Rams RB Jackson out at least 1 week
St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson will miss at least one week with a partial tear of his left groin, an injury sustained in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 24-3 loss at Tampa Bay.
Rookie Brian Leonard, a second-round pick from Rutgers, will get his first start Sunday at Dallas. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson was hopeful Jackson would be out only one game.
"He's one of our best players, if not the best player," Olson said. "As we tell our players, anytime someone gets injured the rest of us have to pick up the slack.
"We'll find a way to spread the ball around."
The 0-3 Rams learned they lost Jackson a day after guard Mark Setterstrom was lost for the season with a torn left knee ligament and cartilage damage. Setterstrom is the second lineman the Rams have lost this season, after seven-time Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in the opener .
The Rams were in conservative mode against the Buccaneers, intent on protecting quarterback Marc Bulger. Olson disclosed Monday that Bulger was playing with two broken ribs, an injury likely sustained in the opener when he was sacked six times.
Leonard made his first 4 carries of the season on Sunday, gaining 21 yards, and had 1 reception for 6 yards.
Alexander has cracked bone: Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander has a broken left wrist, but will continue to play with a protective cast, coach Mike Holmgren said.
Alexander has been playing with the cast on his wrist since spraining it in the team's opening victory against Tampa Bay.
More injury news: Bills linebacker Paul Posluszny's season is over, after the second-round draft pick broke his left forearm in the second quarter of a loss at New England on Sunday. … Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme will not need surgery on his injured right elbow after an MRI exam showed no serious damage. He is listed as day to day. … Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick said he will be cautious with quarterback Steve McNair, who has been hampered by a strained groin and was relieved in the fourth quarter by Kyle Boller on Sunday. … Eagles running back Brian Westbrook has an abdominal strain. His availability for Sunday's game against the New York Giants will be determined later in the week. Philadelphia cornerback Lito Sheppard is still recovering from a knee injury and may miss his third straight game. Linebacker Stewart Bradley had surgery on his broken hand, while safety Brian Dawkins (stinger) and offensive tackle William Thomas (sprained knee) are also out. …
Lions rookie receiver Calvin Johnson is unsure whether he will be available Sunday against the Bears, after landing hard on his back while catching a pass during Detroit's 56-21 loss to the Eagles. … Three Denver Broncos went for MRI exams on Monday, including perennial Pro Bowl safety John Lynch and quarterback Jay Cutler. Lynch left Denver's 23-14 loss to Jacksonville with a strained groin and did not return. Cutler has an MRI exam for what the team termed a "mild ankle sprain."
Del Rio defends move: It might not be easy for receiver Matt Jones to get back on the field. Jones was inactive for Sunday's game at Denver, a move that raised questions about the former first-round draft pick's future with the franchise.
Jones' agent, Alan Herman, criticized the decision Sunday and said he would seek a trade if it continued.
Coach Jack Del Rio defended it Monday.
"First and foremost, my responsibility is to make decisions based on what is best for this football team," Del Rio said. "I will continue to do that."
Del Rio publicly ripped Jones last week about his on-the-field body language, indicating Jones takes plays off and pouts when he doesn't get the ball.
Killings regains movement: Houston Texans defensive tackle Cedric Killings was able to stand in the hospital on Monday and doctors are confident he'll soon be walking.
Killings' progress came one day after he left the field on a stretcher after a headfirst collision with Indianapolis receiver Roy Hall.
Killings fractured his C-4 vertebra and was unable to move any of his limbs for a time on the field on Sunday, said Dr. Rob Parrish, a neurosurgeon working with Killings. He has since gained movement in his arms and legs, though he's weak in both hands and his left arm.
Everett improving: Kevin Everett made more significant strides over the weekend in his recovery from a life-threatening spinal cord injury.
The Buffalo Bills tight end lifted his right arm for the first time Sunday, a day after sitting up in bed for four hours, Dr. Teodoro Castillo, his attending physician, said Monday. Everett couldn't sit up for longer than 90 minutes before he was moved to Memorial Hermann Hospital from a Buffalo hospital on Friday.
"Nobody can predict the future but if Kevin continues to show recovery, I am optimistic of a good outcome," Castillo said.
Everett was injured making a tackle during the Bills' season opener against Denver on Sept. 9.
Castillo and a team of doctors from Memorial Hermann said Everett can now lift his legs in bed and move his upper extremities.