Lock one of many NFL stars bit by injury bug

The idea of getting anything close to a normal football — college or professional — season in 2020 went out the window a looooooong time ago.

Between cancellations, testing policies and rearranged schedules, something was always going to Interrupt the flow of the autumn pastime. But the one thing everyone thought might happen — and not-so-secretly hoped wouldn’t — was an uptick in injuries due to the lack of training camp, a consistent schedule or offseason workouts.

The injury problem in college has yet to be seen. In the NFL, though, it’s already a problem only two weeks in. Sunday was a brutal day for injuries, with stars like Saquon Barkley, Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey all bowing out of their respective games due to various injuries.

Of course, many of you have already heard the most Mizzou-adjacent injury from Sunday’s slate— starting Denver Bronco QB Drew Lock left his game early after a rough hit from a few Steeler defensive linemen. After a few hours of wondering, we got an answer on his diagnosis.

Lock left Heinz Field with a sling on his right shoulder as sources told ESPN that Lock had suffered a sprained AC joint and could miss between two and six weeks, depending on what additional tests reveal. Lock is scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam Monday morning.

It’s a really tough break for Lock in a season that has already been less than kind. The Broncos lost their best defensive weapon in Von Miller before the season even started, putting more pressure on the young QB. Add in around a month of time on the bench to throw off his rhythm and it could be a stunted year in Lock’s professional development.

Get better soon, Drew. And let’s hope the injury bug doesn’t stick around long for any of these players.

Yesterday at Rock M

• State of the Program: Missouri Football, year one, Under Eli Drinkwitz

More Links:

• Here’s your weekly, “Mizzou in the NFL,” roundup, aside from Drew Lock’s injury:

— Sheldon Richardson had a field day with the Bengals offensive line on Thursday, posting 6 tackles, a sack and two TFLs.

— In a battle of Mizzou pass rushers, Aldon Smith logged 5 tackles for the Cowboys while Charles Harris failed to register on the scoreboard for the Falcons.

• The Kansas City Star made five predictions for the coming Mizzou season as game week officially kicks into gear.
• Also in the KC Star: A look back on how Eli Drinkwitz made his way to Mizzou as his first game as Tiger HC looms.
• Dave Matter writes that the anticipation has not waned to see Drinkwitz’s new offense, despite the potential loss of several key players to COVID-19.
• MPJ had a strong Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, but couldn’t contribute enough to stop Anthony Davis from hitting a buzzer beater three to extend the Lakers’ series lead to 2-0.
• It’s early in the process of recruiting the class of 2022, but Mizzou already finds itself well in the hunt for 5-star, blue-chip wide receiver Luther Burden. Burden released a Top 5 list on Sunday...

And Mizzou is there with quite a few blue bloods. But they’re at the top of the arch, so that’s good, right?

• Speaking of 2022, Mizzou could have its first commit of the class soon, with KC area TE Max Whisner due to decide this week. Peep his 247 Crystal Ball picks...
• After another dazzling start on Sunday, at least one Boston Herald writer is ready to give Tanner Houck a shot at the Red Sox rotation.

Here are some of his highlights if you’re interested:

• If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now! (** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)