Brian Cushing
An injury will for Brian Cushing to miss the majority of the season for a second straight year. Reuters

Even as the NFL places emphasis on player safety, the number of major injuries continues to pile up. Several big name players were hurt on Sunday, and a few won’t step on the field for the remainder of 2013.

Sam Bradford

The St. Louis Rams quarterback appears to be done for the year. According to multiple reports, the knee injury he suffered on Sunday is a torn ACL. Bradford was forced to leave the game against the Carolina Panthers after being pushed out of bounds with just over five minutes left. Unless the Rams make an acquisition, Kellen Clemens will take over as the team’s starter.

Brian Cushing

For the second straight year, the linebacker’s season has ended prematurely because of an injury. Cushing has told reporters that he broke his leg and tore his LCL in the Houston Texans loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. A low block by running back Jamaal Charles knocked Cushing out of the game in the third quarter. A torn ACL cost him the final 11 games of 2012, and he’ll miss the last nine games of 2013.

Jay Cutler

The Chicago Bears quarterback missed most of the Week Seven loss to the Washington Redskins with a groin injury. The severity won’t be known until Monday afternoon, but the team is preparing for bad news. According to the Chicago Tribune, the MRI could reveal an injury that will keep Cutler out for the rest of the year. Josh McCown, who completed 14 of his 20 passes for 204 yards against Washington, is expected to be the starter while Cutler is out.

Jermichael Finley

Finley suffered the worst injury of any NFL player on Sunday. A neck injury forced him to leave the Green Bay Packers game on a stretcher. On Monday morning, he was in ICU at a Green Bay hospital. The tight end couldn’t move after the hit he suffered following a catch. He did have feeling in his extremities.

Reggie Wayne

In their biggest win of the season, the Indianapolis Colts may have lost their best playmaker for the rest of 2013. The team initially announced that a sprained knee forced the wide receiver to leave the game against the Denver Broncos. However, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that doctors have diagnosed Wayne with a torn ACL. An MRI has been scheduled on Monday for the Colts top wide out.

Arian Foster

In addition to Cushing’s injury, the Texans also saw Foster leave Sunday’s game prematurely. He was limited to just four rushing attempts because of a hamstring injury. The severity isn’t known, but Foster didn’t seem too concerned after the game. Even if the running back isn’t completely healthy next week, the Texans have a bye.

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