MONDAY, 5:20pm: Sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter) that Mayo will indeed miss the rest of the season with a right lower leg injury simply described as “bad.”
SUNDAY, 5:36pm: The Patriots fear running back Stevan Ridley tore his ACL during today’s win over the Bills, and it appears the team could be without a notable defender for an extended period as well. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter), it’s “pretty clear” that linebacker Jerod Mayo sustained a serious kneee injury, based on the rumblings and quotes coming out of New England’s locker room. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com also reports (via Twitter) that Mayo’s injury is believed to be significant, with tests coming tomorrow to determine exactly how significant.
Prior to the 2013 season, Mayo had only missed five games in his five career NFL seasons, having assumed a starting role for the team immediately after being drafted 10th overall in 2008. However, his 2013 campaign came to an early end after he went down in Week 6 with a torn pectoral. Now, it appears his 2014 season could be over due to another Week 6 injury.
While tomorrow’s test will determine the extent of Mayo’s injury, if he misses most or all of the season, it’ll be a significant blow to the Pats’ defense. In Mayo’s absence, the Patriots could turn to Deontae Skinner at the Mike linebacker spot, or perhaps shift Jamie Collins or Dont’a Hightower over to fill the vacancy.
New England has already used its injured reserve slot with the designation to return this season, on defensive lineman Sealver Siliga, so the team will have to either keep Mayo on its 53-man roster while he recovers or place him on injured reserve, ending his season.