Helmet-to-helmet hits sideline playmakers

Several helmet-to-helmet hits Sunday caused injuries to some of the NFL's top playmakers.

Philadelphia wide receiver DeSean Jackson suffered a concussion and Atlanta cornerback Dunta Robinson injured his head in a nasty head-on collision in the second quarter of the Eagles' 31-17 win.

Eagles coach Andy Reid gave no estimate how long Jackson might be sidelined. Same thing for Falcons coach Mike Smith about Robinson.

"He seems to be fine," Smith said of the cornerback Atlanta signed as a free agent in the offseason. "It was a very violent collision. I saw him and knew he couldn't return, and that's all I really know."

Both players stayed on the turf for several minutes before being helped from the field. Jackson dropped a pass when hit by Robinson, who led with his head and hit Jackson in the helmet. Robinson was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver.

Jackson had scored both of Philadelphia's touchdowns and the Eagles led the Falcons 14-0 at the time of the collision.

"That was scary," Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin said.

Detroit Lions linebacker Zack Follett was hospitalized after a violent helmet-to-helmet hit with a Giants player while covering a fourth-quarter kickoff return.

The Lions said Follett was conscious and had full movement in his limbs. He was scheduled to stay in Hackensack University Medical Center on Sunday night for observation.

Detroit also lost starting quarterback Shaun Hill in the 28-20 loss to the New York Giants. He broke his left arm late in the first half and spent part of the second half on the sideline with his arm in a sling.

Follett's injury was scary. He lay on the field for about five minutes while attended by medical personnel from both teams. A backboard was placed under his back, he was placed on a stretcher and carted off the field and taken to Hackensack University Medical Center.

"No evidence at this point of a fracture of the cervical spine," the Lions said in a statement issued about an hour after the game. "Zack has movement in all four extremities. He will remain here tonight and will continue to undergo extensive tests and evaluation."

Follett made head-to-head contact with Jason Pierre-Paul on the play on which he was injured.

"I knew right away he was hurt," Pierre-Paul said.

Also, Browns wide receiver Joshua Cribbs walked off the field despite being leveled by a helmet-to-helmet hit by the Steelers' James Harrison during the second quarter.