Ja'Whaun Bentley proving to be sorely missed by Patriots already vs. Jets

When tenured Patriots linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley left the Patriots Week 2 game against the Seahawks, the initial belief was that he wasn't dealing with a serious injury. It was reported as a banged up shoulder and the captain would be ready for their Thursday night game against the Jets in Week 3.

Just eight hours after that report was posted on social media, it was revealed that Bentley suffered a torn pectoral and would miss the rest of the 2024 season, a much different future than previously stated.

It's a massive blow to the Patriots defense, which is already down Christian Barmore and Matthew Judon, two star performers over the last few seasons. Bentley's absence was an immediate call for concern regarding his leadership, being one of the team's captains, and his contributions as a solid tackler and run defender.

Both of those areas have been some of the weakest parts of the defense over the last few years in New England, and just as it looked like they were on the path to improvement, Bentley suffered a heartbreaking injury.

His absence is already being felt during the Patriots' Thursday Night Football matchup against the Jets this week, as missed tackles by one of his replacements, Raekwon McMillan, and avoidable devastating penalties by Jahlani Tavai made it easy for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets' offense to score the first touchdown of the game.

It's not a great situation so far, and it's just the first game without Bentley in the lineup.

The hope (of course) is that those playing in his absence will figure it out the more experience they gain this season, but it doesn't bode well for the tough lineup of opponents the Patriots have coming up on the docket over the next several weeks, especially the 49ers in Week 4.

More Patriots news and analysis: