The big names who went down with injuries in Week 15
— -- A host of star players went down with injuries this week. Here are the most significant names who got banged up:
Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans: Mariota left the Titans' game with a knee injury on Sunday after getting sacked awkwardly by Patriots defender Jamie Collins in the second quarter. Zach Mettenberger filled in for the No. 2 overall draft pick, as the team officially listed Mariota as out following halftime. Mariota said after the game, "I don't expect to be out the rest of the year."
LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills: McCoy went down with a right knee injury at the beginning of the second half. Redskins safety Dashon Goldson went low on the running back, hitting the outside of McCoy's knee with his shoulder. McCoy appeared to be in a lot of pain on the ground, and it didn't take long for the team to release that he'd miss the remainder of the game. According to NFL Network's Rand Gettlin, McCoy has a minor MCL sprain and is day-to-day.
A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: Green injured his back on Sunday against the 49ers. The injury appeared to occur with 8:45 left in the third quarter, when Green was targeted on a pass in the end zone from QB AJ McCarron. According to ESPN Bengals reporter Coley Harvey, the Bengals appeared to hold Green out of the game, as they were up big on San Francisco.
Danny Amendola/ Dont'a Hightower, WR/LB, New England Patriots: The injuries continue to pile up for the Patriots, as Amendola and Hightower were both knocked out of the team's game on Sunday with knee injuries. According to ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss, Amendola went down in the second quarter, then came out on the field after halftime but eventually retreated to the locker room. Hightower did not return after leaving in the third quarter; the injury is to the same knee that kept him out the previous two games.
Tyrann Mathieu, CB, Arizona Cardinals: Mathieu intercepted Eagles QB Sam Bradford with 2:37 remaining in a blowout game on Sunday night, but his right knee appeared to lock up after he made the catch. He hobbled off the field and was taken to the locker room. Mathieu has five interceptions on the season, tied for the team lead with Rashad Johnson.
Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears: Jeffery -- who has struggled with soft-tissue injuries all season -- limped off the field with a hamstring injury late in the third quarter and did not return to the game. After the game, he described the injury as hamstring tightness. Jeffery has 368 more receiving yards than his next-closest teammate this season.
Branden Albert/ Mike Pouncey, LT/C, Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins' lost their two best offensive linemen with injuries on Sunday against the Chargers. Albert went down at the end of the first quarter with a knee injury, while Pouncey was carted off with a left leg injury after getting rolled up on in the third quarter. According to the Miami Herald , Pouncey will miss the remainder of the season and Albert is "fine."
Byron Maxwell, CB, Philadelphia Eagles: Maxwell suffered a shoulder injury with 6:34 left in the second quarter while he was covering Michael Floyd on a deep pass. According to the team, he was taken to the locker room to have X-rays taken before halftime and did not return to the field.
Melvin Gordon, RB, San Diego Chargers: Gordon suffered a knee injury with two minutes left in the first half, and the team announced he would miss the remainder of the game. The rookie RB had struggled before going down -- just 41 yards on 15 carries -- marking the eighth time this season that Gordon had finished a game averaging 4.0 yards per carry or fewer.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings: Peterson limped off the field with 3:30 left in the second quarter after his left ankle bent awkwardly when Pernell McPhee dragged him down. He entered the week as the NFL's leading rusher with 1,251 yards and had rushed for 57 yards against the Bears before leaving the game. The Vikings listed Peterson as probable to return, and the running back returned to the field on the Vikings' second possession of the second half. After the game, Peterson called the injury an ankle sprain, while adding that "the bone and everything is OK."
Brock Osweiler, QB, Denver Broncos: Osweiler jogged to the locker room late in the first half against the Steelers with a left shoulder injury. That's his non-throwing arm, and the Broncos listed him as probable to return. Osweiler had the best half of his young career, putting up 214 passing yards and four total touchdowns in the game's first 30 minutes. Backup Trevor Siemian took one snap -- a kneel-down -- at the end of the second quarter before Osweiler returned to the field to start the third quarter.
Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Carolina Panthers: Shortly after he caught his second touchdown on the day against the Giants, the Panthers announced that Ginn would miss the remainder of the game with a rib injury. But Ginn came back on the field late in the game after Carolina blew a 28-point lead, and he caught a big pass on the Panthers' winning drive.
T.J. Yates, QB, Houston Texans: Yates immediately grabbed his left knee after it appeared to lock up at the tail end of a 19-yard scramble late in the second quarter. According to ESPN Texans reporter Tania Ganguli confirmed Yates appears to have torn his ACL. Yates was filling in for Brian Hoyer, the Texans' regular starter, and Brandon Weeden entered the game for Houston. The CBS broadcast said punter Shane Lechler was the team's emergency third-string quarterback in the game if Weeden also went down.