Sony Michel knee injury reportedly ‘not overly serious’; MRI coming Monday
CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 21, 2018: Sony Michel of the New England Patriots carries the football in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Patriots rookie running back Sony Michel is undergoing an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of his knee injury, a league source tells Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. But according to ESPN’s Text from last night on Patriots’ RB Sony Michel and his injured knee: “Expect it will be a little bit but not overly serious. Won’t know til they look at it Monday.”
Michel injured his knee on the first play of the second quarter on Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. He appeared to be in major pain as he got helped off the field, and eventually needed a cart to head back to the locker room.
The Patriots officially ruled Michel out for the rest of the game during the third quarter. Michel rushed four times for 22 yards prior to the injury.
Michel’s injury is the latest potentially serious hit to the Patriots’ running back group, which was among the team’s deepest positions entering the season. They’d be down to James White and Kenjon Barner on the 53-man roster, in addition to Kenneth Farrow on the practice squad.
CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 21, 2018: Sony Michel of the New England Patriots carries the football in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Former Patriots backs Mike Gillislee and Ralph Webb are free agents, so there’s always a chance that one of them returns to New England. There’s always the Oct. 30 trade deadline, as well. The Patriots recently restructured Stephon Gilmore’s contract in order to clear cap space, ostensibly to free them up for potential moves in the coming days.
Including Sunday, Michel had rushed for 4.76 yards per carry with four touchdowns in his last four games prior to getting injured. Based on how it looked, the best-case scenario is that he suffered a setback with his previous knee injuries and will have to miss some time. Schefter’s text indicates that Michel has avoided a disaster, but could be dealing with a sprain of some kind. That typically takes at least 2-4 weeks to heal.
The obvious fear is a torn ACL or similar season-ending injury, but the Patriots are apparently holding out hope that Michel is merely going to be out a few games. It certainly sounds like that could be the case, which is a bit of a sigh of relief for New England – for now.
— By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
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