Analyzing the Patriots’ injury situation after their 40-7 loss to the Chargers in Week 17.
The New England Patriots’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday was a disaster from start to finish. To add literal insult to injury, the team of first-year head coach Jerod Mayo also saw several players suffer injuries — starting with the best performers on both sides of the ball.
Let’s assess the damage after re-watching the game.
Patriots injury analysis: Week 17
LB Christian Elliss: With 13:27 to go in the first quarter, Elliss appeared to get shaken up after a Chargers third-down conversation. While he was slow to get up, he left the field under his own power and eventually was back on the field three plays later.
QB Drake Maye: The Patriots’ third offensive play of the game — a 3rd-and- with 10:25 in the first quarter — saw their rookie quarterback attempt to gain the necessary yardage on a scramble drill. He didn’t, and to make matters worse took a hit to the head. The collision forced Maye to undergo concussion evaluation and miss the next drive. However, despite spending time in both the medical tent and the locker room, he was eventually cleared to return and played deep into the fourth quarter.
CB Christian Gonzalez: After the Patriots saw their most important offensive player get banged up, a similar bang-bang play left their top defender down. Gonzalez was hit in the head on a tackle attempt against Chargers wideout Ladd McConkey (Q2, 13:47), and also had to leave for the medical tent and the locker room. Unlike Drake Maye, however, the sophomore cornerback was not cleared for a return and ruled out quickly after exiting the field.
DE Keion White: Another third down victim, White remained down after a Chargers conversion with 12:10 to go in the third period. He got blindsided by teammate Marte Mapu while in pursuit of ball carrier Quentin Johnston in a friendly-fire incident. The Patriots’ sack leader did manage to leave under his own power and after missing three plays returned to the field.
DT Daniel Ekuale: Just two plays after White’s return, Daniel Ekuale got hurt. The veteran defender was slow to get up and displayed some discomfort after making a run stop (Q3, 8:20), but he did leave the field with no assistance required. Ekuale ended up missing one play — a 40-yard Chargers touchdown — and was back for the next series.
WR Ja’Lynn Polk: Polk’s lone target of the day (Q4, 5:37) initially appeared to come at a cost. The second-round rookie landed hard on his right shoulder while trying to make the catch, and did not look entirely comfortable afterwards. However, after sitting out the final play of that drive, he was back on the field for the next possession.
What this means for the Patriots
Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez are the headline names among Patriots to get banged up on Saturday. Out of the two, Gonzalez’s status is the bigger concern.
The sophomore, after all, did not return to the field and appeared to have been placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol. While that in itself is not a disqualifier for his participation in Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, his outlook is very much in question.
The same is also true for Maye, but for different reasons. Per head coach Jerod Mayo, the Patriots are considering sitting their starting QB in the regular season finale. Injury concerns are likely part of that debate, although not necessarily tied to the concussion check he received against the Chargers.
As for the other players listed above, they all seem to be comparatively fine. Of course, the first practice of the week set to be conducted Wednesday will give us a clearer picture.
The Patriots will host the Bills at Gillette Stadium for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday.