5 Gifts the Patriots want for Christmas

Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

1. Fast healing for Devin McCourty’s ankle

While we’re on the subject of injuries on defense, let’s take a second to ask Santa for the gift of a healthy McCourty. One could make the argument that McCourty is the most valuable fixture on the entire defense, so it’s paramount that the star free safety’s high ankle sprain subsides as soon as possible.

The Patriots can owe their eighth-ranked pass defense after the departure of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner to the efforts of McCourty, who they managed to retain in free agency by offering a midnight deal contract right before D-Mac signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan are as happy as anyone that McCourty decided to stick around in New England.

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It’s pretty likely that the Patriots will encounter the Steelers at some point in the month of January, and they’re going to need McCourty at full strength against the top passing offense in the league.