Josh Gordon’s season-ending injury is a bummer, but it’s probably not going to impact the New England Patriots very much.
Josh Gordon hasn’t played since he was forced to exit the New England Patriots‘ Week 6 win over the New York Giants with a knee injury. Now, it appears that was his last game of the 2019-20 NFL season.
According to ESPN‘s Field Yates, the 28-year-old wide receiver has been placed on the IR for the Patriots and ruled out for the remainder of the season. Gordon had been dealing with knee and ankle ailments for the last two weeks, so it was no surprise when the team recently acquired wideout Mohamed Sanu in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, which cost a second-round draft pick.
This is a brutal break for Gordon, who was conditionally reinstated by the NFL prior to this season after violating the terms of his prior reinstatement under the NFL drug policy. He was a useful weapon for Tom Brady and this undefeated New England team, and it’s a pity he’ll once again have to watch from the sidelines as the Pats roll through their competition.
From the team’s perspective, however, this is hardly a crushing blow to the Pats’ status as Super Bowl favorites. Last season, Gordon had racked up 40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games, and the Pats still went on to win a championship without him.
This season, Gordon has had even less of an impact, tallying 20 receptions and 287 yards in his six appearances. He’s only got one touchdown, and though he’s averaged 14.4 yards per reception, he’s hardly a go-to option on offense.
To be fair, the Patriots have had plenty of struggles with departing or injured wide receivers this season, and their depth is running thin. The team signed Antonio Brown to a one-year deal, but quickly released him after sexual assault allegations arose. Phillip Dorsett has been dealing with a hamstring injury, and Julian Edelman was limited in Wednesday’s practice.
With that being said, New England’s lack of depth at this position hasn’t stopped this team from going 7-0, steamrolling the competition week after week. Sanu (33 receptions, 313 yards and one touchdown) will help shore up the WR position, as will the imminent return of N’Keal Harry, the team’s first-round draft pick out of Arizona State. Harry is eligible to return from the IR for New England’s showdown with the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 3.
In the meantime, running back James White and undrafted free agent Jakobi Meyers will continue to get the job done filling in. Running back Sony Michel has been efficient near the end zone, scoring six touchdowns in seven games. And, of course, we can’t fail to mention the Pats’ swarming defense, which has racked up a whopping 26 sacks, 18 interceptions and three defensive touchdowns in just seven games.
The Patriots’ schedule ramps up a bit in the near future. After this weekend’s game against the Cleveland Browns at home, New England will have to travel to Baltimore before the bye week. After that, the Patriots will travel to face a desperate Philadelphia Eagles team, take on the Dallas Cowboys at home, meet the Houston Texans on the road and then square off with a potentially healthy Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium.
However, the Browns should make for quick work on Sunday afternoon, and after that Ravens game, New England will enjoy its bye week. That should give the wide receiving corps time to get fully healthy before the schedule really escalates.
Josh Gordon’s injury is a bummer, but knowing Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, it’s not going to slow these Patriots down.