Sam Bradford Injury: Why St. Louis Rams Dodged Huge Bullet with Franchise QB

You can exhale, Rams fans; it's OK. Open your eyes and unplug your ears; Sam Bradford is going to be just fine.

St. Louis head coach Steve Spagnuolo said Bradford's injury is a "contusion or bruise" his right index finger. There is no break, and as of right now, the Rams expect their franchise quarterback to play on Monday night against the New York Giants.

This is a gigantic break for the Rams, who have put a lot of eggs into the Bradford basket. The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is clearly the face of the franchise and, along with Steven Jackson, is at the center of the offense. Now that Jackson has an injured quad that could potentially keep him out for a few weeks, Bradford had to be healthy if the Rams wanted to win games.

A.J. Feeley stepped in after Bradford left Sunday's game and didn't look good. The 11-year veteran completed just 2-of-6 passes for 21 yards. While Bradford was in the game, he was 17-for-30 for 188 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. While Bradford wasn't exactly lighting up Philadelphia's secondary, he looked to be in control of the offense.

Though the Eagles won Sunday's game 31-13, the Rams have to feel they had a small victory by finding out that Bradford wouldn't miss any time with what could have been a serious injury.

The play that knocked Bradford out came in the fourth quarter, when he struck the helmet of an Eagles defender while following through on a passing attempt. Originally, Spagnuolo reported that the injury could be nerve-related and Bradford was experiencing numbness in the hand. So initially, things sounded very bad.

Now that it appears Bradford will be fine and will play in Week 2, the Rams can put their focus into figuring out whether Jackson will miss time and whether or not Cadillac Williams will be an adequate replacement for him.