The New England Patriots’ injuries in 2013 have been well-documented, but three stand out far above the rest.
Rob Gronkowski, Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo were to be integral parts of the Patriots’ plans this season, but each would find themselves playing less than seven full games and eventually on IR.
The Patriots have clearly missed all three players this season but who have they missed the most?
Wilfork
Vince Wilfork has been the heart of the Patriots defense since 2009 and was the queen on Bill Belichick’s defensive chess board. Belichick would move Wilfork all over the defensive line to take away an opposition’s strength.
Wilfork was already battling a foot injury before tearing his Achilles Tendon in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons and wasn’t his usual effective self in the first three games of the season.
The loss of Tommy Kelly the following week against the Cincinnati Bengals only exacerbated the problem on the defensive line. Prior to 2013, Kelly and Wilfork had not missed a game in eight combined seasons.
Without Wilfork and Kelly, the Patriots have turned to rookies Chris Jones and Joe Vellano, along with trading for Isaac Sopoaga and bringing in Sealver Siliga from their practice squad. All but the undrafted Vellano are essentially castoffs from other teams who have played significant snaps for the Pats.
Nowhere has the impact of Wilfork’s loss hurt more than in run defense, where the Pats are 31st in the NFL. Improved play on the back end has helped the pass defense, but the pass rush pressure has also been hurt without Wilfork to eat up multiple blockers.
Mayo
Jerod Mayo was the Patriots’ only three-down linebacker and leader of the defensive huddle before tearing his pectoral in Week 6 against the Saints.
The Patriots were stuck trying to use Dont’a Hightower in a three-down role, something he did not have the range for. Hightower has the worst pass coverage grade on the Patriots by ProFootballFocus.com with a -7.1.
Ultimately, the Pats switched to Dane Fletcher in the dime packages and incorporated Jamie Collins more in passing situations. But replacing Mayo has been a job done by a committee, and no one does the things Mayo did as well has he did them.
If Vince Wilfork was the heart of the Patriots’ defense, Mayo was its brain, consistently making sure everyone had the calls and was lined up correctly. The Pats have missed his veteran presence.
Gronkowski
For the one battling the most injuries and surgeries this year, it’s surprising the Rob Gronkowski actually played more games than Wilfork or Mayo. There was no question, the Pats offense started to find their stride once their versatile tight end returned in Week 7 against the Jets.
After Gronkowski got two games under his belt, the Patriots hit unstoppable mode, averaging 475.4 yards of offense in the next five games.
Gronk would catch a touchdown in four-straight games before having his knee blown out against the Cleveland Browns. His season would end after just seven games, but in that span he totaled 39 catches for 592 yards and four touchdowns.
For a player coming off multiple surgeries to his arm and one to his back, it was clear that Gronk was quickly back to his dominant self. Expectations should be the same for 2014.
The Pats offense didn’t regress on the surface in their first game without Gronkowski against the Miami Dolphins. They continued their torrid pace, putting up 453 yards of offense.
But where they did miss Gronkowski? In the red zone, where they scored just one touchdowns on four trips.
Conclusion
Mayo and Gronkowski’s value to the Patriots is undeniable, but Wilfork was an elite player involved in every play and is absence has hurt the Pats the most.
Wifork will be 33 and coming off the first major surgery of his career. Can he return and be the same player he was before the injury? He seems to think he can.
But Wilfork is entering the last year of his contract and his future beyond 2014 is even more uncertain after the injury. The Patriots will need to add more talent to their defensive line this offseason, not only as insurance for Wilfork, but to groom as his eventual replacement.