MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Patriots appeared to escape any type of serious injury Monday night in Miami, which was an accomplishment on that field.
Here is the Monday health checkup:
Safety Brandon Meriweather suffered a knee injury and did not return to the game. He remained on the sideline and did work to stretch out his knee, but the Patriots are deep at safety and could afford to be extra cautious. Meriweather walked out of the locker room without any kind of limp.
Offensive lineman Nick Kaczur missed his fourth consecutive game with a back injury, and he hasn’t practiced since the second day of training camp. It's unclear when he'll be able to return.
Cornerback Terrence Wheatley missed his fourth consecutive game with a foot injury, and he hasn’t practiced during the regular season. Wheatley has been able to work out with trainers while the team has practiced, so it only seems like a matter of time until he gets back on the field. Then again, that’s been the thought for two weeks now.
Running back Fred Taylor missed his first game with a toe injury, which has bothered him for three weeks but really flared up in the second half of New England's victory against the Bills. The Patriots signed running back Thomas Clayton off the Cleveland practice squad last week, which means he'll count against the 53-man roster for three weeks. The writing on the wall suggests Taylor will miss a little time.
