New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and his team-leading 61 receptions are headed to the sideline for at least several weeks.
Edelman was diagnosed with a broken left foot Sunday. He left the game against the New York Giants, a 27-26 win that improved the Patriots’ record to 9-0, with what FOX Sports reported was a “Jones fracture.” NFL.com also reported that Edelman broke his foot.
The recovery time for that injury can be eight weeks or longer. The NFL regular season ends in seven weeks on Jan. 3. A first-round playoff bye would put the Patriots’ postseason opener nine weeks away, the weekend of Jan. 16-17.
Edelman has 692 yards and seven touchdowns, second to tight end Rob Gronkowski’s eight, and is quarterback Tom Brady’s favorite target.
Without Edelman in the second half, the Patriots had problems moving the ball. On the game’s final drive, Brady was rattled by the Giants’ pass rush but was able to get New England into field-goal range.
At issue for the receiving corps with Edelman gone is how to configure the group. Danny Amendola had a season-high 10 catches for 79 yards and a 72-yard punt return Sunday, but durability is a career-long issue for him.
Last week, the Patriots lost running back Dion Lewis to a season-ending knee injury. Lewis was third on the team in receptions when he went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Nov. 8 against the Washington Redskins.
Gronkowski leads healthy players on the roster in receptions with 49 for 806 yards.