Unable to finish out his team's Week 6 game against Cincinnati due to a rib injury, Cleveland tailback Trent Richardson does not believe his injury is serious and expects to ready for Week 7, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Richardson gained just 37 yards on 14 carries in Sunday's surprise win, and left in the third quarter after having an opponent's helmet smash directly into his rib cage on a big hit. Richardson's backup, Montario Hardesty, quickly took advantage of his opportunity by churning out 56 yards on the ground with a touchdown, but the 5'9, 230-pound rookie does not believe he will be further slowed by the injury.
Though he only played a portion of the game, the talented runner was still held out of the endzone for the first time since Week 1. In addition to mentioning that he believes he could have re-entered the game if needed, Richardson confirmed to The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot that his rib injury will only require x-rays and not an MRI. Hardesty's role could definitely increase in Week 7 if Richardson is less than 100 percent, even though it remains quite clear that Richardson is the workhorse of the offense.
#Browns RB Trent Richardson on right side/ribs injury: "I took a shot but I'll be back. I'll be ready for next week." #NFL
— Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) October 14, 2012