It’s just not the Patriots’ year. New England lost another game at the last minute Sunday, and it looks like they’ll be without a key piece of the offense the rest of the way.
The Pats fear running back Rex Burkhead has a torn ACL, a source told Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link). Howe adds that he’ll get an MRI to confirm, but initial field tests for ACL tears are extremely accurate and almost never wrong. He was never a featured back in New England, but he’s played a consistent role for Bill Belichick over the past four years. He’ll finish the season with 67 carries for 274 yards and three touchdowns, adding 25 catches for 192 yards and another three scores through the air.
A sixth-round pick of the Bengals back in 2013, Burkhead was signed by Belichick after his rookie deal expired in 2017. Burkhead is now set to be an unrestricted free agent again this spring, and he’ll be 31 by the time next season starts. With the Pats having youngsters Damien Harris and Sony Michel in the backfield, it’s certainly possible they’ll decide to move on. That being said he remained productive this season, and was actually seeing a little bit more volume than in years past.
If this is the end of his run with the Patriots, he’ll finish it having won Super Bowl LIII with the team. At his age and now coming off the ACL tear he’ll struggle for much guaranteed money on the market, assuming he decides to keep playing.
I watched the end of that game. Cam’s last pass barely went 40 yards and not even close to the end zone. The plays prior to the final play were nothing more than screens. They need a new QB next season.
Tough news for Rex. I hope he recovers and continues his career.
Cam is currently sending his pass invites for next Sunday. Man is he slow to recognize what’s going on and get rid of the ball. How many times is he gonna get smashed by a guy coming right at his face
they can have Wentz
Nah haha
I honestly wouldn’t be against that.
Wentz is a much better passer than Newton ; he just has no protection & only 1 reliable receiver . If U were afraid of getting crunched on EVERY PLAY because your O-line is made of PAPER-MACHE, you’d be jittery 2.
Why doesn’t Cam step into his throws? Every week he has a handful of short hopped passes. Coaches must be pointing it out on films. I’m an average hack and I can see that his throws are from flat feet and are just all arms. A professional QB should be and needs to be better.
The perfect scenario is fir the Jets to trade Darnold to the Pats for their next two #1’s and then watch him promptly take the Pats to the Super Bowl . But even the Jets couldn’t be dumb enough to do that, could they?
What makes you or anyone think that Darnold isn’t exactly what you see right now regardless of wherever he gets traded to……even the Pats……I guess that’s the big if…..is he just an example of what happens to a good QB when you don’t surround him with good players or is just what you saw when he started…
Darnold would only bring back a package of a 2nd & 5th round pick if they try to move him. He hasn’t done anything in the NFL to show he’s worth a first round pick, let alone two of them.
No one is giving the Jets 2 1st round picks for Darnold. They’d be lucky to get what Arizona got for Rosen.