Photo from Patriots nation Facebook page.
The New England Patriots are very banged up heading into their week 13 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday afternoon.
Some of the best players on both sides of the ball may not play again, but the Patriots are still the biggest favorite in the NFL this weekend. They opened as 9.5 favorites against the struggling Eagles. They are now a 10 point favorite at home. The Bengals are a 9.5 point road favorite at Cleveland.
It didn’t look good when tight end Rob Gronkowski went down with a knee injury late in regulation during the Patriots 30-24 overtime loss to the Broncos on Sunday night. The Patriots dodged a bullet, and the second most important player on offense should be back in plenty of time for the playoffs.
Another big injury during the Broncos game came to one of their most important defensive players when Dont’a Hightower also went down with a knee injury in the first half. It was obvious how much Hightower was missed, when CJ Anderson started running all over the Patriots when Hightower left the game.
Number one receiver Julian Edelman is out at least until playoff time with an injured foot. Starting linebacker Jamie Collins has missed the last four games with an illness. The Patriots are hoping he will be back this week. Starting wide receiver Danny Amendola also missed the Broncos game. We will find out later in the week if he can give it a go against the Eagles. Dion Lewis was one of the most promising rookie running backs in a Patriots uniform in quite some time. Lewis tore his ACL and ended up on the IR on November 9th.
The offensive line has also been hit hard with injury. Ryan Wendell and Nate Solder are currently on IR, While Bryan Stork missed six games due to a concussion.
The Eagles have lost three straight, including giving up 45 points to the Buccaners and Lions in each of the last two games.Eagles coach Chip Kelly knows it will be an uphill battle against a Tom Brady led offense, despite all the injuries.
The Patriots can clinch the AFC East with a win and a Jets loss against the Giants. If they don’t clinch the division this week, they could still clinch a playoff spot with.a win and a Steelers loss at home against the Colts or a Chiefs loss at Oakland.
