The New England Patriots may have suffered another key injury to their offense. In the first quarter of their week 16 game against the New York Jets, left tackle Sebastian Vollmer went down after fullback Joey Iosefa rolled up on the back of his leg. Vollmer was carted off the field.
The Patriots immediately ruled out Vollmer for the remainder of the game. As for the severity of the injury long term, former NFL physician David J. Chao believes it may be a high-ankle sprain or broken ankle:
#Vollmer by video, Best case: high ankle sprain. Worst case: ankle fracture. @Patriots among lead injury leaders. https://t.co/mZXXiJ4IjR
— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) December 27, 2015
A high-ankle sprain could allow Vollmer to return if the Patriots made a late postseason run. A broken ankle could sideline Vollmer for the rest of the season. We can only hope for the best.
LaAdrian Waddle, picked up earlier this month by the Patriots, has taken Vollmer's place at left tackle. Marcus Cannon has remained at right tackle.