It's now a weekly occurrence for the Patriots to lose another player to injury mid-game, and that was exactly what happened against the Raiders on Sunday. Not only did left tackle Will Campbell leave with an apparent knee injury, but running back TreVeyon Henderson also exited with a reported ankle/foot injury.
The offense has already lost several starters, most notably wide receivers A.J. Brown and Mack Hollins, and right guard Mike Onwenu. So losing two more starters could prove to be devastating.
It didn't make much of a difference against the Raiders, since the Patriots won 45-17 in what can only be described as a brutal beatdown. But there are still a lot of games left to play, and missing key starters only hurts their chances of maintaining their current momentum.
For now, we can look forward to the latest updates on Brown, Campbell, and Henderson, which Mike Vrabel provided on Monday morning.
The latest injury updates on the Patriots' long list of injured players
A.J. Brown could return to practice this week
After being placed on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain in Week 1, Brown missed at least 4 games before he was eligible to return to practice.
Going into Week 6 against the Jets, the receiver can be activated from IR, and, according to Vrabel, that's a chance that happens.
Most analysts weren't sure that would happen, as early reports suggested Brown would likely miss 6-8 weeks due to the severity of a high ankle sprain. But in recent days, he's been seen in the locker room without a limp and with only tape on his ankle, which might signal he's returning sooner rather than later.
With Mack Hollins just placed on IR and the offense with only four active receivers for Sunday's game, it wouldn't be surprising if Brown is activated this week. However, they're facing the Jets, and if they feel confident about their chances, they might wait one more week before getting him back on the field
Will Campbell to have an MRI to assess his knee injury
As if the offense hasn't already dealt with enough issues on the offensive line, Campbell's knee injury was devastating to see, especially since it looks like it's the same knee he injured last year.
Because further testing is needed to determine the injury's severity, it was reported that the left tackle would undergo an MRI to get things checked out.
But Vrabel was vague in his update, even suggesting Campbell could practice this week ahead of the Jets game, while still emphasizing that he'll need to rehab what he's dealing with before that happens.
"We'll see how the week goes. It'll get looked at and continue to rehab. Wasn't able to finish the game, so I mean, I don't know how much time he'll miss if he'll be back towards the end of the week. if he'll be back Wednesday. But we'll take it day by day and see how he feels tomorrow. See what he does Wednesday and keep you updated on the injury report."
Obviously, it's unfortunate that this happened when Campbell was performing at a high level at the start of his second season. He's been exactly what the offense needed after a rough end to his rookie year.
But the Patriots are fortunate to have drafted Caleb Lomu this past year; he was a left tackle in college and appeared to seamlessly step in for Campbell on Sunday, keeping Drake Maye off the ground. Knowing he'll start as long as Campbell is out feels a lot better than it would have last year.
TreVeyon Henderson will be evaluated on Monday for an ankle/foot injury
After exiting Sunday's game, Henderson reportedly hur this ankle or foot and was ruled out after halftime along with Campbell.
Given how much better the run game was against the Raiders, it couldn't have been worse timing for the offense to lose a starter. Based on Vrabel's evaluation, Henderson will likely miss some time.
He told reporters on Monday that they will evaluate the running back and determine how much time he will miss. That suggests he will miss time, which means Rhamondre Stevenson will once again carry the workload from the backfield.
Corey Kiner stepped up after Henderson went down, despite fumbling earlier in the game. He helped Stevenson split snaps once the game looked out of reach for the Raiders, and he will likely continue in that role as long as Henderson is sidelined.
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