The Patriots' hopes for an undefeated season just took a big blow
The Patriots' hopes for an undefeated season just took a big blow
Scott Davis
Maddie Meyer/Getty
Julian Edelman may be out the rest of the regular season with a foot fracture.
The New England Patriots, even at their most vulnerable, found a way to sneak out a 27-26 win at the last second over the New York Giants.
While the Patriots kept their undefeated season alive at 9-0, they also took a big blow with Julian Edelman's foot injury.
During the second quarter, Edelman took a low tackle after a catch, and fell to the ground. He immediately limped off the field, was attended to by trainers, and left the game.
Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo reports that Edelman may have a Jones fracture in his foot:
Julian Edelman's injury is to his fifth metatarsal, believed to be a true Jones fracture. Possible return for playoff
As Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper notes, this is the same kind of injury Dez Bryant dealt with and he missed seven games. Garofolo's mention of a possible playoff return matches that timeline.
This is brutal news for the Patriots. Edelman is the Patriots' best wide receiver, leads the team in targets and is second in receiving yards. Following the news that running back Dion Lewis tore his ACL in Week 9, Brady is now without two of his top three targets.
Of course, if there's any one team that could handle the loss of a major cog in their offense, it's the Patriots. They still have Rob Gronkowski and solid wide outs in Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell. Additionally, the Patriots are arguably the best in the league at turning bench players into valuable role players, so over the next seven weeks, someone we never saw coming could become a huge part of the Patriots' offense.
Nonetheless, this weakens the Patriots' grasp at the top of the NFL. With injuries to their offensive line as well, pressure has mounted on Brady and his healthy weapons to take their game up a level.
