New England Patriots’ win over Buffalo Bills came at a costly price for one key player
A young player needs to step up in his place.
The New England Patriots have heard mostly good news and endured plenty of happy moments over the past 24 hours. Unfortunately, the NFL is a rollercoaster of emotions, though. Their massive divisional win also saw an experienced piece of their roster suffer a notable injury.
That victory over Buffalo came a distinct cost for the offense and special teams units for the Patriots, though. Antonio Gibson suffered a season-ending injury for New England.
Patriots lose Antonio Gibson for the rest of season due to torn ACL
According to reports, the worst has been confirmed when it comes to the knee injury for veteran RB Antonio Gibson. The Patriots backup running back tore his ACL during New England’s Sunday Night Football win over the Bills.
Gibson had been a key part of the special teams return game for the Patriots, and he was even seeing time on offense, particularly due to the fumbling issues of Rhamondre Stevenson.
Meanwhile, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson’s amount of touches has been consistently limited so far during the regular season. Working him in slowly always made sense, but this news may force the Pats’ hand when it comes to his playing time. Not to mention, New England could also look at the free agent market for another depth running back who has experience toting the rock in the pros.
No matter what – this sort of injury opens the door for more snaps and chances to make plays for the rookie RB, who showed fantastic explosiveness and play making ability during the offseason.
New opportunity for rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson
The Ohio State Buckeyes product hasn’t seen as many snaps on offense as fans have wanted so far this season. When he has touched the ball out of the backfield, the production has been somewhat limited.
Through five weeks of play, Henderson is averaging 3.8 yards per carry. He does have fifteen receptions already, though, so his receiving ability is quite clear. Getting him even more involve din the passing game can take some weight off of Drake Maye’s shoulders.
The injury to Gibson is incredibly unfortunate. He was often the RB that Mike Vrabel’s staff showed the most trust in for key situations, but now, there is more pressure on the young running back – as well as Stevenson, who has been a mixed bag of results this year. I’m interested to see the sort of split in the backfield going forward for New England.
The murmurs for more touches for the rookie may get to a deafening level, but Vrabel has never been the type to shy away from what he believes is best for his team on a weekly basis. Regardless, we will see if this injury opens the door for Henderson’s talent and potential to shine for the Patriots.
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