Matt Milano & DaQuan Jones Injury Breakdowns

Matt Milano

Matt Milano suffered a right knee/lower leg injury midway through the 1^st  quarter. He was the recipient of friendly fire, as Tim Settle landed on the side of his leg during a gang tackle. A fracture of the lower leg was expected, but the unknown would be if he suffered an ACL tear.

Luckily, McDermott was noncommittal on if Milano will miss the entire season. This should rule out an ACL tear. Also, it should rule out his MCL requiring surgery, as that would take at least five months of recovery.

The injury was high energy though, and there are several possibilities of what may have occurred. Based on the mechanism, the lower leg likely suffered a fracture at the fibular or a tibial plateau fracture.

It has been reported Milano will require surgery but if the fracture is isolated, meaning no soft tissue needs to be addressed, Milano would have a shot at returning late in the season. Isolated fibular fractures should take about three months (1). Whereas tibial plateau fractures can take anywhere from 12-54 weeks (2). Ideally, Milano suffered a fibular fracture, which should land him back comfortably for the playoffs in mid-January. If he did suffer the tibial plateau fracture, a lot would have to go right for him to have a chance. Fracture types and the required surgical methods will dictate his ability for a quick recovery.

DaQuan Jones

DaQuan Jones was injured on the first series of the game. He suffered a torn right pectoral injury, which will require surgery.

Pectoral repairs used to carry a six-month recovery. However, now they take about five months to return to sport (3). Even though the new, shorter recovery timeline should eliminate Jones for the season, there are some outliers. There have been several instances where athletes have been able to return in three months. Famously, JJ Watt returned in just under 10 weeks to play the Bills in the 2019 Wild Card game. Ironically, that same season, Kwon Alexander returned to for the playoffs in 11 weeks. Their quick returns did come with about 50% reduction in snap counts for both. If DaQuan Jones was able to return for the playoffs, he would be about 3.5 months post-surgery when the Wild Card round rolls around. 

Both players will be hard-pressed to return to action in 2023. If they do, expect a lower snap count and reduced performance. That being said, both were playing at high levels and even if they can return in limited roles, it could change the balance of a game.

Citations

1. Werner BC, Mack C, Franke K, Barnes RP, Warren RF, Rodeo SA. Distal Fibula Fractures in National Football League Athletes. Orthop J Sports Med. 2017 Sep 8; 5(9): 2325967117726515. doi: 10.1177/2325967117726515. PMID: 28959699; PMCID: PMC5593228.
2. Knapik DM, Mack CD, Lee R, Heersink W, Tanenbaum JE, Wetzel RJ, Voos JE. Epidemiology of Tibial Fractures in Professional American Football Athletes From 2013 to 2019. Orthop J Sports Med. 2021 Nov 11; 9(11): 23259671211040878. doi: 10.1177/23259671211040878. PMID: 34790831; PMCID: PMC8591654.
3. Wise PM, Ptasinski AM, Gallo RA. Pectoralis Major Ruptures in the National Football League: Incidence, RTP, and Performance Analysis. Orthop J Sports Med. 2021 Jun 29; 9(6): 23259671211018707. doi: 10.1177/23259671211018707. PMID: 34262984; PMCID: PMC8252349.