Giants’ Strahan could miss a month with injury

The New York Giants will be minus Michael Strahan for a while.

A sprained ligament in his right foot will keep the Pro Bowl defensive end off his feet for at least a week and out of the lineup for two weeks to a month -- and possibly longer.

Tests on Strahan’s foot Monday revealed a sprain to the Lis Franc ligament, one of the main stabilizers in the middle of the foot.

“This is not an injury that requires surgery,” trainer Ronnie Barnes said. “Michael will be on crutches and in a boot for at least the next week. A reasonable time frame for Michael’s possible return would be anywhere from two to four weeks.”

Strahan, injured in the second quarter of Sunday’s 14-10 win over Houston, was not available for comment Monday. But he told foxsports.com that the recovery period might last up to two months.

“It’s really up to how long it takes to heal,” Strahan said. “It’s not torn, but it’s similar to the injury that I had as a rookie that kept me out for several weeks.”

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Brian Urlacher walked into a meeting room with no noticeable limp, an encouraging sign for the Chicago Bears, still reeling from their first loss.

An MRI exam showed the linebacker has a sprained big toe on his left foot and not the major injury the team had feared.

“Brian means quite a bit to our football team, so that was cause for concern, but we feel a lot better about it now,” Coach Lovie Smith said.

Whether Urlacher would be able to play Sunday against the Giants was undetermined.

Urlacher was injured in the pileup after making a tackle with just more than a minute left Sunday in a 31-13 loss to Miami.

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Atlanta Falcons defensive back Kevin Mathis suffered a season-ending neck injury Sunday that is not expected to require surgery.

Mathis will be placed on injured reserve after being hurt on the opening kickoff of the Falcons’ 30-14 loss at Detroit.

Mathis has “all feeling, all movement” in all of his extremities, Coach Jim Mora said.

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Buffalo Bills running back Willis McGahee has a broken rib and backup receiver Josh Reed was hospitalized overnight Sunday with a bruised kidney. Coach Dick Jauron said that Reed was resting comfortably but would probably spend another night in a Buffalo-area hospital as a precautionary measure.

Both players were hurt in the Bills’ 24-10 win Sunday over Green Bay.

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Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Daniel Loper was to spend a second night in a Jacksonville, Fla., hospital with a lacerated spleen, but was improving enough that he may not need surgery.

Team doctors diagnosed Loper as having problems with his spleen during the Titans’ 37-7 loss at Jacksonville.

Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said doctors X-rayed Loper and rushed him to the hospital before the game was over.

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Denver Broncos safety Sam Brandon is out for the season after tearing a right knee ligament in Sunday’s 31-20 win at Pittsburgh.