Patriots lose Dont’a Hightower for season
On Thursday, the New England Patriots found out that they will be without Dont’a Hightower for the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. The loss of Hightower, a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro member of a year ago, can’t be overstated in its importance.
In short, the Patriots have now lost their best defensive player, and the only man in their front seven that scares anybody.
Every team deals with injuries on an annual basis in the NFL, but New England is really taking huge hits. In the preseason’s third week, the Patriots lost slot receiver Julian Edelman for the season with a torn ACL, going down without contact at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions. That on top of the torn ACL for rookie defensive end Derek Rivers, who was supposed to be a pass rusher to help replace the departed Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard.
New England should be able to survive the loss of Hightower in the regular season, although it means more shootouts for Tom Brady and Co. Hightower was the most versatile player on his unit, able to defend both tight ends and running backs out of the backfield, while also lining up as a rush end and a run-stuffing inside linebacker.
Without Hightower in the fold, look for New England to struggle even more defensively, something that’s hard to fathom for the last-ranked group.
So why will the Patriots be able to lose Hightower and not be overly impacted in the regular season? The schedule. New England has five games left against the AFC East, including a pair versus the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills each. While both are 4-2, neither has any real offensive ability. The docket also has the Denver Broncos on it, another low-scoring outfit.
The problem will arise when the postseason comes around. The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL, showcasing Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown and a menacing offensive line. The Kansas City Chiefs already hung 42 points on the Patriots in the season opener. Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Kareem Hunt are a great challenge for New England, and without Hightower, might prove too big of one.
For now, the Patriots have to focus on the Los Angeles Chargers, who are coming into Gillette Stadium this weekend. It will be fascinating to see what the Chargers do against the Hightower-less defense, especially with Melvin Gordon and Hunter Henry as capable threats.
New England remains one of the elite contenders in the AFC, but it took a huge hit with the news that Hightower won’t be taking the field until 2018.
