Steven Jackson Injury: Star RB's Quad Will Pull Rams out of NFC West Race

The Rams’ upset bid for the Philadelphia Eagles was as short lived as Steven Jackson's playing time in the game itself.

St. Louis’ superstar veteran workhorse was phenomenal out of the gate as he gashed the new-look Eagles defense for a 47-yard touchdown run. He looked bothered as he crossed the goal line, but being the warrior he is, remained in the game.

On the next series, he carried the rock for nine yards, but was quickly ushered into the locker room.

S-Jax returned shortly afterward with his helmet in hand and a stern look on his face. That same look would be seen on the sidelines for the remainder of the game.

Jackson strained his quad and was unable to return to the contest.

Injury Update

There hasn’t been an update on S-Jax’s condition since the game ended.

Unless an MRI is taken, we can only assume this is just a strained quad.

It should be reassuring for Rams and S-Jax’s fantasy owners that ESPN Blogs tweeted during the game, “Rams' Steven Jackson appears to be angrily pleading with coaches to put him back in. To no avail so far.”

It’s obvious the coaching staff didn’t want to put the season on the line in Week 1.

When He’s Ready to Return?

Considering Jackson was pleading to get into the game, we can only assume he’s going to be day-to-day heading into Week 2.

Still, the Rams and fantasy owners need to prepare for life without him. St. Louis has to travel to New York to take on the Giants next week and won’t want to risk their workhorse stud.

More importantly, like a hamstring, a quad injury is one of the most fickle injuries for professional athletes. At any given time, S-Jax can strain the quad further, which could cause him to miss months instead of just a week or two.

Fantasy Impact

All Steven Jackson fantasy owners must rush to the waiver wire to pick up or put a claim in for Cadillac Williams. Williams may not be the powerful beast Jackson is, but he was exceptional against the Eagles.

This seasoned veteran was put through the ringer early in his career with two devastating knee injuries, but he’s healthy and running very well. More importantly, he is a very good receiver and will gain a ton of yards in Josh McDaniels’ offense.

He ran for 91 yards on 19 carries and caught six passes for 49 yards. Expect more of the same moving forward.

What They’re Saying

Still no word from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on the injury other than what we know. The man strained his quad and we should expect him to be questionable leading into Week 2. Don’t expect him to test this fickle injury in practice either.

“Steven Jackson of Rams has been ruled out of the game. The quad tightened during halftime. The Rams aren't risking further injury,” tweeted ESPN’s John Clayton during the game.

Considering the Rams didn’t want to risk further injury when they were still close with the Eagles through three quarters, despite S-Jax’s plea, we shouldn’t expect to see him Week 2. Caddy played extremely well in his absence and the Giants are dealing with a ton of injuries themselves.

Still, don’t expect the Rams to be fighting for a division crown without S-Jax. He’s the key to the offense and was expected to be the focal point of the game plan. They had a golden opportunity to upset Philly, but injuries derailed them almost immediately.

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LIFE HURTS. THIS INJURY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKIES.