Patriots Lose Julian Edelman For Season
The New England Patriots are going into the season as the favorites to win the Super Bowl, but their chances of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the second consecutive season suffered a huge blow over the weekend when they lost wide receiver Julian Edelman.
Edelman fell to the ground during the Patriots preseason game against the Detroit Lions, and after the game, team officials said he suffered an ACL injury and will be forced to miss the entire season.
Edelman’s injury is a big blow to the Patriots offense because the receiver always seems to come up with big plays when the team needs them.
Last season, Edelman finished with 98 catches for 1,106 yards and 3 touchdowns. Even though the touchdowns don’t stand out, the receptions and the yards were crucial in helping the team win its fifth Super Bowl.
Since joining the team in 2009, Edelman has been quarterback Tom Brady’s favorite receiver because of the trust the two men have on the field. In a radio interview, Brady said the biggest thing he will miss about Edelman is the trust they shared because they have been playing together for so long, he can anticipate where Edelman will be on the field during games.
To further illustrate the point, since 2013, Edelman has 436 receptions, which is 187 more receptions than any other Patriots receiver, including Rob Gronkowski, who is a big part of their offense.
Without Edelman, Brady will be forced to rely on new addition Brandin Cooks and Chris Hogan, who showed some promise last year.
As long as Tom Brady is still throwing the ball, the Patriots will okay, but their path to the Super Bowl just got tougher without Edelman to help Brady move the chains whenever he gets into trouble.