The New England Patriots suffered one of their worst losses in recent memory against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Not only were they beaten with a final score of 45-27, they also saw multiple players go down with injuries. While not all of those were equally serious, some are a definitive cause for concern.
After rewatching the game, let’s go through what is an extensive list for a team that has struggled with injuries all year long.
Patriots injury analysis: NFL Week 9
S Brenden Schooler: Already nursing a hamstring issue entering
the game, Schooler was limited to just four snaps against the Packers — all within the game’s first five minutes. The final one came on a Mitch Wishnowsky punt in the first quarter, and did not see the team captain suffer any obvious injury while working his typical role as a gunner. His hamstring still prevented him form finishing the game.
CB Carlton Davis III: While teammate Christian Gonzalez broke up a fourth-down pass late in the second quarter, Carlton Davis came up limping after making a cut in coverage against Packers receiver Christian Watson. He remained down on one knee on the sideline, and eventually slowly made his way to the blue medical tent. Davis was later announced as questionable to return with a knee injury, and ultimately ruled out instead of reentering the contest.
LG Ben Brown: Getting spun around while sustaining a pass block in the late second quarter, Brown went down after the play and received medical attention on the field. He slowly walked off under his own power and was later announced as questionable to reenter the contest with a knee issue. He too never came back.
TE Cameron Latu: Latu remained on the ground after a kickoff return in the late third quarter; he was taken down from behind while holding his block for returner Corey Kiner. He eventually jogged off the field and returned for the next special teams opportunity three minutes of game time later. No injury was announced by the team.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson: Catching a short pass near the sideline with under four minutes to go in the third quarter, Stevenson attempted to get up as normal but ultimately hobbled and went back down. He received some assistance by the Patriots medical staff, but walked off under his own power and into the medical tent. He departed for the locker room shortly thereafter and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game because of a knee injury.
S Jaylen Reed: The Patriots’ No. 3 safety took a brief trip to the blue medical tent in the late third quarter, but remained on the sidelines and reentered the contest shortly thereafter. As with Cameron Latu, no injury was announced for Reed either.
LT Will Campbell: Early in the fourth quarter, New England’s starting left tackle went down after blitzing safety Evan Williams collided with him from behind. Dealing with a knee injury, he walked off with members of the Patriots training staff and into the blue medical tent. The Patriots announced him as questionable to return, and he finished the game on the sidelines.
QB Drake Maye: The Patriots’ starting quarterback took a hard fall on a 10-yard sack with 10 minutes to go in the game. He was a bit slow to get up and eventually pulled from the game, although the decision to remove him had to do with the score at that point — 45-21 — as well as an overall attempt to preserve him rather than any effects from that particular play.
WR Kyle Williams: Williams came up limping after an incomplete target in the late fourth quarter (that ultimately did not count anyway due to a roughing-the-passer penalty). He was not on the field for the next two plays, but returned for the two-point conversion after a Corey Kiner touchdown run. The ball again came his way, was not completed, and he was shaken up: the second-year receiver took a hard fall while trying to reach for the overthrown pass. He returned for the game’s final two snaps.
What this means for the Patriots
As if losing by 18 points wasn’t bad enough, the already injury-plagued Patriots also took some more hits on Sunday. Not all of them appear to be of the major variety, but some certainly are.
Rhamondre Stevenson, for example, is reportedly set to miss some time due to a knee tendon injury. Ben Brown, meanwhile, won’t be available for the team against the Detroit Lions in Germany on Sunday. The statuses of Carlton Davis and Brenden Schooler, who also were unable to finish the contest, remain to be determined — as will any other effects from the game.
It wasn’t all bad news, though. Will Campbell, for example, said after the game that he could have returned had the score not been out of hand at that point.
Still, the Patriots will once again be forced to adapt. At running back, this means potentially being down the top two options this week versus the Lions. Besides Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson has now missed back-to-back games because of an illness of undetermined origin. This means that Corey Kiner, Lan Larison and practice squad option Terrell Jennings would remain as the only available backs in Week 10.
Along the offensive line, meanwhile, the Patriots’ turnover at guard is set to continue. With Brown out, the team will either reinsert Walter Rouse or veteran Greg Van Roten, whose window to return from injured reserve was opened last week.
The Patriots will hold their first practice of the week on Wednesday before taking an overnight flight to Munich. They will then hold a light session on Thursday followed by another regular practice on Friday. Kickoff against the Lions is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.
