The Patriots managed to make the AFC Championship last season with a plethora of key injuries. The two biggest injuries were those to Rob Gronkowski and Vince Wilfork.
Well, the Pats will have to overcome their injury woes once again this season.
Running back Stevan Ridley tore his ACL and MCL and will miss the remainder of the season.
Ridley led the Patriots with 340 rushing yards this campaign. Shane Vereen wasn’t even close at 216.
If that wasn’t enough, head coach Bill Belichick also lost linebacker Jerod Mayo to a season-ending knee injury. Mayo led the team with tackles with 53. The next leading tackler was Jamie Collins with 26, meaning Mayo had more than double the tackles than the next-leading defender.
So the Pats will be without their best running back and their best linebacker. Both players have been overlooked this season. Ridley was noted for his fumbling problems, but he’s been a key contributor to the team’s offense. Mayo never got much buzz from anyone around the league, but he’s been their best defensive player this year.
Replacing your best defensive player and your leading rusher is going to be far from easy.
Ridley’s carries will be taken by Vereen, James White and Brandon Bolden. The Pats should think about getting some help in the backfield via free agency or trade. Vereen is not a bad option, but is a better receiving back than rushing.
White is a rookie out of Wisconsin who only has three carries for 21 yards this season. Bolden is more of a special teams player, but his role will definitely be expanded now. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will likely now lead a pass-happy offense.
The bigger issue comes at linebacker, where the Pats badly lack depth. Next in line could be rookie Deontae Skinner, who has 10 tackles so far this season. It’s yet to be seen if this kid can replace Mayo’s production. Fourth-year player Chris White will also try and replace Mayo. He’s been mostly a special teams player, but he could see time if Skinner doesn’t have success.
New England will probably find a way to get past these injuries, but you have to be concerned. If you look at the depth chart, those two positions are probably where they lack depth the most.
Some young guys are going to need to step up, because they have some awfully big shoes to fill. We’ll find out if the Pats can recover from the loss of Ridley and Mayo.
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