James Laurinaitis injury: St. Louis Rams star gets up slowly after recovering Bills fumble

James Laurinaitis added to the St. Louis Rams' once-moribund turnover totals on Sunday, grabbing a fumble in the red zone to stop the Buffalo Bills short, but he landed hard and got up slowly after the play. Tony Softli reported that Laurinaitis's problem was a "left side rib cage injury," per this Tweet:

JL has a left side rib cage injury. Trainer Reggie Scott is doing his best to get Laurinaitis back into the game per @softlistl.

— The Pigskin Arch (@ThePigskinArch) December 9, 2012

Laurinaitis, one of the Rams' team captains, has had more than 100 combined tackles every year of his career since being drafted in the second round in 2009. He's hardly a veteran himself, but on this incredibly young team his four-year career makes him the defensive equivalent of Steven Jackson, only without all the worries about his future.

Without Laurinaitis the Rams' defense looks considerably different, so it was heartening to see him back on the field for the Rams defense's next series, although we don't yet know just how good he's feeling. Stay tuned to this storystream for updates.