Patriots vs. Titans injury analysis: New England suffers only minor bumps and bruises

The New England Patriots have a lot to feel good about. They were able to win their sixth straight game on Sunday by beating the Tennessee Titans with a final score of 36-13. Moreover, they appeared to have escaped the physical game against the former number one playoff seed in the AFC without any major injuries.

With that said, let’s take a closer look at that game to find out who was dinged up and what it might mean in the grand scheme of things.

Injury analysis

LB Kyle Van Noy: The Patriots’ second defensive series of the day saw Van Noy leave the field for the blue medical tent on the sidelines. He eventually did return to the lineup later on that same drive and did not show any obvious signs of injury.

LB Dont’a Hightower: A few minutes after Van Noy’s short trip to the medical tent, Hightower also required some attention. The team captain appeared to have hurt his eye on a short run and removed his helmet quickly after the play was over, waving to the Patriots’ support staff. He also returned on the same drive after missing just a handful of plays.

CB Justin Bethel: Bethel remained on the ground following a kickoff in the early second quarter, but he jogged off the field under his own power. The veteran was back on the field for the very next special teams play, five minutes of game time later.

What this means for the Patriots

New England entered the game against Tennessee with 11 players listed as questionable to suit up. All of them eventually played, and only one member of the group — Dont’a Hightower — appeared to get hurt again. Hightower, who was listed with an ankle injury before the game, appeared to be fine, though; neither his eye nor his ankle should be a major issue heading into Week 13.

The same goes for the injuries suffered by Kyle Van Noy and Justin Bethel. Both missed only limited (Van Noy) or no time at all (Bethel), and should be good to go for the upcoming Monday night contest versus the Buffalo Bills.

Obviously, though, the first injury report of the week will give us a clearer picture of the Patriots’ overall status ahead of the pivotal AFC East showdown. With the game on Monday, it will be released on Thursday.