Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots’ 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night came at a cost.
Running back Antonio Gibson, who was unable to finish the game because of a knee injury, has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was first to report the extent of the injury.
Gibson, 27, remained down after a 24-yard kickoff return in the second quarter. While he was able to gingerly walk off the field under his own power, he quickly left for the locker room after a brief trip to the blue medical tent. The team ruled him out for the remainder of the game shortly thereafter, which was already an ominous sign.
Joining the Patriots on a three-year, $11.25 million free agency deal last offseason. Playing roughly one third of the team’s offensive snaps in his first season with the club, he saw action in 17 games with three starts and registered a combined 143 carries and catches for 744 yards and a touchdown.
This season, Gibson’s offensive playing time decreased to 17 percent. Appearing in all five games, he touched the ball 26 times for 107 yards and a touchdown. In addition, he had 12 kickoffs for 342 yards on his résumé and remains the only player so far to return a kickoff for a touchdown.
With Gibson now set to be placed on injured reserve, the Patriots will be left with Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson as the running backs on their 53-man roster. In addition, they have Terrell Jennings on the practice squad.
The Patriots will travel to New Orleans to play the Saints this Sunday. Kickoff has been flexed to 1 p.m. ET.
