Patriots suffer huge blow, lose defensive captain for rest of 2024 to injury

As if the Patriots didn't have enough things to stress about on their short week, they now learned that one of their best defensive players, Ja'Whaun Bentley, suffered a far worse injury in their Week 2 matchup with the Seahawks than initially believed.

The linebacker left Sunday's game early with a shoulder injury and didn't return. The news regarding his injury was said to be optimistic and not considered serious. However, that's not the case, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

It was just released that Bentley suffered a torn pec on Sunday and will now miss the rest of the 2024 season. It's a huge blow to an already shakey team, after what appeared to be a more promising season than anyone anticipated.

It's an even more significant loss for the locker room, as Bentley is a captain and locker room leader and has since taken over the celebration duties that Matthew Slater long held.

Because the offense continues to be questionable, especially after their weak showing against the Seahawks on Sunday, the defense has remained the part of the team to lean on. They have given more opportunities to get the offense on the field and have locked down some of the top receivers in the league already to keep things from getting out of hand.

On top of that, rising stars like Keion White have quickly stepped up as the leading pass rusher, much to the help of veterans like Bentley. With Christian Barmore sidelined and Matthew Judon with the Falcons, White's second-year jump was much-needed.

While that could remain for the defense moving forward, losing a guy like Bentley will leave a gap on the defense that might not be able to be filled.

This is the latest horrible injury in a string of them across the league. Hopefully, this won't continue for the Patriots or any other team, for that matter.

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