing a pass. The hand had a broken finger as a result and Pittsburgh had to wait for their ring for the thumb.

The 1990 Giants Bills Week 13 game where Kelly and Phil Simms both went down with serious injuries, and Buffalo won. Simms was out for the season, Kelly came back in the AFC Championship. Both teams met in the Super Bowl, and the Giants won the rematch.

Andy Dalton last season.

Pre-Super Bowl, a healthy Johnny Unitas getting knocked out in late 1965 likely would have gotten them past the Packers, who then beat the Browns the following week in slop.

Week 14, 2013: Gronk's injury against the Cleveland Browns hurt the Patriots. If he didn't get hurt, maybe they don't lose at Miami the next week, and they get home field (although, they would have had a tougher second-round opponent in San Diego, in my opinion).

BD Sullivan wrote:Pre-Super Bowl, a healthy Johnny Unitas getting knocked out in late 1965 likely would have gotten them past the Packers, who then beat the Browns the following week in slop.

I'm not so sure about that. The Packers beat the Colts earlier in the season, with Jim Taylor out and both Hornung and Starr out for a large part of the game. Zeke Bratkowski threw the winning TD pass; Johnny U completed only 14 of 32 passes and threw 2 interceptions, including a pick-6 to Adderley.

rhickok1109 wrote:

BD Sullivan wrote:Pre-Super Bowl, a healthy Johnny Unitas getting knocked out in late 1965 likely would have gotten them past the Packers, who then beat the Browns the following week in slop.

I'm not so sure about that. The Packers beat the Colts earlier in the season, with Jim Taylor out and both Hornung and Starr out for a large part of the game. Zeke Bratkowski threw the winning TD pass; Johnny U completed only 14 of 32 passes and threw 2 interceptions, including a pick-6 to Adderley.

The Packers played nearly the entire 1965 playoff game against the Colts without Bart Starr. The Colts scored their only TD on the play in which Starr was injured. Zeke Bratkowski was a backup QB who could come off the bench and win a game for you.

Late in the 2010 regular season Troy Polamalu hurt his Achilles tendon that all but rendered him useless in the Super Bowl.