Patriots vs. Bears injury analysis: David Andrews among several starters to go down on Monday night

The New England Patriots did get starting quarterback Mac Jones back for the game against the Chicago Bears on Monday night, but his return did not end their personnel woes. The Patriots, after all, saw several other players go down with injuries during the 33-14 loss.

Let’s take a look at the players who were either announced as injured or caught our eye after re-watching the game.

Injury analysis

DE Deatrich Wise Jr.: Wise Jr. went down after a collision with Bears quarterback Justin Fields late in the first half, and appeared to hit his head on the turf. The defender took a brief trip to the blue medical tent on the sideline but was cleared to return to the game. Wise Jr. still ended the game with his lowest play-time share of the season.

S Kyle Dugger: The Bears’ first offensive play of the second half ended with Dugger getting rolled up on while trying to make a tackle on a run play. He left the game, headed for the medical tent, and later limped to the locker room. The Patriots originally announced him as questionable to return, but he never reentered the contest.

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Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

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S Adrian Phillips: Phillips stayed down following a short run in the late third period, and had his right elbow/arm area checked out by the Patriots’ medical personnel on the field. He walked off under his own power, headed straight into the medical tent, but returned to the game to start the very next drive. No injury was ever announced.

LB Ja’Whaun Bentley: The Patriots’ starting linebacker stayed down on the ground after run in the early fourth quarter, seemingly having hurt his groin area. He did walk off the field under his own power alongside the team’s training staff, and no injury was announced. Bentley returned later that same period.

CB Marcus Jones: A 20-yard runback in the fourth quarter ended with Jones on the ground for undisclosed reasons. The rookie return man did eventually get up again and jog off the field. He returned a short time later without any visible limitations.

TE Jonnu Smith: On the same play Jones got hurt, Smith also was slow to get up. The tight end was taken out from behind but was able to get up and leave the game under his own power and with no assistance required. An injury was not announced either, and Smith was back on the field the very next drive.

C David Andrews: A Bailey Zappe interception midway through the fourth quarter ended with the Patriots’ starting center staying down. During the runback, Andrews absorbed an illegal blindside hit from Bears defensive lineman (and former teammate) Mike Pennel. Pennel was disqualified for the play, while Andrews was forced to leave with a head injury; he was moved into concussion protocol and did not return.

What this means for the Patriots

The Patriots’ primetime debut this season was a disappointment by itself, but several starter-level players going down added insult to injury. While it seems that most of the apparent ailments will not be long-term issues — see: Deatrich Wise Jr., Adrian Phillips, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Marcus Jones, Jonnu Smith — two are a definitive concern.

The first is Kyle Dugger. One of the Patriots’ best and most valuable players this season, Dugger has already had his injury woes when a knee injury kept him out of Week 3. It remains to be seen whether or not his ankle issue has the same potential to disrupt his availability, any missed time would be a blow to New England’s defense.

The same is true for David Andrews. The Patriots’ ever-reliable starting center has to pass the NFL’s concussion protocol, which puts his availability for the upcoming Week 8 game against the New York Jets in question. With Andrews out, New England turned to veteran lineman James Ferentz; the team also has Chasen Hines on its roster to offer depth at the position as well as Kody Russey on the practice squad.

Time will tell how severe Andrews’ concussion, Dugger’s ankle issue, or any other injury suffered on Monday night truly are. The Patriots’ first injury report of the week, set to be released on Wednesday afternoon, will give us more information.