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The silver lining of playing a Thursday night game is the "pseudo-bye"; a week and-a-half to rest and recuperate in preparation for the next opponent and, at this stage, the remainder of the season. The Patriots had stayed relatively healthy up until this point after a seemingly snake-bitten 2013, but after losing LB Jerod Mayo and RB Stevan Ridley to catastrophic injuries, the team isn't out of the woods yet.
Today's BNOTD (sorry, Rich) comes via The Boston Globe's Shalise Manza Young:
Chandler Jones missed practice today due to a hip injury – according to league source, it is expected to sideline him about a month
— shalise manza young (@shalisemyoung) October 21, 2014
Both Darrelle Revis and Chandler Jones had both missed today's practice session which was originally believed to be a routine day of rest for the defensive workhorses. The plot has thickened at an inopportune time as the Patriots are set to face the Bears, Broncos, Colts, Lions, Packers and Chargers, in that order -- all on the heels of a less-than-stellar defensive performance against the New York Jets.
Chandler Jones has spearheaded a phenomenal campaign in 2014 this far, collecting 4.5 sacks (out of the team's 18 total) and 26 total tackles (21 solo). While the news isn't as damning or permanent as it was for Jerod Mayo, the loss will still be significantly felt as they begin an incredibly difficult stretch against many of the league's top offenses.