Heading into Sunday's contest against the Las Vegas Raiders, the New England Patriots had just four wide receivers and three cornerbacks available, with their roster already thinned by a run of injuries. Injuries claimed four players during the contest — left tackle Will Campbell and running back TreVeyon Henderson among those forced out — though New England went on to defeat Las Vegas by a 45-17 margin. Coach Mike Vrabel told reporters afterward that maintaining composure through such disruptions was nothing more than what he held his team to as a baseline.
The approach, as described, centres on having a replacement player prepared before the need arises, with the team's pregame approach having called on every player to be ready to step in from the start.
A right ankle injury came to Henderson in the second quarter, the result of a tackle by Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn during an 11-yard rushing attempt. On the second snap after that sequence, a four-yard carry by Rhamondre Stevenson ended with contact on Campbell's left leg, and the tackle was helped off the field with a knee injury. After receiving attention at the sideline medical station, the pair made their way toward the locker room.
Post-match footage captured Henderson moving through the area in sneakers, his gait showing no sign of a limp. He departed the field on his own, though his whereabouts after the game went unaccounted for.
A right ankle problem sustained in training camp had kept Henderson out of the opening game of the season. A medial collateral ligament injury to his right knee had kept Campbell out of four contests the previous season.
Cornerback Charles Woods and outside linebacker Dre'Mont Jones, both carrying shoulder injuries, had their availability for the remainder of the contest listed as questionable. Woods picked up the injury during the third quarter while attempting a defensive play on Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. A shoulder problem that sidelined Jones in Week 3 may have flared up again during the game. Durden, who plays defensive tackle, walked off the field in the fourth quarter nursing a left ankle problem, though no injury designation was assigned to him afterward.
On 374 passing yards, Drake Maye connected on better than three of every four attempts, with four touchdown throws rounding out his afternoon under centre. Having thrown seven interceptions and put the ball on the ground five times — twice without recovering it — across his first four outings, Maye kept possession clean throughout the contest against Las Vegas.
Both DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams, wide receivers on the roster, turned in standout individual performances that surpassed anything they had produced at any earlier point in the season. Four receptions totalling 65 yards went Douglas's way, two of them finding the end zone, while Williams broke into the scoring column with his first deep touchdown catch of the campaign.
Chism hauled in five of the six passes thrown his way, turning those receptions into 57 yards. Vrabel noted that the receiver group operates with a collective mindset — each player celebrating a teammate's catch or touchdown as readily as his own — and described that attitude as the foundation the team is working to establish. The aim, as stated, was to make the effort a collective one.
On the defensive side, New England kept the Raiders largely contained, with Brock Bowers standing as the exception — the tight end drawing 10 targets and converting eight of them into receptions totalling 110 yards and a touchdown.
On injured reserve at the moment are three players: Brown, whose ankle problem bars any return until at least Week 6; wide receiver Mack Hollins, placed on the list Saturday after a calf injury that keeps him out through at minimum Week 9; and fullback Reggie Gilliam, absent due to a combination of ankle and knee trouble.
Four cornerbacks — Channing Canada, Carlton Davis, Christian Gonzalez, and Karon Prunty — were each declared unfit to play before the opening whistle, trimming the available depth at the position to three names: Woods, Marcus Jones, and Kindle Vildor, the last of whom had been called up from the practice squad the day before.
Should Henderson's absence stretch further, Stevenson would take on the bulk of the backfield carries, while Corey Kiner stands to pick up additional playing time as well. Should Campbell be ruled out, Lomu — in his first season at this level — would stand as the next option at the position.
Lomu, who was 21 at the time and had spent two college seasons at Utah playing left tackle — even though most of training camp had been devoted to work on the right side of the line — told reporters that injuries come with the territory in football, and that his thoughts and prayers were with everyone going through one, Will among them.
New England, sitting at 3-2 on the season, turns its attention to a home divisional matchup against the Jets, who arrive at 2-3. Wednesday's injury report will be the first of the week. Vrabel noted afterward that the team intends to assess player availability and build a game plan aimed at defeating the Jets, adding that the group's standards leave no room for complacency.
