New England will need to adopt a next man up mentality against the Broncos

If you thought Santa’s Naughty list was long, then you need to take a look at the New England Patriots injury report, because as we get closer and closer to kickoff on Christmas Eve night, the list just keeps getting longer and longer. It was already announced that Rhamondre Stevenson, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Jabrill Peppers will all miss New England’s week 16 game, and now starting tight end Hunter Henry and starting tackle Conor McDermott have been ruled out as well, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

In Rhamondre Stevenson, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Hunter Henry, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are missing three of the biggest contributors to an offense that is already among the very worst in the NFL. The Patriots trio has combined for 11 of New England’s 21 offensive touchdowns this year. Across the offensive line, the Patriots haven’t had much more luck on the injury front. Center David Andrews is the only Patriots lineman who has played at least 80 percent of New England’s offensive snaps. Things are getting so dire that New England head coach Bill Belichick may have to turn to Pat The Patriot to take the field on Christmas Eve night.

What’s funny is, for the long-term good of the franchise, this may not be such a bad thing — and I’ll just go ahead and say it, Bill Belichick probably knows this, understands it, and is okay with it. The Patriots are still in the mix for the #1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and even if they don’t get the help they need from Carolina to move up to the #1 pick, New England controls their own destiny to hang on to the #2 pick. If New England lands somewhere in the top two, that should still theoretically allow them to select their quarterback of the future, because we know for sure that neither Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe is that guy.