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Cardinals coach Bruce Arians: David Johnson's injury will not require surgery

Posted at 6:02 PM, Jan 01, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-02 18:16:30-05

UPDATE (11:15 a.m. Monday): Bruce Arians said David Johnson suffered only an MCL sprain Sunday and will not require surgery. Recovery time will be 6 to 8 weeks, meaning Johnson will miss the Pro Bowl.

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As their season came to a close, it looks like the Arizona Cardinals and their star running back may have dodged a serious bullet.

Cards running back David Johnson left Sunday's game at the Los Angeles Rams in the first quarter with a nasty-looking knee injury. He was down on the turf for several minutes before limping off the field and was later taken to the locker room on a cart.

But after the game, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said it appears Johnson avoided the worst-case scenario.

"Nothing serious, it looks like right now. We'll have an MRI tomorrow," he said.

"He's walking fine and he's in good spirits. We knock on wood that there's no ligament damage."

Johnson returned to the sideline in street clothes and a brace on his injured knee in the third quarter. The Cardinals went on to win the game 44-6 to finish the season with a 7-8-1 record.

Before Arians' update, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Johnson's knee "showed meniscus damage" but his ACL is "intact," and he'll have an MRI on Monday to learn more about the extent of damage.

Arians said he initially wasn't sure what had happened on the play in which Johnson was injured.

"I couldn't see. It was on the other side of the field," he said. "I didn't even know who was hurt until they said it was David. (I was) obviously concerned for him."

Johnson came in to Sunday's game leading the NFL in total yards from scrimmage and total touchdowns. He became the first player in NFL history to record at least 100 yards from scrimmage in each of his team's first 15 games of the season.