New England Patriots Injury Report: Updates on Rob Gronkowski, Jamie Collins, Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman, Jerod Mayo
The New England Patriots will take on the Denver Broncos this weekend in the AFC Championship game. The winner will advance to Super Bowl 50. The Patriots have been great this year, but numerous injuries have certainly been a nuisance.
Here are updates on the Patriots' most notable player injuries.
Rob Gronkowski
Gronkowski has only missed one game this season, but he has been hurting. He played last week against the Kansas City Chiefs with knee and back issues, and that was critical. We all know Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in the game when healthy, so his presence will be needed against the Broncos.
Let's also not forget the Broncos were the team that injured Gronkowski in the regular season. At the moment, Gronkowski is listed as probable for the AFC title game.
Jamie Collins
Jamie Collins missed four games during the regular season, and on top of that, he left the game last week against the Chiefs with a back injury.
Fortunately, Collins was present for the Patriots walkthroughs this week. Still, his status remains questionable for the big match against the Broncos. Collins is a big difference maker because he is such a great athlete and makes tackles in the open field. Without him, Peyton Manning is going to have more time to throw.
Danny Amendola
Danny Amendola only had two catches for 18 yards against the Chiefs last week, but he was only targeted three times. Amendola isn't Tom Brady's go-to guy, but he plays an instrumental role in special teams, and he has proven he fits with this Patriots offense.
Although Amendola is nursing a knee injury, he is listed as probable for the conference championship match on Sunday. Amendola hasn't had a 70-yard game since November against the Buffalo Bills, but let's not forget his huge touchdown grab in the Super Bowl last year. The Patriots also used Amendola in a huge trick play last postseason against the Baltimore Ravens.
Julian Edelman
After Brady and Gronkowski, this is the big one. Julian Edelman is the one who moves the chains for the Patriots. The Patriots are 10-0 when Edelman starts, but just 2-4 when he's out this year. You get the picture.
Edelman returned to action last week and he looked terrific with 10 grabs and 100 receiving yards. He is listed as probable because of that foot injury he suffered way back in Week 10 against the New York Giants. You can expect Edelman to be out there in full force.
Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo has showed so much talent since Bill Belichick selected him No. 10 overall in the 2008 NFL draft. Unfortunately, injuries have halted major success over the last few seasons.
Mayo has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the season because of a shoulder injury. This is the third consecutive season in which he has been placed on season-ending injured reserve. Mayo has two years remaining on his contract with big cap hits, and many Patriots insiders believe he will have to take a pay cut or face release.
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