While the New Orleans Saints picked up another key victory with starting quarterback Drew Brees sidelined, they may have lost another player in garbage time.
Cornerback Eli Apple was hurt during the late part of the game and required assistance to walk back to the locker room. At this time, the latest Eli Apple injury update seems to give a good prognosis.
If he has a hyperextended knee, recovery time could bring him back a lot sooner to the field.
What happened to Eli Apple in the Bears-Saints game?
With the game pretty much decided, the Chicago Bears made their best attempts to add some more points to their score so the loss didn’t look quite as bad.
On this touchdown pass to the Bears’ Javon Wims during garbage time, cornerback Eli Apple ends up down on the field following the move Wims put on him to get open for the score.
With Apple down with an injury, teammates gathered around as training and medical staff checked on him. Luckily, he was able to walk off the field without needing cart assistance, but that doesn’t always rule out something as serious as an ACL issue.
— #BusinessIsSuspended (@FTBeard11) October 20, 2019
Following the game, a tweet from Forbes Sports and SB Nation’s John Hendrix revealed a source as saying Apple’s initial diagnosis was a hyperextended knee. It was also reported on The Athletic’s Nick Underhill.
— John Hendrix (@JohnJHendrix) October 21, 2019
A later injury update came through the comments that Apple gave post-game where he said “It’s a little hurt” and that it “was an awkward feeling.”
However, so far it doesn’t seem anyone suspects it’s a torn ACL, which is good news. Athletes tend to show some optimism no matter what they may have experienced, but fans are still hoping it’s not serious.
— Amie Just (@Amie_Just) October 21, 2019
Eli’s mother also posted a Twitter video to express her joy at seeing her son still walking on his own following the scary injury in the game. In the video, Apple walks to meet with her following the Saints’ 36-25 victory over the Bears.
— Annie Apple (@SurvivinAmerica) October 21, 2019
The team will need to put Apple through medical evaluations to see the extent of the injury. Right now, there is speculation that Eli Apple has a hyperextended knee, which would obviously be a much better recovery outlook than something like an ACL tear.
What is the recovery time for a hyperextended knee?
That will all depend on how serious the injury is. If it’s a grade 1, he’ll be back to action much quicker than if it’s a grade 2 or 3 hyperextension. That would mean surgery, rehab, and wearing a knee brace for several months to stabilize the joint again.
However, a grade 1 hyperextension could mean anywhere from two to four weeks that Eli Apple is sidelined, per Healthline.com. Fans will wait for the full evaluation coming in the next day or so.
In another video that surfaced on YouTube, Apple is seen taunting the Bears’ Tarik Cohen after a play. Many fans are playing up the concept of “karma” causing Apple to suffer an injury, although it’s no joking matter when a player gets injured.
So far, the prognosis sounds good, but again, the extent of Apple’s injury has yet to be fully revealed. Everyone’s hoping for the best for Eli Apple and based on what he’s shown after the game along with the Saints’ speculation, it may be just fine.
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