Pats Pulpit
Prior to last week’s game against the New York Jets, the New England Patriots had only sent one of their players to injured reserve during the season: running back Antonio Gibson, who tore his ACL during a Week 5 win in Buffalo. Over the weekend, however, a second followed him.
Defensive tackle Milton Williams went to IR after suffering a high ankle sprain during the Patriots’ 27-14 win on Thursday night. He is the biggest medical concern coming out of Week 11, but not the only player to get banged up.
Let’s assess the damage after rewatching the game.
DT Milton Williams: Williams got banged up on the sixth snap of the game, a Justin Fields scramble that converted a 3rd-and-4 with 11:40 left in the first quarter. Christian Barmore got blocked into him, forcing the high-prized free agency pickup to remain on the ground. He initially headed to the blue medical tent before heading back to the locker room for further evaluation. While he did return to the sideline and reentered the game in the early second quarter, he was eventually ruled out to prevent further damage. On Saturday, the Patriots placed Williams on injured reserve. | News | Analysis
WR Stefon Diggs: New England’s leading wide receiver was slow to get up after an incomplete third down pass with 3:36 left in the second quarter. The veteran pointed at his right hip and showed some signs of discomfort, but no injury was announced and he ended up not missing any time: Diggs was back on the field for the next possible snap, and registered six of his nine catches after getting banged up.
ED K’Lavon Chaisson: Midway through the third quarter, Chaisson spent some time on the sidelines with the Patriots’ training staff. No injury was announced, and there did not appear to be any significant issue hampering the 26-year-old after he returned to the contest a short time later.
The Patriots are coming out of Week 11 with their defensive line depth in focus, for two reasons. The first is, obviously, Milton Williams being sidelined for at least the next four games while recovering his ankle ailment on injured reserve. With him unavailable, New England’s depth defensive tackles — Khyiris Tonga, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer tops among them — will try to hold own the fort opposite fellow starter Christian Barmore.
The second reason is K’Lavon Chaisson spending some time on the sideline. While he does not appear to be dealing with any major issue, as noted above, his brief absence showed once again that the Patriots’ edge position is a concern.
Even accounting for the one game that he missed with a knee injury (Week 5 at Buffalo), Chaisson has been on the field for almost 62% of defensive snaps this season. With the opposite-side starting edge, Harold Landry, trumping that number at 79%, it is clear New England is trusting its top...
