Disaster nearly struck the New Orleans Saints late in their game against the Chicago Bears when starting cornerback Eli Apple slipped on a piece of the turf at Soldier Field, injuring his knee. He immediately limped to the Saints locker room flanked by team medical staff, and while Apple expressed optimism in the locker room after the game, he wouldn’t go into specifics on his condition.
John Hendrix of SB Nation first reported that the Saints initially believed Apple simply hyperextended his knee, escaping major injury. Nick Underhill of The Athletic also reported the same diagnosis.
However, it’s too soon to know for sure what Apple’s experiencing. He’ll be returning with his teammates to New Orleans late Sunday night, and should undergo further evaluation from Saints team doctors on Monday to get a better idea of his status. He has until Tuesday to begin practicing, so keep an eye on the injury report.
Additionally, Apple’s mother Annie shared a video on her official Twitter account of him walking to meet her after the Bears game, thanking fans for their prayers and support after he went down. It’s good to see him up and walking around, even if it’s early in his road to recovery:
Hopefully these initial reports are going to hold true, and we’ll get official word from the team that Apple escaped anything serious. The Saints will post their initial injury report on Tuesday and publish updates on Wednesday and Thursday. Stay tuned for updates.
