Injuries over the past few weeks have ravaged the New England Patriots. In the latter half of the season, Milton Williams and Will Campbell were placed on injured reserve. Robert Spillane, Jared Wilson, and Brenden Schooler have missed time, and both Christian Barmore and Harold Landry played through injury on Sunday.
During the game on Sunday, TreVeyon Henderson was ruled out with a head injury, while defensive tackles Khyiris Tonga and Joshua Farmer also were ruled out. Seven players in total were designated with an injury at some point during the game, including Kayshon Boutte, Pop Douglas, and Thayer Munford. Charles Woods was also ruled out with a foot injury.
Milton Williams is eligible to return from IR this week, but regardless of his status, the Patriots are in injury hell. The team may have found something in UDFA nose tackle Eric Gregory: he has a 73.5 PFF grade in 76 snaps this year.
Nonetheless, missing out on two of the team's top run stoppers in Tonga and Farmer, especially with Spillane still out, puts them in a tough position, especially considering they've allowed 450 rush yards across their last three games.
Extrapolated over a season, that would be the third-worst in the league.
The Patriots lucked out with opposition in their final two games
A pair of divisional matchups with the AFC East on the line normally wouldn't be ideal, but for as much flak as the Patriots have gotten for their weak schedule this year, they may have their two easiest matchups still ahead of them: the Jets and Dolphins.
They'll face off against the Jets on Sunday, led by UDFA quarterback Brady Cook. Cook, signed from Missouri, has a 59.2% completion rate this season, with one touchdown and six interceptions, averaging just over 175 yards per game. They average 12 points a game with him at the helm, and scored six last week. He posted his best career passer rating, 64.9, along with his highest yard total, 188, against the Saints.
The expectations haven't been high for Cook: he spent nearly the entire year on the practice squad before being elevated after Justin Fields' benching, and later stepped in after Tyrod Taylor went down with an injury.
Taylor is now back, but Aaron Glenn wants to see what a rookie can do rather than a 36-year-old veteran. With no Garrett Wilson and Mason Taylor only just returning from a neck injury, things could get ugly in New York.
In their Week 18 matchup, New England has the notorious Miami Dolphins. Miami has beaten New England twice in the last game of the season with playoff implications since 2019, and Vrabel will be hoping this won't be a third time.
Tua Tagovailoa was benched for the remainder of the year, and Quinn Ewers stepped in for the Dolphins on Sunday. The seventh-round pick posted a stat line of 20/30, 260 yards, and two interceptions in a blowout loss to the Bengals.
We may see Zach Wilson get the nod for Week 18 over Ewers if he has a repeat performance. Wilson is 6/9 for 32 yards in mop-up duty this year, and didn't throw a pass in '24 with the Broncos. During his final season with the Jets, he threw for 189 yards a game with a 60.1% completion rate, passing for eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.
No matter how you dice it, the Patriots will be facing off against some abhorrent quarterbacks over the next two weeks.
Keep an eye on opposing running games during the final games of the season
Should Tonga, Farmer, and Spillane miss time, it still isn't ideal. Both teams have relied on and will continue to rely on their running games with weak QB play. Breece Hall is on pace for his best-ever season, and needs just 46 yards against New England to crack the one thousand mark for the first time in his career.
He was the second running back to break the 50-yard mark against the Patriots this season. In limited opportunities, Isaiah Davis has been an effective spell to Hall, with 40 carries for 225 yards and 20 catches on the year.
De'Von Achane has six games with 90+ yards and 1,267 yards on the year. He's been incredibly efficient, too, with 5.8 yards per carry. While New England contained him to just 30 yards from 11 rushes last meeting, he had 92 receiving yards. Jaylen Wright had 107 yards earlier this month against the Jets, a career high.
Despite the numerous Patriots injuries, their opposition over the next two weeks is incredibly poor. The team has the opportunity to move to 13-4, win the division, and potentially clinch the No. 1 seed if Denver drops one of its final two games.
There's a lot on the line for an injured Patriots team, but they couldn't get a much easier path.