Mac Jones’ debut performance, N’Keal Harry’s playing time or Quinn Nordin’s kicking success are all among the dominant storylines emerging from the New England Patriots’ 22-13 preseason win over the Washington Football Team on Thursday night. Another no less important one has flown a bit under the radar, meanwhile: the Patriots appear to have avoided any major injuries during their preseason opener.
With that said, let’s take a look at the their injury situation after Thursday’s game.
Injury analysis
LB Matthew Judon: Despite playing only 12 snaps, Judon might have just been the Patriots’ best defender against Washington. The high-priced free agency addition made some big plays, but he also experienced an injury scare: on New England’s second defensive series, he appeared to have hurt his left knee on a cut block. Judon exited the game for the blue medical tent, but he eventually returned to the sidelines and even took the field again a short time later. The 28-year-old appears to have dodged a bullet.
LB Josh Uche: Just like Matthew Judon, Uche also had a solid game versus Washington. And like his veteran teammate he too was forced to visit the medical tent. Uche stayed on the ground after a touchdown run late in the second quarter, with his right leg or knee being an area of concern. He did walk off the field under his own power, though, and later returned to the contest again. During his postgame press conference, Uche said that he would feel “terrific.”
DB Myles Bryant: Bryant seemingly had his wind knocked out of him while tackling Washington tight end Sammis Reyes late in the fourth quarter. The second-year defensive back initially stayed on the ground after the collision and had to be looked at by the Patriots’ training staff. However, he jogged off the field under his own power and should also be fine moving forward as well.
What this means for the Patriots
While they experienced a few scary moments on Thursday night, the Patriots can feel pretty good about where they are injury-wise leaving their preseason opener. After all, it seems that the three players listed above have not suffered any major ailments.
While it remains to be seen whether or not their minor-looking injuries will impact their availability during joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles this coming week, they should all at the very least be good to go with the regular season in mind. Accordingly, no changes to the Patriots’ current injury lists will have to be made coming out of the game versus Washington.
At the moment, New England has two players on season-ending injured reserve (LB Raekwon McMillan, TE Dalton Keene) and the following seven on either the physically unable to perform or the non-football injury list: QB Jarrett Stidham (PUP), CB Stephon Gilmore (PUP), DB Joshuah Bledsoe (NFI), LB Cameron McGrone (NFI), LB Chase Winovich (PUP), LB Terez Hall (PUP) and DT Byron Cowart (PUP).