The New England Patriots defense saw its leader depart the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos in the late first quarter. Linebacker Robert Spillane is officially questionable to return with
an ankle injury.
Spillane, a team captain and the main communicator on the Patriots defense, remained on the ground following a short run play with 3:37 left in the first period. While he did walk off the field under his own power, he headed straight into the blue medical tent for further examination. From there, he left for the locker room.
Spillane, 30, originally arrived in New England via a three-year, $33 million free agency deal in March. Quickly emerging as a core piece on defense both due to his three-down value and leadership skills, he entered the season as New England’s No. 1 linebacker and went on to play 95.4% of snaps over the first 13 games of the season.
However, he suffered a foot injury leading up to New England’s Week 15 game against the Buffalo Bills and sat out the remainder of the regular season as a result. Spillane returned for the playoffs and was on the field for a combined 96.3% against the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans, registering 12 tackles and a pair of pass breakups.
With him leaving the game against Denver, backup Jack Gibbens took over as the defensive on-field signal caller. Gibbens played that same role during Spillane’s absence earlier this season.
