Injuries Strike Pats Just After They Clicked

We’re all sick of hearing it but here it is again “injuries are the only thing that stand between the Patriots and Super Bowls at this point in the Belichick/Brady dynasty.” You either get years where they stay almost entirely healthy — 2014/2016 (with a notable exception or two like Gronk last year), or 2013/2015 where key guys are lost and it’s just not enough to get past the AFC Championship.

Every year is a bit different. And this year, the injuries to Julian Edelman, such a critical player, and others cam early enough that they could still be overcome. But it’s a long season and we’re not even half way through it. And now, after a couple weeks of injury reprieve, the Pats once again had a frightening injury report on Wednesday with Dont’a Hightower, Malcom Brown and Danny Amendola leading the way.

These were three gut punch absences, especially after the Pats were coming off their first complete game performance of the season. A feel-good “Pats are back” type win that made the sloppy start a distant memory.

Let’s start with Hightower, who Jeff Howe reported is going to be out an unknown amount of time. After sustaining a knee injury in the opener this is the second injury to hit the leader of the defense this season, and his ability to hit incentives in the new contract he signed this offseason is quickly diminishing.

Already can’t earn his 80% playing-time incentive. Missing the Chargers game would eliminate his slim chance of earning his 75% playing-time incentive. https://t.co/WO9qGynFYu

— Cap Space=$4,885,684 (@patscap) October 26, 2017

Hightower’s calming presence on defense was the first thing to start the defensive turnaround this season. Many takes got caught up with where he was playing but what matter most was that he was playing a significant majority of the snaps. Now you wonder if the communication on defense will take a hit without him in there for at least this weekend, and who knows how much longer.

The hot takes are flying fast out there on Hightower. It’s unfortunate because I find it hard to get mad at a person who is in there fighting 300-pound men, getting in car crashes every weekend and people expect their bodies to hold together. This is how Hightower plays and why we love him. He doesn’t make Super Bowl-saving plays like he did in 49 if he’s not willing to sacrifice his body, so save your complaints. Injuries are part of football and are unavoidable, especially for players like Boomtower.

We knew the player the Pats were re-signing and the risks that came with him. We just hoped he could somehow put together a healthy year, especially when the linebacker depth had been thinned so much already. Yes, more than ever, we need Shea McClellin back and I still can’t believe how much I want it.

At this point we just have to accept where we’re at with Hightower. It’s going to be a grind it out season and we can only hope he’s healthy enough for the end of the season for a playoff run. It’s a bit like Edelman in 2015. It’s not ideal. And yes, another tough, three-down linebacker should be a huge target next offseason, but we’re a long ways away from that point.

Then there’s Malcom Brown, who was really starting to hit his potential this season, dominating the line of scrimmage and playing the biggest part of everyone in the resurgent Pats run defense. He hasn’t missed a game in his first two-plus seasons so this is uncharted territory for the athletic technician.

Alan Branch has been better in recent weeks, but it would put a big spotlight on him and Lawrence Guy, and there’s no tackle depth behind them. Losing Brown would certainly hurt against Melvin Gordon, who runs hard.

Finally comes Amendola, who I’m hoping was just getting a veteran day off. The Pats have been very careful with him and all reports are that he seemed a-okay in the locker room on Monday. Still, it’s just another sign of what a tight line these Patriots are walking with injuries with some of their most key players.

The 2017 season has been a far cry from how healthy the 2016 team was and it’s once again putting my “injuries are all that matter” theory to the test. The biggest hope is that the defense doesn’t totally regress again if they lose two of their key players. Luckily, there’s a bye week to heal up after this weekend, but one thing is for sure, I don’t feel as great about this Chargers matchup as I did immediately after the defensive performance against the Falcons.