Bradford shines will Rams likely lose Avery for year

Sam Bradford didn’t have many incompletions Thursday night in Foxboro, Mass.

One of them, though, provided serious consequences for the 2010 season. Wide receiver Donnie Avery, jumping and twisting to catch a long pass along the sideline late in the first half, went down with a right knee injury and the expectation is he will miss the remainder of the year, according to Adam Caplan of FoxSports.com.

Avery was carted off the field during the Rams’ 36-35 victory and will obviously undergo an MRI today.

“He probably has a significant knee injury,” St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo said after the game.

That’s a major blow for an offense that is short on weapons and short on targets for Bradford, the No. 1 pick from Oklahoma. The Rams started him against New England because an injury has A.J. Feeley sidelined. It was sooner than the team wanted to turn to Bradford, but he proved to be up to the task. That’s why the trip wasn’t a complete disaster. Bradford completed 15-of-22 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns. He looked smooth.

We’re not going to get carried away. It’s preseason and the Patriots defense is going to look much different when the real show starts. But Bradford made a nice showing and it’s a real building block for him as he prepares for Week 1. Doing so without Avery, the team’s top target, will be that much more difficult.

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