Patriots vs. Raiders injury analysis: New England at least avoided major injuries in Week 15

The New England Patriots’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders ended in major disappointment. But while the 30-24 end result — stemming directly from a disastrous final play — is bad, there are a few positives coming out of that Week 15 loss.

Among those is the team’s injury status: New England appeared to suffer only minor ailments during the game. With that said, let’s take a look at who was either announced as injured during the contest or caught our eye after re-watching the contest.

Injury analysis

CB Jonathan Jones: The starting cornerback was slow to get up after a catch-and-run in the first quarter that was ultimately called back. Jones went right back to the huddle, however, and did not end up missing any time. He finished the game having played all 68 of New England’s defensive snaps.

TE Hunter Henry: Henry departed for the blue medical tent late in the first quarter after he was poked in the eye on a run play. He ended up missing seven plays on the Patriots’ first scoring drive of the day, but eventually returned to the game in the second period. Henry ended up playing 52 snaps on the day, catching a pair of passes for nine total yards.

C David Andrews: Andrews also appeared to get injured in the face or head area on an incomplete third-down pass in the fourth quarter. New England’s starting center stayed on the ground and walked off the field slowly. However, he did not end up missing any time: the team captain was back on the field for the next series and ended the game with a 100-percent playing-time share.

What this means for the Patriots

Given that New England entered the game with several players either ruled out because of injury or listed as questionable, not suffering any major new ailments is certainly a positive. And given the position the team finds itself in after the loss in Las Vegas, having all hands on deck will certainly be crucial over the final three weeks of the season.

The Patriots, after all, might have to win out in order to make it into the playoffs — a stretch of games that is kicked off on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals. The first injury report leading up to that game will be released on Tuesday already, and it should give us more clarity about New England’s injury situation heading into a must-win game in Week 16.