Report: Randy Moss Played With Separated Shoulder

Bill Belichick has made a habit of throwing some curveballs onto his injury reports in the past, and this year was no different.

Even though Randy Moss was listed as probable for something “not injury related” in the Patriots AFC wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 10, he was likely playing with a separated shoulder for much of the season, ESPN.com reports.

Citing a league source, ESPN.com reporter and NESN insider Mike Reiss says Moss was diagnosed with the injury following the season and that was the reason he pulled out of the Pro Bowl. Although the severity of Moss’ injury is not known, the wide receiver should be able to avoid surgery as a separated shoulder can usually be healed simply with rest.

Moss was listed on the Pats’ injury report early in the season after tweaking the shoulder in the team’s Oct. 11 loss to the Broncos. He returned later in the game and played through the pain en route to starting all 16 regular-season games as well as the team’s playoff contest. Moss was listed on the injury report for the better part of a month, coming off it on Nov. 6.

Reiss speculates that the current injury could have occurred during the Broncos game, but the shoulder could have been aggravated or re-injured later in the year.