The New England Patriots are coming off their worst loss of the Bill Belichick era, and any hope at a turnaround will likely have to come without two of their most valuable players for the foreseeable future.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, rookie standout and cornerback Christian Gonzalez and veteran edge rusher Matt Judon “are out indefinitely.” Gonzalez suffered a shoulder injury, and Judon tore a tendon in his lower bicep, and it’s possible that he’s done for the year.
New England lost 38-3 to the Dallas Cowboys, and the score could have been much worse if Dallas opted to stay aggressive on offense in the second half. The game got so out of control that Bill Belichick benched starting quarterback Mac Jones in favor of Bailey Zappe.
The good news for the Patriots is that only four teams in the AFC have a winning record, as the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens are all 3-1. As such, the Patriots are only one game out of the final two wild card spots in the AFC.
But Gonzalez has been the team’s best defensive back on the young year, and Judon has been a game-wrecker with four sacks in as many games to open the season.
Replacing those two players is easier said than done, but Belichick has traditionally found ways to get the most out of his depth players and second-stringers. So it’ll be interesting to see if the greatest head coach of all-time can find his way out of this awful early-season mess.
