The Philadelphia Eagles got a massive scare today when star running back Saquon Barkley left their game against the Tennessee Titans with 8:10 seconds left in the first quarter. He appeared to suffer an injury on a play, and Eagles fans immediately started freaking out, because come on, Barkley is one of the most important pieces in that Philly offense. Everyone was holding their breath wondering if he’d ever see the field again in this game.
What’s Even a Stinger, Anyway?
The team confirmed pretty quickly that Barkley was dealing with a “stinger.” That’s the kind of news that still makes you hold your breath, right? Luckily, Doctor Jesse Morse M.D. jumped onto Twitter to break down exactly what a stinger means for a player like Barkley. Morse tweeted that it’s basically an “overstretching of one of the nerves coming out of the neck, often, C5-C6.” This kind of injury causes an instant loss of sensation in the upper arm, making the limb go “limp” right away. Sometimes there’s even pain involved. It sounds absolutely brutal, and that initial visual of Barkley heading to the locker room was enough to make anyone cringe.
Good News, But Is He Coming Back?
Here’s where Doctor Morse actually dropped some good news, which is a huge relief after that initial panic. He said that if the stinger is only on one side and Barkley has regained normal function, then he will “be able to return.” Morse called this the “most likely scenario,” which is awesome to hear. If it was on both sides, though, he’d be ruled out for the rest of the game and need a CT and MRI. Morse’s gut feeling? He suspected Barkley would actually return to the game, probably with some extra padding around his neck and shoulder pads. He even finished his take with, “Overall, good news.” Talk about a roller coaster!
Barkley did return from the locker room, and he was rocking a “Cowboy collar,” which is that molded polyethylene foam neck protection device designed to limit extreme backward head movement. He wasn’t wearing his helmet though, and the Eagles had already brought in Tank Bigsby, who absolutely stepped up and scored a touchdown for the team. This is a seriously tough call for the Eagles coaching staff: do they risk their star RB for this game, or let Tank Bigsby keep rolling after that touchdown? Either way, everyone’s watching to see if Barkley makes it back out there.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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