2 min read • August 13, 2022
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Alert Freezing Cold Takes.
This is a case where the panel of head team physicians at Sports Injury Central are happy to be wrong.
The in-game video (and the interpretation) did lie. Wilson did not tear the ACL in his right knee, as it initially appeared by video.
He did reportedly suffer a bone bruise and a torn meniscus that will require a lengthy recovery and he is unlikely to play Week 1, according to our team of Pro Football Docs.
The ACL tear mechanism was clear by video, but two things likely saved Wilson: the loose turf and his previous PCL injury in the same knee.
After the game, Jets' head coach Robert Saleh commented on the new sod and loose turf.
Saleh said the Eagles stadium "has a new sod so it wasn't as firm as you'd want it to be. It was just laid down on I think the 29th. Hadn't been used yet."
Poor footing lowers the chance of an ACL tear. A loose ski binding helps prevent ACL tear, where the ski staying on enhances the chance. On wet days, ACL tears don't usually happen. Thus the poor footing helped spare Wilson's ACL.
Clearly the right knee shifts as Wilson cuts back. The presumption was the knee went from a normal position forward and tears the ACL.
Given that Wilson had a PCL tear in this knee last year, he has residual posterior laxity. PCL tears (unlike ACL tears) heal without surgery but often there is residual laxity.
If the visual shifting was Wilson's knee starting more posterior than normal and shifting forward before being stopped by an intact ACL (or only partially tears).
Bone bruises do happen with non-contact injuries. Some think it is from direct force of a blow but when a knee suddenly decelerates, the two ends of the bone can slam together to cause the bruise. This type of bone bruise can be considered a microscopic fracture seen only on MRI.
Wilson will require arthroscopic knee surgery to perform a meniscus trim on the, then will need to rest the bone bruise to allow it to fully heal.
The best recent example of how long bone bruises take to heal was Lamar Jackson's ankle bone bruise last season. Granted, he and Wilson are different players but the return timeline may be similar.
Reports are he will be back in 2-4 weeks, but the Pro Football Docs believe it would be great news to see him return before Week 4.
This is why video is never perfect. The visual fit the ACL tear but the two factors mentioned above saved the second-year Jets quarterback.
The documented track record has shown 95% accuracy in our injury analysis. This is one we missed, but that doesn't mean the process is broken. Earlier, this week our Pro Football Docs correctly detailed why Mekhi Becton would require season-ending knee surgery after he reinjured his right knee.
General managers miss on their analysis of top draft picks up to 50% of the time. We are glad that Wilson is in the 5% and that the initial analysis was incorrect.
The 23-year-old threw for 2,334 yards, 9 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 13 games last season. The hope is Wilson can return to exceed that 13-game mark without lingering effects on his right knee.
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Zach Wilson’s upcoming arthroscopic knee surgery is expected to determine whether he will miss closer to the two or the four weeks, per source.
Jets’ QB Zach Wilson has a bone bruise and a meniscus tear and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, as @BrianCoz also reported. Wilson will undergo arthroscopic surgery to address and correct the injury. Jets consider it fortunate news.
