Sunday wasn't a good day for a number of teams. Despite getting a win in Buffalo, the New England Patriots lost two starters for the remainder of the season, while the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants lost their games on Sunday to go along with a couple of season-ending injuries.
Although the Patriots have yet to make announcement regarding the status of running back Stevan Ridley and linebacker Jerod Mayo, sources say the two players are to be out for the remainder of the season. ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss was told that Ridley tore his ACL and MCL and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Shefter received news that Mayo's right knee injury is "bad." The Patriots were victorious by the score of 37-22 against the Bills on Sunday, but they'll have some issues moving forward without these two players.
On top of that, reports have said Tom Brady's ankle injury is "significant" and required extensive therapy before Sunday's game. Depending on how he progresses, New England's issues could be bigger than previously thought.
The Patriots' divisional foe, the Miami Dolphins, suffered a last second loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass to tight end Andrew Quarless with three seconds remaining to seal the 27-24 victory. But the news gets worse. After missing running back Knowshon Moreno for three weeks because of a dislocated elbow, he returned in Week 6 to face Green Bay. But Moreno sustained a torn ACL on Sunday and was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday. His season will come to an end and he'll be a free agent after this year.
Speaking of divisional foes, the Giants and Eagles squared off on Sunday Night Football for one of the more anticipated matchups of the week. However, it ended up being a 27-0 blowout in favor of the Eagles and New York managed to lose wide receiver Victor Cruz for the season. On a fourth and goal early in the third quarter, Eli Manning spotted Cruz in the back of the end zone and heaved up a pass to the back of the end zone. Cruz had his man beat, but when he leapt for the ball, he apparently suffered a torn patellar tendon in his right knee and the pass slipped through his hands. The wide receiver screamed in pain and was eventually carted off the field. He underwent successful surgery on Monday and will begin a lengthy rehab that will put him on track to return next year.
Luckily for New England and Miami, they both have sufficient replacements for their losses at the running back position. Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden have proved effective for the Patriots in the past and Lamar Miller has carried the load for the Dolphins all season. New England has also worked rookie Deontae Skinner into the linebacker rotation, and although he can't replace Mayo's presence, Bill Belichick is confident he can provide stability moving forward.
But it's a different story for the Giants, who lost their best wide receiver. The team also placed Jerel Jernigan on injured reserve a few weeks ago, leaving them with Reuben Randle, Odell Beckham Jr., Preston Parker and rookie Corey Washington. Randle, Beckham and Parker have shown they can compete at the NFL level and Washington impressed during the preseason, but the team lost a veteran and leader in Cruz. Under a new offensive system, this new receiving corps will now have the opportunity of creating their own unit as they work with quarterback Eli Manning to get on the same page.
Check out a more comprehensive list of injuries from Week 6 in this USA Today article.
