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Lions running back Jahvid Best has a turf toe injury, but he played on Sunday against Green Bay and picked up a combined 84 yards on the ground and through the air.
Jahvid Best said on Thursday that he hoped to play this week against the Packers. On Friday, he made his case for being active by practicing.
Best had missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday because of his turf toe injury, putting his status for Sunday in doubt. By getting on the practice field today, however, Best greatly improved his chances of getting to play. Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said this on Twitter about whether or not Best will play.
I think Jahvid's on the right track. It may be a game-time decision - it may not - but rest definitely helped him the first days of the week
The Lions will need all the help they can get on offense with Matthew Stafford out again, so to even have a chance of beating Green Bay, Best is probably going to have to play.
Although Lions running back Jahvid Best has missed the last two days of practice because of a turf toe injury, he is hoping to be on the practice field Friday and play against the Packers on Sunday.
"My toe is doing good. I've got to take it day by day,'' Best said. "I'll give it a go tomorrow and see how it feels. It's gotten a lot better -- better than I thought it was going to get. It's looking real good right now.''
Fellow running back Aaron Brown is dealing with a hand injury and likely will not be available on Sunday, so the Lions really do need Best to play. It's already been reported that Kevin Smith is likely to see his first action of the season on Sunday, but if Best and Brown are unable to go Detroit would only have two healthy backs. Keeping that in mind, I'm sure Best will play as long as he can be effective and run without too much pain.
Lions RB Jahvid Best has grade two turf toe and is considered day to day. He should be ready this week unless pain is unbearable.
Below are the symptoms of a grade two turf toe.
Grade 2: Possible popping sound when the injury occurs; tenderness, moderate swelling, bruising, and loss of motion; partial tear of the capsule and ligaments; no injury to the joint surface
The timetable to return from a grade two turf toe is one day to two weeks, according to Core Performance. That means that Best could be back this week if, as Schefter said, the pain is not unbearable. If it is too painful to play against Green Bay, then look for him to be back next week against St. Louis.
If NFL reporter Jason LaCanfora is to be trusted, Lions fans can let out a collective sigh of relief:
Jahvid Best's toe injury is not severe. Lions rookie RB considered day-to-day. Aiming to play this week.
Sean provided all the degrees of severity in a turf toe injury in the previous update. If Best is indeed day-to-day, it's safe to presume that this injury falls under the first degree sprain category. It's something to keep an eye on going forward, but overall this is good news.
With Matthew Stafford already out because of a shoulder injury, the last thing the Lions need is Jahvid Best to be sidelined. Unfortunately, he was out most of the second half on Sunday because of an injury, and he thinks it may be sprained ligaments in his big toe, which is apparently unrelated to the toe injury he had last week.
We won't know what exactly is wrong with Best until he is examined further, but based on his description of the injury, it sounds like a turf toe.
Turf Toe is a sprain of the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint of the first toe. That is, the joint of the toe to the foot is sprained. The injury usually results from a hyperflexion mechanism; the toe is bent to far upward. This can result from a hard push off on a rigid surface, having the toe forcibly flexed while being tackled, or by stopping short allowing the toe to jam in the toe box of the shoe. These mechanisms cause damage to the ligaments of the joint and the joint capsule.
A turf toe injury has three degrees of severeness, so Best could not miss any time because of the injury or he could need surgery and be done for the year. That is a very wide open range, but the key for the Lions is that the injury is not a third degree sprain, which is the most severe and could require surgery. A first degree sprain is the best-case scenario, as Best wouldn't necessarily need to miss any time.
The most-likely scenario seems to be a second degree sprain based on the fact that Best couldn't put pressure on the foot with the injured toe following the game. A second degree sprain would keep Best out until he can run and make cuts without any pain. Obviously an exact timetable is unknown, and right now this is all just speculation anyway, as nothing has been officially announced by the Lions.
The Lions already are facing a tough game next Sunday at Green Bay, but having to play the Packers without Stafford or Best would just be no fun whatsoever. Let's hope this week provides good news for both as far as injuries are concerned.
Jahvid Best Overcomes Injury, Gains 84 Yards Against Packers
Early on this week it didn't look like Jahvid Best was going to be able to play because of a turf toe injury, but he overcame the injury and actually ended up gaining 84 yards on Sunday against Green Bay.
Best rushed the ball 12 times for 50 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Through the air, he caught five passes for 34 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per catch.
Best didn't look to be slowed down very much by his toe injury, so hopefully that is a good sign that going forward, this injury won't be an issue.
Oct 03 6:11p by Sean Yuille - 0 comments