Sony Michel injury update: Pats’ star carted to locker room
New England Patriots rookie running back Sony Michel has quickly become an important part of this offense, but Bill Belichick may be forced to find a way to build a quality rushing attack without Michel after the Georgia product appeared to suffer a serious injury in Week 7.
After picking up impressive victories over the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and Kansas City Chiefs in consecutive weeks to bounce back from some early-season struggles, the New England Patriots ran into a tough Chicago Bears team in Week 7.
Worse yet, after going down against the Bears, the Patriots saw star running back Sony Michel suffer a potentially serious injury. According to ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss, Michel was carted off the field and into the locker room.
CBS Sports’s Will Brinson provided video footage of Michel’s injury, and let’s just say that the injury looks pretty gruesome. Patriots fans will have to prepare for the worst regarding Michel’s status, but it is important to wait and hear more news about his injury on Monday.
In the meantime, the Patriots will have to turn to the likes of James White and Kenjon Barner in the backfield. White has been an extremely valuable member of the Patriots passing attack, but the former Wisconsin standout has never been a big part of the running game. Barner has speed and some all-purpose ability, but he’s also never established himself a strong rusher.
The Patriots will have big shoes to fill if Michel has suffered a serious left knee injury, because he was averaging a whopping 80 rushing yards per game on an efficient 4.4 yards per carry. After struggling earlier in the year in an embarrassing Sunday Night Football loss to the Detroit Lions, Michel has been a true star in the Patriots offense with three straight big performances on the ground coming into Week 7.
On the bright side, White has shown well in limited action on the ground, averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season to go with his 37 receptions and four receiving touchdowns. White has never attempted 50 rushes in a single season, but maybe he could break out as a runner if Michel is forced to miss several games (or potentially the rest of the season, which is a real fear given how serious the injury looks on film).
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As for Barner, the former Oregon star has a decent career yards per carry average, but it is in a remarkably small sample size, given that he’s never carried the rock 30 times in a single season. Barner has just six carries in two appearances this season after being released and re-signed by the Patriots in September and October.