Patriots vs. Bills injury analysis: Jakobi Meyers leaves Week 13 loss with head injury

Dec 2, 2022 - 9:00 PM

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The New England Patriots’ game against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night was a major disappointment, with the team losing 24-10 in front of a home crowd. There are few positives to take away from the contest, but one might be the fact that the injury list did not appear to be growing substantially.

Let’s take a look at who was either announced as injured during the game or caught our eye after re-watching the contest.

Injury analysis

OT Conor McDermott: Starting in place of regular starter Isaiah Wynn (foot) and backup Yodny Cajuste (calf), McDermott was slow to get up after coming down hard on his back on a Rhamondre Stevenson run in the first quarter. He did eventually make it back into the huddle and in fact did not miss a single offensive snap on the day.

OT Trent Brown: Brown was added to the injury report on Thursday morning because of an illness, but he went on to join McDermott and the rest of the offensive line in playing all 54 offensive snaps. That said, the veteran left tackle did not appear to be at full strength, and seemingly ran out of gas down the stretch.

QB Mac Jones: Jones had to run away from pressure on several instances in the fourth quarter, and after one such play was a bit slow to get up. Following a 5-yard scramble on a 3rd-and-6, he took his time to get on his feet again. He did, however, and immediately went back directing the offense for the upcoming fourth down. Jones would also not miss any time and end it with a 100 percent playing-time share.

WR Jakobi Meyers: The most notable injury on Thursday night came in the fourth quarter, with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers staying down after absorbing a hard hit in the end zone — one that led to Bills safety Damar Hamlin getting ejected. He left the field under his own power and was later checked out by trainers on the sidelines. Meyers eventually departed for the blue medical tent and was later announced as questionable to return due to a head injury.

What this means for the Patriots

Mac Jones is the biggest name on the list above, but it does not look like him being slow to get up after his fourth-quarter scramble was an indication for any injury. The same is true for Trent Brown and Connor McDermott, who may not have been at full strength but should both be fine moving forward.

Meyers’ status, on the other hand, is less clear. While he told reporters after the game that he would be fine, he will likely undergo additional testing after suffering a head injury. Luckily for him and the team, the Patriots will be off for a mini-bye before their trip to Arizona and Las Vegas the next two weeks.

With the Patriots set to play the Cardinals next Monday, their first injury report of the week will be released on Thursday. It should give us more clarity about Meyers’ status, and those of his teammates.