Tashaun Gipson's Knee Injury a Major Blow to Browns Secondary

A last-second Billy Cundiff field goal snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but safety Tashaun Gipson's knee injury marred his team's otherwise strong road trip.

According to Cleveland.com's Tom Reed, Gipson collided with fellow defensive back Joe Haden during the fourth quarter. Reed adds that Gipson required crutches to move around after the game:

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As Brian Hoyer stood outside the Browns locker room describing his team's great escape, Tashaun Gipson sat in the back of a golf cart 15 feet away, crutches at his side, hood draped over his head, the cost of victory etched on his face.

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Coach Mike Pettine said Gipson – the NFL's leader with six interceptions – will undergo an MRI in Cleveland on Monday.

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Update: 8:50 pm ET, Monday, November 24:

According to ESPN's Adam Caplan, Gipson suffered a Grade-3 MCL sprain, or a complete tear of the ligament.

Later Monday evening, Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot reported doctors also diagnosed a mild PCL injury:

--End of update--

The injury leaves a large hole in a Browns team that sits at 7-4 and hopes to make noise in the 2014 playoffs. Even worse, the video replay of the hit raises concern for a few potentially serious diagnoses.

Those watching the game saw Gipson leap into the air and contact Haden. Haden inadvertently landed a direct blow to the outside of Gipson's right knee, forcing it to slightly bend and twist inward.

After the injury, Gipson tried to make it off the field on his own but eventually required the assistance of a cart. The Browns ruled him out shortly after the injury occurred, according to Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich, who later added that the safety will undergo an MRI on Monday.

There is, however, some room for hope.

While contact knee injuries can be quite serious, they also leave room to hope the joint's ligaments held up against the blow. Non-contact knee injuries, on the other hand, imply something gave way.

In the best-case scenario, Gipson suffered a severe and painful knee contusion, one that may cause him to miss some time but not end his season. The peroneal nerve also courses through the area at which Haden hit Gipson's leg, meaning the possibility of a nerve contusion also exists.

On the contrary, the worst-case scenario somewhat mirrors many other recent serious knee injuries, such as New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski's.

Wikimedia Commons.

Gronkowski went down with ACL and MCL tears late last year. His injuries occurred simultaneously when a defender contacted the outside of his planted leg and sharply forced his knee inward.

Ordinarily, mid-air collisions such as Gipson's offer some protection against such a serious injury combination. After all, if a player's leg is not firmly planted on the ground, it can partially absorb contact and move with the blow.

Nevertheless, the magnitude of Gipson's and Haden's collision reached an extraordinary level.

The two defenders approached each other from opposite directions and hit at full speed. The resulting forced inward motion of Gipson's right knee could have stretched or torn his MCL, ACL or both in spite of the relative protection of the safety being airborne.

The dramatic nature of the contact also raises some concern for a fracture.

Gipson's MRI will clarify the extent of the damage within his knee and leg, but either way, Browns fans should mentally prepare to go on without their safety for at least the time being.

In the meantime, the Browns' Week 12 depth chart lists Jordan Poyer and Jim Leonhard as the next men up at the safety position.

They have some shoes to fill.

Following the conclusion of Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Browns defense ranked ninth in the league in passing yards allowed, giving up a respectable 232.2 per game.

With Gipson out, that rank will be tested.

After a visit to Buffalo next week, the Browns face Andrew Luck's Indianapolis Colts and A.J. Green's Cincinnati Bengals in Weeks 14 and 15.

In other words, Cleveland's road to its first playoff berth in over a decade just got that much tougher.

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.

Stats were obtained from official NFL.com statistics.

Follow @DaveMSiebert