Jahvid Best May Have Turf Toe; Other Injury News

On offense, the Lions simply couldn't afford to lose Matthew Stafford, but they did less than a half into the season. Outside of Stafford, one could make a strong case that no player is as important to the offense as Jahvid Best, who led the NFL in touchdowns (5) going into Sunday. Well, keeping that in mind, this is extremely bad news to read after Best pretty much missed the entire second half on Sunday.

Best said he thinks he has "sprained ligaments" in right big toe, "totally new" not related to inj report last wk

Having sprained ligaments in a big toe sounds exactly like a turf toe injury.

Turf Toe is a sprain of the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint of the first toe. That is, the joint of the toe to the foot is sprained. The injury usually results from a hyperflexion mechanism; the toe is bent to far upward. This can result from a hard push off on a rigid surface, having the toe forcibly flexed while being tackled, or by stopping short allowing the toe to jam in the toe box of the shoe. These mechanisms cause damage to the ligaments of the joint and the joint capsule.

If Best does in fact have a turf toe, then how long he will be out depends on the severity of the injury and ligament damage. If he simply sprained his ligaments, for example, it's likely that he has either a first or second degree sprain. A first degree sprain would allow him to return quickly, whereas a second degree sprain would keep him out until he can fully run and change direction without experiencing pain. I'm no doctor, but considering Best couldn't even put pressure on the foot with the injured toe after the game, a second degree sprain sounds more likely.

The worst-case scenario is that Best has a third degree sprain, which is described as "severe" and potentially season ending, as it could require surgery. I'm sure we'll get an idea of the severity in the next couple of days, but let's just hope that it isn't going to keep him out for too long. The best-case scenario may include him missing the Packers game, but hey, it's not like the Lions are going to win that game anyways, so unless he is 100%, it may be best to hold him back until the Rams game in a couple weeks.

Moving on to other injury news, Best was far from the only player that got banged up against the Vikings.

In other injury news, guard Stephen Peterman (foot), cornerback Chris Houston (knee), running back Aaron Brown (undisclosed) and middle linebacker DeAndre Levy (ankle) did not finish the game. None of the injuries appeared to be serious.

Levy just can't catch a break, as he not only injured his ankle, but his groin is still not 100% either. He is far from the only player banged up, though. Just like they usually do, injuries are seriously starting to pile up for the Lions, and unfortunately things don't get easier anytime soon, as the Lions have three more games before their bye week.