Patriots Get Crushing Injury Updates on 2 Key Defenders Following Week 4 Loss

When it rains it pours. If you thought the Patriots’ Week 4 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys was going to be the low point of New England’s week, think again.

The Patriots not only lost the game, but they also lost two of their most important defenders with significant injuries that will sideline them indefinitely.

Patriots News: Christian Gonzalez and Matthew Judon Injury Updates

News broke on Monday afternoon that both Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) and Matthew Judon (biceps) will be out indefinitely with injuries suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys.

Both are seeking second opinions on their injuries, which is not typically good news. When players get the green light, they’re usually not out there searching for a doctor willing to tell them that they can’t play.

And both of these are obviously crushing for New England.

Judon is the heart and soul of this defense, not to mention the best player on the Patriots’ roster. His 4.0 sacks are twice as many as anyone else on the roster this year, and he has big leads on the team in both TFLs (5) and QB hits (9, while the rest of the team only has 11 combined).

The silver lining on this is that Pats fans will get to see more of Marte Mapu and Keion White — a pair of very promising rookies — on the edge, but watching young talent try to develop while losing games isn’t exactly a good time.

And that’s especially true when your best rookie defender isn’t on the field.

Gonzalez was already making fans forget this is his first year in the pros, looking incredibly good in both coverage and run defense. He’s held opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating below 70 when targeted in coverage, and Pro Football Focus has Gonzalez grade out as New England’s second-best defender and fourth-best player overall in 2023.

With Jonathan Jones also banged up, it was Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade picking up the slack as the every-down cornerbacks on the outside. The only other perimeter corner on the 53-man roster behind them is Ameer Speed (a rookie who is really just a special teams player right now), so look for more depth to be added later this week.

This news makes it hard for Pats fans to get excited about our Week 5 matchup with the New Orleans Saints. But while $200 won’t bring Judon and Gonzalez back, it might make watching this game a little easier to stomach.

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