The Sports Xchange

The first photos of Jason Pierre-Paul’s damaged hand surfaced Thursday and they showed most of his right index finger and part of his thumb missing and a bandage over his middle finger.

The New York Daily News published the photos of the New York Giants defensive end, whose hand injuries were caused by a fireworks accident on the Fourth of July. He has had surgical repairs and the index finger amputated since the incident and remains away from the team.

In previous photos, Pierre-Paul was wearing a bandage that made it difficult to determine the extent of the damage. After the accident, he refused to allow the Giants to evaluate the hand until last week.

Pierre-Paul finally visited the Giants for an examination and then returned to his home in south Florida to continue to work out. He hopes to recover to play yet this season, but the photos revealed damage that cast some doubt about whether that’s feasible.

Pierre-Paul remains resolute, saying on social media Thursday, “I can’t think of the last time my index finger got me a sack.”

The Giants placed the franchise tag on Pierre-Paul during the offseason and he has yet to sign a contract. He had 12 1/2 sacks last season.

–New Orleans Saints running back C.J. Spiller has returned to practice and according to coach Sean Payton, it won’t take long for the Saints to incorporate him into the offense.

Spiller, who last practiced Aug. 10, had arthroscopic knee surgery last month and practiced Wednesday on a limited basis. But because he got his work in during the early part of camp, Payton has no fear that Spiller will be able to contribute almost immediately.

“He’s doing good; he’s doing good,” Payton said. “So like all these guys we’ll keep working them, keep getting them ready, have a plan.”

–Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton did not practice on Thursday and his status for Monday’s game against the New York Jets is unclear.

After injuring his knee in a loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Colts said they would move forward with the idea that their No. 1 receiver would miss Monday night’s game.

Hilton signed a five-year, $65 million contract extension with the Colts before the start of the season. He led the team in 2014 with 82 receptions for 1,345 yards and seven touchdowns and had seven receptions for 88 yards Sunday in a loss to the Buffalo Bills.

–Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy left Thursday’s practice with hamstring tightness but is expected to play in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.

McCoy suffered a hamstring injury during training camp and it lingered into the season. Bills coach Rex Ryan remains optimistic despite the latest setback.

“Do I expect him to play?” Ryan said after practice. “I certainly hope so.”

–New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz is bothered by a lingering calf injury and it has cast doubt on whether he will make his season debut when the Giants play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Cruz sat out Thursday’s practice with the injury that forced him to miss the entire preseason and the Giants’ Week 1 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

If Cruz is to play, he will have to practice Friday and show Coach Tom Coughlin that he can run and make cuts without any limitations.

–The Houston Texans have selected Ryan Mallett to be the starting quarterback when they meet the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Mallett played well in the opener against Kansas City after replacing first-game starter Bobby Hoyer. He was 8-of-13 passing for 98 yards and one touchdown.

“When Ryan went into the game, he added a spark to our team,” O’Brien told reporters while emphasizing his comments weren’t meant as “an indictment” of Hoyer.

–Cleveland’s Josh McCown will start at quarterback against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday if his concussion issues have improved and he can practice on Friday without a setback, according to Browns coach Mike Pettine.

McCown suffered a concussion in the season-opening game against the New York Jets. He is slated to clear the NFL concussion protocols on Friday.

“Barring anything unforeseen, I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t play him,” Pettine told reporters.

Second-year quarterback Johnny Manziel replaced McCown against the Jets and has taken the bulk of practice snaps. Pettine indicated he will make a decision following Friday’s practice.

–Green Bay Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga departed Thursday’s practice after suffering a left knee injury.

The severity of the injury wasn’t immediately known. Bulaga tore the ACL in the knee in 2013 and underwent major surgery.

The Packers host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game. Don Barclay would replace Bulaga at right tackle if he’s unable to play against the Seahawks.

–Houston Texas running back Arian Foster participated in practice on Thursday for the first time since undergoing groin surgery on Aug. 7.

Foster is making significant progress but Texans coach Bill O’Brien said it was unlikely he would play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

Foster rushed for 1,246 yards last season and Houston used a combination of Alfred Blue, Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes to replace him in the season-opening loss to Kansas City.