The Patriots left Sunday’s loss to the Packers with more than a 45-27 defeat on the scoreboard. They also came out of Week 9 with another long injury list, and a few of those situations look a lot more serious than others.
New England has been dealing with health issues all season, but this one hit across multiple spots. Some players were able to keep going. Others never made it back.
Brenden Schooler was already working through a hamstring issue before kickoff, and that limited him to just four snaps. All of those came in the first five minutes, including his final rep on a Mitch Wishnowsky punt in the first quarter. He handled his usual gunner duties without any obvious new injury, but the hamstring kept him from finishing the game.
Carlton Davis III’s night ended after he came up limping while cutting in coverage against Christian Watson. The injury happened late in the second quarter, after Christian Gonzalez had broken up a fourth-down pass.
Davis stayed down on one knee, then eventually made his way slowly to the blue medical tent. He was later listed as questionable to return with a knee injury and was ruled out.
Ben Brown also went down in the second quarter. After getting spun around on a pass block, he needed medical attention on the field and then walked off under his own power. The Patriots later called him questionable to reenter with a knee issue, but he never came back.
Not every scare turned into a lasting problem. Cameron Latu stayed on the ground after a kickoff return late in the third quarter, when he was taken down from behind while blocking for Corey Kiner.
He got up, jogged off, and was back for the next special teams snap three minutes of game time later. No injury was announced.
Jaylen Reed also made a quick stop in the blue medical tent late in the third quarter, but he stayed on the sideline and returned shortly after. No injury was announced there either.
Rhamondre Stevenson’s injury was one of the bigger concerns. He caught a short pass near the sideline with under four minutes left in the third quarter, tried to get up, then hobbled and went back down.
He got help from the medical staff, walked off on his own, entered the medical tent and then headed to the locker room. He was quickly ruled out with a knee injury, and he is reportedly set to miss some time because of a knee tendon injury.
Will Campbell also left with a knee issue early in the fourth quarter after safety Evan Williams collided with him from behind. He walked off with the training staff, went into the blue medical tent and was listed as questionable to return. He finished the game on the sideline, though he said afterward that he could have gone back in if the score had not been out of hand.
Drake Maye took a hard shot on a 10-yard sack with 10 minutes left and was slow to get up before leaving the game. That removal was tied to the score, which was 45-21 at the time, and the Patriots’ effort to protect him rather than any lasting effect from the play.
Kyle Williams had a rough finish as well. He came up limping after an incomplete target late in the fourth quarter, though that play ended up not counting because of a roughing-the-passer penalty.
He missed the next two snaps, then returned for the two-point try after Corey Kiner’s touchdown run. Williams was targeted again, fell hard while reaching for an overthrown pass, and was shaken up, but he finished the game’s final two plays.
The Patriots now have to sort through the fallout before heading to Germany. Brown will not be available against the Lions in Munich on Sunday, and Stevenson’s absence could leave New England without its top two running backs this week. TreVeyon Henderson has missed back-to-back games because of an illness of undetermined origin, which would leave Corey Kiner, Lan Larison and practice squad back Terrell Jennings as the only available runners in Week 10.
Up front, the Patriots may need another shuffle at guard. With Brown out, the team could turn back to Walter Rouse or veteran Greg Van Roten, whose return window from injured reserve was opened last week.
New England’s first practice of the week is set for Wednesday, followed by an overnight flight to Munich. The team will hold a light session on Thursday and another regular practice on Friday before kickoff against the Lions at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.
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