The New England Patriots lost one of their best and most important defensive players to foot and ankle injuries that kept him from playing a snap against the Buffalo Bills last week. Robert Spillane has been the team's leading tackler, racking up 97 in total to this point. PFF grades him to be the league's 13th-best linebacker and among the most effective against the run, with an 87.3 overall grade.
His absence against Buffalo was felt. The middle of the field seemed wide open, with James Cook becoming the second player this season to amass over 100 rushing yards against the Patriots. Tight ends have also hurt New England all season, and Sunday was no different: Dawson Knox had three catches — two for touchdowns, and a third that set the Bills up inside the 10 for one of Cook's three scores.
Defending both the running game and tight end production will be difficult without Spillane, especially this week against Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews and the Baltimore Ravens. New England has built a group of linebackers who are specialized, so if deployed correctly, they should be in an OK place come Sunday night.
The Patriots’ linebacker dilemma could decide Sunday night’s outcome
The Patriots' linebacker group features a few notable players who have found themselves having real production in 2025. Christian Elliss was extended this offseason and is four tackles from matching his career high of 80. Jack Gibbens, signed from Tennessee, has also been a nice addition, as he's registered 61 tackles on the year and had his first sack of the season last week.
2023 third-round pick Marte Mapu has played more sparingly this season, with just 21 tackles to his name, but as a converted safety, he's also their best coverage linebacker. He's posted two PFF grades of 92-plus this year. The team also added Chad Muma from the Colts' practice squad this week; the 2022 third-round pick from Wyoming has 99 career tackles.
The Ravens utilize the run game as much as any other team in the league. Their run play percentage is the second highest in the league, and they are third in rushing yards per game. Henry is still an incredible player despite his fumbling issues, and he's a far better player with Jackson on the field. He averages 81.7 yards per game with Jackson under center, and has 4.8 yards per carry on the season. That total drops to 3.7 a carry with Jackson not on the field.
No Ravens back averages less than 4 yards per carry. Aside from Henry, speedster Keaton Mitchell averages (7.6 YPC), Justice Hill (5.2), and Rasheen Ali (4.0) are all dangerous with the ball in their hands.
Similar to the Bills, the Ravens utilize multiple tight ends, and that could pose problems for the Patriots' shorthanded defense. Per CBS Sports, New England's allowing about 62 yards per game to the position, which ranks 25th in football.
Both Andrews and Isaiah Likely have played at least 50 percent of the snaps in all but one game this season. When Likely was missing time at the beginning of the season, Charlie Kolar stepped in and played 50 percent or more of the snaps in three of four games. All three played more than 47 percent of snaps against the Texans in Week 5 against the Texans.
Expect Elliss and Gibbens to play the vast majority of the game, as was the case against the Bills. Mapu will have select opportunities on passing downs, while I wouldn't expect Muma to have much more than a special teams role. Otis Reese IV or Amari Gainer could be elevated from the practice squad, but like Muma, they'd likely have roles exclusive to special teams.
Replacing Spillane isn't impossible, but it will be a group effort. Expect Elliss, Gibbens, and Mapu to lead the charge in improving the middle of the defense from last week.