Buffalo Bills Backfield Hurting After Spiller, Jackson Suffer Serious Injuries

Disaster struck the Buffalo Bills on Sunday when almost incomprehensibly bad luck sent running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller to the locker room within minutes of each other due to serious injuries.

Those watching the Bills' Week 7 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings saw Jackson fall to the ground awkwardly toward the end of the first quarter due to a tackle. Replay showed him come down with his right leg seemingly limp underneath him. He then immediately grabbed near his inner thigh and walked off the field extremely slowly.

Shortly thereafter, an official Bills announcement of a groin injury—one declaring Jackson out for the game—came via the team's Twitter account.

Following Jackson's injury, Spiller briefly provided Bills fans with a sigh of relief by churning out a 52-yard run down the left sideline. However, at the end of the play, a defender tripped him up, causing him to land hard on his left shoulder. After he left on a cart, the Bills tweeted that the young running back would not return to the game—a mere 33 minutes after declaring Jackson done for the day.

The news only got worse from there.

According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, Jackson underwent an MRI after the game. Doctors use MRIs to characterize the extent of soft-tissue injures, and the veteran running back's images apparently showed a problem significant enough to project an absence of "at least" two weeks.

The key phrase? "At least."

Football Guys' Dr. Jene Bramel pointed out that if Jackson's MRI led to a projected rehab time of two or more weeks, it might very well turn out to be even longer:

Why is that the case?

Presumably, the MRI revealed a Grade 2 groin strain. As opposed to a Grade 1 strain—pain in the muscle without a tear on imaging—a Grade 2 strain implies partially torn muscle fibers, often leading to weakness and pain.

It's already difficult for a running back to play through a Grade 1 strain, as the position demands quick shifts and changes in direction that stress the ailing muscle dozens of times per game.

A Grade 2 injury is another story altogether.

Not only may a partial tear significantly decrease a running back's on-field abilities, it could lead to a higher risk of further injury. It can also flare up in the weeks that follow a player's return to the field.

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A sufficient period of rest and rehabilitation—as suggested, likely at least a few weeks—should allow Jackson's groin to heal, but the aforementioned risk of aggravating the injury might lead to an even longer absence.

Elsewhere, Spiller's imaging studies were apparently no better.

Shortly after Spiller left the game, La Canfora reported the former Clemson Tiger suffered a broken collarbone. Doctors likely quickly diagnosed the injury via in-stadium X-rays.

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The collarbone—otherwise known as the clavicle—links the shoulder to the chest, and it can break in a number of different ways and places. In football, an opponent driving a player's shoulder perpendicularly into the ground is often to blame.

Some clavicle fractures do not need surgery though many do.

Regrettably, ESPN.com's Mike Rodak—citing his colleague, Adam Caplan—reported Spiller's break falls into the latter category, and the running back will go under the knife.

Clavicle fracture surgery involves fixing the bone back into its proper anatomical position while it heals. Recovery times depend on the exact nature, extent and location of the break and usually range from six to 10 weeks.

Fortunately, as Spiller heals, he will almost surely rehab his way back to 100 percent.

But for which team?

This year was and is a contract year for the young back. Though his collarbone injury should not affect his lateral or straight-line speed, it will prevent him from addressing any potential concerns stemming from a somewhat lackluster 2014 season.

In the meantime, the Bills must look elsewhere for their rushing attack. Yet if there is a squad that can absorb a double-hit of two running backs going down in the same game, it might just be Doug Marrone's squad.

Unlike teams like the Chicago Bears—who, according to the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell (subscription required), have played running back Matt Forte in 92 percent of this year's snaps through Week 6—the Bills carry at least two additional viable offensive weapons in the backfield.

For instance, after Jackson and Spiller left the field on Sunday, 27-year-old Anthony Dixon took over the primary rushing role and ran for 51 yards on 13 carries—not stellar by any means, but not terrible, either.

Bryce Brown—the 23-year-old who is averaging 4.6 yards per attempt during his admittedly short career—will also likely see some work.

Dixon and Brown will certainly need to work hard to fill the shoes of the ever-present Jackson and lightning-quick Spiller, and the battle is certainly an uphill one. Nevertheless, in the three-team race that is the AFC East, the 4-3 Bills find themselves just one game back of the New England Patriots and, at the very least, in good position to improve on the status quo that is their 6-10 records from each of the past three seasons.

Dr. Dave Siebert is a second-year resident physician at the University of Washington and a member of the Professional Football Writers of America. He plans to pursue fellowship training in Primary Care (non-operative) Sports Medicine.

Follow @DaveMSiebert