Patriots get good yet bizarre update on Stephon Gilmore’s injury
Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore left the game with a knee injury … or did he?
The New England Patriots got all sorts of lucky in the first half against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, but it all came crashing down to earth when Stephon Gilmore left the game late in the second quarter and didn’t return due to a knee injury.
He stumbled in coverage and fell very awkwardly, and to be honest, it was unclear which one of his knees got hurt on the play. And when the Patriots ended up losing 22-12 after getting dominated in the second half, it was clear the defense couldn’t afford Gilmore’s absence even with the Dolphins missing three of their top pass catchers.
Apparently it looked a lot worse than it actually was, though. It’s unclear how much time he’ll miss, but according to reports it’s “not as serious” as everyone initially thought and it’s also … not a knee injury?
Source: #Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore actually did not suffer a knee injury and the leg injury may not be as serious as it may have looked. He’ll have tests tomorrow.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 20, 2020
OK, we’ll take it! But it’s odd that the Patriots reported it as a knee injury at halftime and now it’s something entirely different. We’re also still uninformed as to which leg got hurt and it’s already hours later.
Whatever the case, good news is good news, and Gilmore going down with a structural injury would have been devastating for both parties. The star cornerback would’ve lost his contract year and the Pats wouldn’t have been able to trade him in the event the two sides ended up going down that road.
Here's the Stephon Gilmore injury. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/Kvf5MuUEr0
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) December 20, 2020
But it appears the Patriots and Gilmore will be avoiding the worst-case scenario. There’s no way you watched that clip and didn’t assume he suffered an ACL/MCL injury. And it looked like he hurt both of his legs!
Thank goodness the Patriots were spared more disastrous news. Missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and potentially finishing the year with a losing record for the first time since 2000 is enough to handle right now.
