The New England Patriots may very well be 10-1 and hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC at the moment, but injuries are piling up. The Patriots didn't just lose to the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football. They lost a few key players in the process.

Let's run through some of the Patriots key injuries.

Rob Gronkowski

This is the big one. When healthy, Rob Gronkowski is the best tight end in the league, but he has had numerous injuries throughout his young career. Gronkowski suffered a nasty leg injury against the Broncos on Sunday night which caused him to be carted off the field. He did not return. The Patriots immediately took an X-ray on Gronkowski's leg, and while we still don't know the results of that, he was seen walking on his own power afterwards.

It doesn't appear as if Gronkowski has a break or any structural damage, which is obviously good news for Patriots fans. Gronkowski will have an MRI on Monday. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter, "We think he is going to be ok."

Dont'a Hightower

Dont'a Hightower also left Sunday's game against the Broncos with an injury. Hightower currently leads the Patriots in tackles this season, but a leg injury sidelined him in the first half. Multiple reports have already confirmed that it is indeed an MCL sprain. Hightower is listed as "questionable" to play against the Philadelphia Eagles next game with the injury. There's no exact timetable for Hightower's return, but early indications are more positive than negative considering it's not a torn muscle.

Jamie Collins

This one is a bit of a mystery. Linebacker Jamie Collins has been an elite defender in Bill Belichick's defensive system, but he hasn't played the last four consecutive games because of an unknown illness. According to Yahoo Sports, Collins was able to practice last week despite not playing against the Broncos. That same report also said that whatever Collins is suffering from did not come from the Patriots facility. No other player on the Patriots roster has been infected by this illness so that appears to be true. Collins is listed as "questionable" for the Eagles game next week.

Danny Amendola

With Julian Edelman out for the foreseeable future, Danny Amendola is the new No. 1 slot receiver in New England. Unfortunately, Amendola suffered a knee injury against the Buffalo Bills last week. Amendola had 117 receiving yards in that game, and the Patriots need him on special teams as well. Amendola is healing a sprained knee, and he too is listed as "questionable" for next week's game against the Eagles.

Julian Edelman

Edelman had a screw inserted in his foot on Nov. 17, and he is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Two weeks have already passed, and there are only five more games remaining on the Patriots regular season schedule. More than likely, Edelman will not return to action during the regular season, but he could very well play come postseason time in January. Getting the No. 1 seed isn't just critical for the Patriots because it guarantees home field advantage, but it would also give them a first round bye week. That bye week is significant because it would allow the injured players to rest another week.

Nate Solder, Aaron Dobson, Tarell Brown, Ryan Wendell and Dion Lewis are all on season ending injured reserve.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1