Exiting in the second quarter because of a foot injury, Khyiris Tonga was unable to finish the New England Patriots’ game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. However, the veteran defensive tackle should not be sidelined for long.
According to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tonga is dealing with “a one- or two-week injury.” If this timeline turns out to be accurate, the 29-year-old should be available again no later than the Patriots’ first playoff game.
Tonga has been a valuable player
for New England since arriving on a one-year, $2.1 million contract in March. The BYU product has appeared in 14 games with eight starts for the club so far, playing 37.4% of defensive snaps and registering 24 tackles. In addition, he also has been a regular on special teams (16.9%) and even has been used as a big-bodied fullback (1.4%).
When he left the Patriots’ 28-24 win over the Ravens, Tonga became the latest defensive lineman to suffer an injury. Rookie Joshua Farmer hurt his hamstring earlier in that game and has since been placed on injured reserve, while Milton Williams remains on IR.
Williams, however, is nearing a comeback. His return would be good news in light of the Tonga and Farmer injuries.
