The Cardinals can’t really afford to lose any more players to injury as they try to nail down a playoff spot in the NFC, so it makes sense that they’d keep open every option when it comes to safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu broke his thumb in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons and the early word was that he wanted to try to play through it while wearing a cast. On Monday, coach Bruce Arians said, via Darren Urban of the team’s website, that remains a possibility, but that there haven’t been any final determinations made. The coach said that the worst case scenario would be that Mathieu needs to have a pin inserted in the thumb to help it heal, a procedure that would cost him three weeks.
Arians also said that wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald should practice on Wednesday after missing the last two games with a knee injury. Fitzgerald’s return to the lineup would be a boost for a Cardinals offense, especially if it could somehow spark a running game that’s accounted for an anemic 48 yards over the last three weeks.
