Patriots injury report is worrisome at unexpected critical position
By Adam Weinrib
The New England Patriots are going to have to worry about something should’ve been a non-factor in 2020.
The Patriots had very few unexpected decisions to make when their roster crunch deadline arrived this summer — thanks to several defensive opt-outs, there were plenty of roster spots available.
Unfortunately, we somehow arrived at an unanticipated showdown: veteran kicker Nick Folk against 2020 draft pick Justin Rohrwasser, in a battle for supremacy.
Ultimately, neither of them ended up dominating practice, and both men were assigned to the practice squad, with Folk getting the bump prior to the start of the regular season. Regrettably, Folk has hit the injury report prior to Monday’s “battle” with the Jets, throwing an unnecessary wrench into the team’s plans for what should’ve been an easy matchup.
The Patriots have question marks at kicker, wide receiver and defensive tackle based on Saturday's injury report. https://t.co/qigFBRcKwV pic.twitter.com/3cD4TmmubL
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) November 7, 2020
Only N’Keal Harry and JJ Taylor are out this week, but the list of “questionable” Patriots is enormous, and includes Folk, one of the rare Pats without a genuine backup.
Gaze upon this list and disseminate it:
"LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (groin)LB Shilique Calhoun (knee)DT Carl Davis (concussion)S Cody Davis (calf)S Kyle Dugger (ankle)K Nick Folk (back)CB Stephon Gilmore (knee)DL Lawrence Guy (shoulder, elbow and knee)RB Damien Harris (ankle)TE Ryan Izzo (hamstring)CB J.C. Jackson (knee)TE Dalton Keene (knee)RG Shaq Mason (calf)DE John Simon (elbow)LG Joe Thuney (ankle)DE Deatrich Wise (knee, hand)LT Isaiah Wynn (ankle)"
That’s…folks, that’s not what you want.
Regrettably, we garnered no information on Folk on Saturday, as he was shunned from reporters, left in solitude.
Kicker Nick Folk, who was scheduled to speak with reporters but was taken off the schedule Saturday, has been added to the injury report with a back ailment. He is questionable for Monday's game vs. the Jets.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 7, 2020
The veteran kicker (range-less, but fairly reliable) is 11-for-13 on the season, and if he’s unable to perform on Monday night against the Jets, the alternative for the Pats is…Rohrwasser. There really isn’t much here.
The list of questionable Patriots is monstrous, but there’s nobody with less depth behind him than Folk. We’ll have to cross our fingers and hope this question doesn’t have to be answered.
