David Chao, MD
2 min read • November 30, 2022
Posted in
Philadelphia Eagles free safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered a lacerated kidney in the Sunday night win over the Packers and will likely miss at least a month.
If all goes well, he should be available for a late-season run and playoffs.
Gardner-Johnson suffered the injury with just under four minutes left in the first quarter on a deep completion to Christian Watson.
X-rays were reportedly negative for a rib fracture, but it’s possible to lacerate a kidney because of fractured rib cartilage. His injury does not require surgery and how long he misses will depend on the size of the laceration and damage to the kidney capsule.
Blunt trauma can cause a crack to the hard outer shell of the kidney, which was likely the case with Gardner-Johnson.
His former teammate, Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, suffered a fractured rib and a lacerated kidney in Week 5 and has not made it back yet.
Gardner-Johnson’s injury does not include a rib fracture and is likely less severe.
The Florida product leads the league in interceptions this season with 6 in 11 games played. Rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen is second with 5 interceptions.
Rookie safety Reed Blankenship will likely start for Gardner-Johnson.
The Eagles are +600 to win the Super Bowl LVII, the third best odds in the league, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Chiefs are at +430 and the Bills are at +450.
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Written by David Chao, MD
