New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots grinded out a huge 23-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, and it’s safe to say this was the most important win for the team in recent memory. It did come at a cost, though, and in this case, that cost was running back Antonio Gibson.
On a kickoff return early in the second quarter, Gibson was upended by Cam Lewis, and he ended up fumbling the football on the play, which fellow running back TreVeyon Henderson managed to recover. On the play, though, Gibson suffered a knee injury, and he was quickly ruled out of the game.
After the win, it was reported that Gibson had suffered a torn ACL, which would end his season. On Friday afternoon, the veteran running back was placed on injured reserve, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster.
“Patriots place RB Antonio Gibson on injured reserve,” the team announced in a post on X.
With Gibson out, the Pats are going to lean more on Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson moving forward. The problem is that Stevenson has already lost three fumbles this season, while Henderson has struggled to earn the trust of coaches after making a slew of minor mistakes through his first five games.
Gibson will finish the season with 106 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, while also catching two passes for six yards. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, helping the Patriots earn a 33-27 victory.
New England will turn its attention to its Week 6 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, with Jaylinn Hawkins, Anfernee Jennings and Keion White all being ruled out for the game alongside Gibson. Kickoff for this clash is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
