Jacksonville's galvanizing win over the Cleveland Browns didn't come without a cost.
Jaguars coach Gus Bradley announced Monday that dependable middle linebacker Paul Posluszny is headed to injured reserve with the torn pectoral he suffered in Sunday's 24-6 home victory. Posluszny will undergo surgery later this week, per the Florida Times-Union.
The team also lost Andre Branch to a groin injury expected to sideline the pass rusher for six weeks.
"It's a big loss," Bradley said of Posluszny, per ESPN.com's Michael DiRocco. "He's really come into his own, really understands the defense now. That'll be a difficult one."
Both Browns coach Mike Pettine and Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomascalled Jacksonville's defense the best Cleveland has faced all season. Despite an early string of rough outings, the Jaguars have tightened up against the run of late and currently rank second in the league with 22 sacks.
Posluszny, 30, has been an underrated rock for Jacksonville, starting 54 games over the past three-plus seasons. Bradley pointed to Jeremiah George as a candidate to fill the void in the middle. We also expect J.T. Thomas to see increased snaps in Jacksonville's 4-3 defense.
Branch's loss just means more time for rotational ends Red Bryant, Chris Clemons, Tyson Alualu and Ryan Davis.
Track all the latest injuries in our all-encompassing injury roundup. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.