Injury Roundup: Week 6

Sorry for my absence for the past few weeks, my attention has been heavily focused on school and I haven't had as much time as I'd like to focus my attention on my blog. But, what an exciting and interesting season! Last week a number of teams lost significant players to injuries. Here's a list of some of the names we saw go down in Week 6:

Jerod Mayo- The New England Patriots saw several key players leave the game on Sunday, one of them was starting linebacker Jerod Mayo. The signal caller on defense and a team leader, Mayo's season is over after suffering a knee injury against Buffalo. The Pats have lacked depth at linebacker since the offseason and now they'll pay the price. Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins are going to have to step up big time.

Victor Cruz- Adding insult to injury, the Giants were shut out by their division rival Philadelphia, and lost their best offensive player in the process. Cruz suffered a torn patellar tendon and had to be carted off the field, he was visibly distraught. This is a huge loss for the Giants, and rookie Odell Beckham Jr. will see a lot more targets and a lot more pressure coming his way as the season goes on.

Alex Mack- The Cleveland Browns' offensive line has been the key to offense's success and against Pittsburgh the unit lost one of it's best players, center Alex Mack. The six-year veteran, who signed a five-year, $42 million contract this past offseason, suffered a broken leg and is expected undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season. Due to the talent on Cleveland's offense line, I don't expect them to fall apart.

Stevan Ridley- Another Patriot whose season is over. Ridley tore his ACL and MCL against Buffalo and the Patriots lose a key part of their offense. The remaining running backs are Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden, and James White. Vereen is a shifty, change of pace back with a great hands. James White is similar to Vereen, but hasn't seen any meaningful playing time this season. Bolden is the closest thing the team has to Ridley, but he lacks the ability to give consistent production. Ridley is in the last year of his contract and I think he's played his last snap in New England.

Darren Sproles- According to reports, Philadelphia could be without running back Darren Sproles -- who suffered a knee injury against the Giants -- for several weeks. The Eagles currently have no healthy backs behind starter LeSean McCoy, so expect the team to activate Matthew Tucker from the practice squad or sign a free agent.

Other injuries- Patrick Willis (SF), Dee Milliner and Brian Winters (NYJ), Knowshon Moreno (MIA), Doug Free (DAL), Byron Maxwell (SEA), Tramon Williams and Sam Shields (GB), and Armonty Bryant (CLE).