The New England Patriots’ divisional round playoff game against the Houston Texans was a tightly-contested battle, and it led to some casualties on both sides. Several players were injured during the contest,
with multiple Patriots among those to go down.
With the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos on the horizon, let’s assess the damage after rewatching the Patriots’ 28-16 win.
Patriots injury analysis: NFL divisional playoffs
LB Robert Spillane: The Patriots’ defensive leader took a trip to the blue medical tent on the sideline after the Texans’ second series and was announced as questionable to return with a thumb injury. However, the issue did not keep him out long. While he did end up missing five defensive snaps, Spillane was back on the field at the start of the next series in the late first quarter.
RB TreVeyon Henderson: Henderson remained on the ground after a short run in the early second period, but eventually jogged to sideline under his own power. He did get checked out by trainers and was not on the field for the subsequent two offensive snaps, but returned for the next series midway through the quarter. No injury was announced by the team.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson: The Patriots’ lead running back spent some time on the sideline in the first half after getting poked in the eye. He was ultimately announced as questionable to return, but by the third quarter was back in action wearing a clear visor on his helmet. Stevenson ended up carrying the ball 13 times for 45 yards after reentering, and did not show any limitations.
S Craig Woodson: The rookie safety took a hard hit on his interception with 8:37 left in the second quarter and looked shaken up afterwards. He visited the medical tent and was announced as questionable to return with a head injury, but ultimately was cleared for return and ended up missing just two defensive snaps.
CB Charles Woods: On the very next play after Craig Woodson’s return, another defensive back got banged up. No. 4 cornerback Charles Woods was slow to get up after a punt, but he ultimately made his way to the sideline and did not end up missing any time. As with the aforementioned TreVeyon Henderson, no injury was announced by the team.
OT Morgan Moses: The Patriots’ starting right tackle was slow to get up after a lost fumble midway through the third quarter, but he made his way to the sideline under his own power. No injury update was announced, and Moses was back in action after New England had reacquired possession five plays later. He did end up missing a pair of snaps later in the game, though: on the two final kneel-downs, backup tackle Thayer Munford Jr. took his spot in the lineup.
ED Anfernee Jennings: Jennings was able to sack Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud with 2:37 left in the third quarter, but with teammate Christian Elliss coming in to clean up came down hard on the ground. The sixth-year defender was shaken up a bit, but never entered the medical tent and was back in action after two plays.
CB Carlton Davis: After catching two interceptions earlier in the game, Davis had to exit the contest in the early fourth quarter. The veteran cornerback was banged up after making a tackle on a run play, and was immediately removed from the field. He went into the medical tent and was announced as questionable to return with a head injury. Eventually, Davis departed for the locker room and was ruled out with two minutes left in the game.
What this means for the Patriots
The Patriots’ injury situation obviously is not as dire as the Broncos’ — Denver lost starting quarterback Bo Nix to an ankle injury on Saturday — but there are still some question marks hanging over the team. The biggest among them is starting cornerback Carlton Davis, whose head injury will be worth paying close attention to in the coming days.
Davis himself did not speak with the media after the game, which is standard procedure for players dealing with head injuries. On Monday, Mike Vrabel did not provide any update on his status.
Should Davis end up missing time, the Patriots’ backup cornerbacks will be pressed into action. Based on the season so far, Charles Woods projects as the next man up. The team also recently got Alex Austin back from injured reserve and has rookie Kobee Minor as additional depth on the 53-man roster.
As for the other injuries listed above, none of them seemed overly serious. Of course, the days following a game can always change the outlook, which is why we will get a first true update on Wednesday: the Patriots will hold their first practice of the week that afternoon and later release their initial injury report.
The AFC Championship Game at Denver’s Mile High Stadium will be kicked off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 25.
