FOXBORO, Mass. — Martellus Bennett didn’t play particularly well in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams. He’ll be the first to admit that.
“Last week was probably my worst game as a Patriot,” the New England Patriots tight end said Thursday. “But, you know, you have a bad game here and there. This week, come back grinding and get ready.”
Bennett caught just two passes for four yards in the game while struggling as a blocker and picking up two holding penalties (one of which he believed was dubious). It was evident to viewers that he wasn’t 100 percent healthy, which he acknowledged.
“The thing about this sport is it’s always something,” said Bennett, who’s been listed on every Patriots injury report since Week 5. “You never go through a season without having some kind of nick or tear, but there’s a lot of guys playing with different things. But some guys are able to play through different injuries, and some of the same injuries, you see guys around the league — go on IR and things like that, but it just depends on the person and their pain tolerance.”
Despite the ankle and shoulder injuries he’s been dealing with, Bennett has played in every game this season. When asked if he could benefit from sitting out one of New England’s final four regular-season contents, he said he had “never thought about that.”
“I just keep going,” Bennett said. “I’m like the Energizer Bunny. I just try to find a way. Sometimes it’s (expletive) when you’re out there playing with different injuries. You can’t do a lot of things that you want to do. You have (expletive) plays. You might have a string of bad plays in a row just because you’re dealing with different things.”
Bennett has missed several practices, however, including Wednesday’s, as the Patriots’ coaching staff gives his body time to recover.
“Sometimes it is (tough to sit out),” Bennett said. “Sometimes it’s like, ‘Thank God, I needed that.’ It varies each week. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Nah, Coach, I can do it today.’ Then sometimes it’s like, ‘Thanks, man. I really needed that right now.’ But the thing is that I’m going to fight through whatever, and I think that’s something that my teammates and the coaches know about me — that I’m going to give them everything I’ve got no matter what.”
With star tight end Rob Gronkowski on injured reserve after undergoing back surgery, the Patriots will lean on Bennett throughout the rest of the season and into the playoffs. Bennett and Matt Lengel, who has yet to catch his first NFL pass, are the only tight ends remaining on New England’s roster.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
