Despite playing some bad 30 minutes of football to start their Week 8 game in Miami, the New England Patriots were able to beat the Dolphins with a final score of 24-19. Their ability to overcome a halftime deficit is one of the positive takeaways from the game, but it’s not all sunshine and roses.
The team of head coach Mike Vrabel suffered more injuries to some rather important players. Here is our weekly run-down after rewatching the game.
Patriots injury analysis: NFL Week 8
TE Hunter Henry: Catching his third pass of the afternoon in the early second quarter, the Patriots’ starting tight end seemingly slipped and exited the field. He showed some discomfort on the sidelines, headed into the blue medical tent and later the locker room. Originally labeled questionable to return with a foot injury, he did reemerge shortly before the half to test out his foot but did not reenter the contest. He went through the same routine in the early third period but once again departed. This time for good: he was ruled out midway through the fourth quarter.
QB Drake Maye: New England’s starting quarterback got his left non-throwing hand taped up late in the first half, but did not miss any time. He ended the game having played all 60 offensive snaps, and completing 16 of 20 throws for 199 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
ED Gabe Jacas: Arguably the Patriots’ most impressive rookie so far this season, Jacas came up limping after the first third down of the second half. He was initially rushing the passer on the play and reversed course to pursue where the ball was going, and only then started favoring his right knee. The second-round draft pick entered the blue medical tent and was announced as questionable to return. He didn’t, even though he remained on the sideline for the remainder of the game.
CB Charles Woods: Woods entered the blue medical tent midway through the third period, after getting banged up on a punt return rep. Lining up as a vice player, there was no obvious collision or moment he got hurt, and no injury was announced either. He reentered the game on the next occasion — a kickoff coverage play eight minutes of game time later — and finished without any notable hiccups. He did, however, stumble while on coverage on a long Dolphins touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
ED Dre’Mont Jones: Jones needed some medical attention on the field after taking a rather violent fall on an end-around halfway through the fourth quarter. He eventually walked off under his own power and ended up missing two plays before a return on the next drive.
What this means for the Patriots
The Patriots’ skill position depth was already thin before the Dolphins game, and losing Hunter Henry is another blow. To their credit, the unit did adapt and overcome his departure, but there is no denying his importance to the operation either: Henry is one of Drake Maye’s favorite targets, and one of New England’s most reliable players on the offensive side of the ball.
With him out, rookie Eli Raridon and an already-depleted wide receiver group saw an uptick in snaps. Whether that will continue heading into the upcoming Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers will be seen; Mike Vrabel did not provide any updates on Monday.
“I don’t have any expectations yet,” he said. “We’ll see how he responds here. He wasn’t able to finish the game. So, we’ll see where he is. I know Hunter will do everything that he can to get back to help us, and we’ll go from there.”
The other noteworthy injury coming out of Sunday’s game is the one suffered by Gabe Jacas. The fact that he did not leave the field and was never officially ruled out can be interpreted as a positive sign.
However, the first practice of the week on Wednesday will give us further information about the second-round draft pick and the other players listed above. It also will be the first opportunity this week for previously-absent players such as wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back TreVeyon Henderson to return to the field; the same is true for fellow wideout Mack Hollins and fullback Reggie Gilliam, who are now both eligible to return from injured reserve.
The Patriots will host the Packers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 8, for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.
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