The New England Patriots’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12 was a costly one. Several players went down injured during the 26-20 game, with four of them unable to finish the contest — including
a pair of starters along the offensive line.
Let’s assess the damage after rewatching the game.
Patriots injury analysis: Week 12
LG Jared Wilson: The Patriots’ left guard remained down after a 3rd-and-1 conversion by TreVeyon Henderson on the third offensive snap of the day. He walked off under own power but with a noticeable limp, and after a brief stay in the blue medical tent was carted to the locker room. Originally deemed as questionable to return, he was ruled out at the half and later diagnosed with a high ankle sprain. Wilson is considered week-to-week because of the injury. | News
S Brenden Schooler: The All-Pro special teamer went down on the kickoff following Drake Maye’s pick-six in the early second quarter. Trying to sustain a block, he tripped and fell backwards, grabbing his left ankle as he went to the ground. Schooler initially remained on the sidelines and tested out his ankle, but was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the contest at the half.
RT Morgan Moses: In the early second quarter, the Patriots’ right tackle was slow to get up following a 2-yard run. Moses left for the locker room and was announced as questionable to return because of an illness, but he did manage to come back. He returned to the game later in the second quarter, having missed seven offensive snaps, and finished the contest without any clear limitations.
DT Khyiris Tonga: New England suffered another first-half loss with 8:54 to go in the second quarter. Defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga stayed down following a pass play, requiring assistance on the field. He eventually left for the sideline, where he underwent further testing, before returning to the field on the extra point after Marcus Jones’ interception return touchdown. He remained in the lineup for the next defensive drive, but took his final snap of the day with 5:12 left in the game. Tonga was listed as questionable to return with a chest injury in the third quarter, but remained on the bench after the announcement.
LT Will Campbell: Trying to block on a perimeter run, New England’s rookie left tackle was rolled up on from his right and taken down. He remained on the ground, getting immediate medical help and undergoing testing on his right knee, including an ACL check. Campbell eventually limped off the field with members of the Patriots’ staff and headed to the blue medical tent. Like teammate Jared Wilson before him, he was eventually carted to the locker room and ruled out shortly thereafter. On Monday, it was reported that Campbell had suffered a sprained MCL that is expected to keep him out multiple weeks. | News
TE Hunter Henry: The Patriots’ leading receiver on the day, Henry was slow to get up after getting gang-tackled on a 14-yard catch-and-run midway through the fourth quarter. He was back two plays later, though, and no injury was announced.
What this means for the Patriots
The biggest names on the injury list coming out of Week 12 are Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, the Patriots’ rookie pair manning the left tackle and guard spots, respectively. Both are set to miss the upcoming game against the New York Giants, and possibly time after that as well. That being said, the team is hopeful that the two of them will be able to make a comeback later in the season and potentially be available for the start of the playoffs.
With them out, the Patriots will need to rebuild the left side of their O-line. Against Cincinnati, they did so by inserted Vederian Lowe for Campbell and Ben Brown for Wilson — a group that should remain intact for the foreseeable future, even though head coach Mike Vrabel was non-committal on Monday.
The offensive line is the biggest but not the only concern heading toward Week 13. Neither Brenden Schooler nor Khyiris Tonga were able to finish Sunday’s game as well, with the former spotted in a walking boot in the locker room after the game. Tonga, on the other hand, remained on the bench and participated in postgame handshakes, which can be interpreted as a positive sign.
Vrabel was asked about both during a press conference on Monday.
“Tonga’s never going to let anybody down as long as he’s here,” he said. “These guys want to go, and I have to look at them, I’ve got to figure out if they can, if they can protect themselves, they can do their job and not make it any worse. He clearly, from what I saw, wasn’t going to be able to do most of those things. And so, we’ll just see how he progresses through the week.”
As for Schooler, Vrabel said that he had, “[n]o update there, other than we have a busy training staff this morning.”
The Patriots will return to the practice fields on Wednesday, for their lone session before the Thanksgiving break. The session will give us a first look at the team coming off what was its most attritional contest of the season so far.
