The New England Patriots have enough injuries to deal with on offense, but now they’ve reportedly taken a big hit on defense, too.
Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower left late in the second quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Denver Broncos with an apparent leg injury. And NFL Network’s Albert Breer reported Monday it’s believed to be a sprained MCL for Hightower.
On the bright side, an MCL sprain could bring Hightower back in time for the playoffs. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered the same injury in Week 3 and missed four weeks, which usually is the low end of the return timetable. The Patriots have five games left, so getting Hightower back in January is not an unreasonable assumption.
Still, the loss is huge. The Broncos scored their first touchdown of the game after Hightower’s exit Sunday, and his presence as the leader of the defensive huddle will be missed. His 55 tackles this season also are second on the team behind Patrick Chung.
Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images
