Jordan Poyer, a defensive back for the Browns, remains hospitalized in Tennessee with a lacerated kidney after a questionable block from the Titans' Antonio Andrews.
Poyer was tracking Titans returner Marc Mariani when the hit occurred; Andrews' blindside block earned him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and left Poyer prostrate on the field, clearly in pain.
The Browns got Poyer to a local hospital, where the DB was evaluated for both a concussion and abdominal pain. Medical personnel discovered the lacerated kidney, a serious injury that will require further evaluation, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.
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Browns coach Hue Jackson declined to lay blame on Andrews' shoulders for the injury, seeing the penalized hit as a football play gone slightly wrong.
"Sometimes you aim at a spot and hit some other things," Jackson said, according to The Associated Press.
Ultimately, Poyer left the field under his own power, and offered a message of gratitude after the outpouring of support from friends and fellow players.
Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers🙏🏾
— Jordan poyer (@J_Poy33) October 16, 2016
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck suffered a lacerated kidney in 2015 that sidelined him for several weeks. This just a week after Chargers receiver Keenan Allen had suffered the same injury — an injury more typical of car crash victims than athletes.
"These things can be fatal if they aren't found quickly enough and dealt with quickly enough," Dr. Elliott Haut told Sporting News at the time, underscoring the importance of the Browns quick reaction and the doctors' quick diagnosis of Poyer's injury on Sunday.
Poyer, 25, is a fourth-year player out of Oregon State. The Browns — as if this matters in the grand scheme of the situation — lost to the Titans in a close 28-26 contest.