FOXBORO, Mass. — Jerod Mayo won’t be suiting up for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game in Denver, and if the New England Patriots happen to secure a trip to Super Bowl 50, he won’t be playing in that, either.
The Patriots on Tuesday placed Mayo on season-ending injured reserve with a shoulder injury, forcing him to watch New England’s final games from the sideline for the third time in as many seasons.
The eighth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Mayo’s production has plummeted since he earned his second Pro Bowl nod in 2012. The 29-year-old linebacker appeared in just six games in both 2013 and 2014, and his 47 tackles this season were a career-low despite appearing in all 16 regular-season contests.
But while he’s no longer an elite player at his position, the Patriots stressed Wednesday that losing Mayo was a significant blow to both their defense and their locker room.
“It’s a tough one,” head coach Bill Belichick said. “I feel bad for Jerod. Nobody’s worked harder than he has. I know how disappointed he is and we all are, and personally, I’ve seen the hard work that he’s put in. So, it’s very unfortunate.”
“Mayo’s kind of the heart and soul of not just the defense, but really, the team,” safety and captain Devin McCourty added. “He gets everybody going. Being able to watch him, he’s a special leader. His energy level is always high, no matter if it’s 6:30 in the morning and the training room’s packed with treatments and guys trying to get healthy, he’s usually in there getting guys going.
“I think it’s a big loss for us as a team, but this time of the year, playing in the NFL, things happen. I just hate it for him.”
Though he did not make much of an impact in Saturday’s divisional-round win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Mayo actually had turned it on during the second half of the regular season, with 39 of his 47 tackles coming over New England’s final eight games. And with starting linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins both nursing injuries heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Broncos, the Patriots’ depth at the position now looks precariously thin.
“Him being able to help us out a lot this year defensively, I think it’s been huge for us,” McCourty said. “Knowing him, he’s a tough guy. He’s going to rehab and do everything he has to do. But it just sucks he won’t be able to be out there on the field for us.”
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
