Sunday night in Buffalo, the Patriots (3-2) pulled off a thrilling 23-20 upset over the Bills (4-1) handing defending MVP Josh Allen his first loss of the 2025 season and loudly announcing to the rest of the league that it’s time to take New England seriously moving forward.
With the euphoria for Pats fans surrounding that season-defining win in Orchard Park, NY, it was almost lost in the shuffle that running back Antonio Gibson exited the game on Sunday, quickly being ruled out with an apparent lower body injury.
And on Monday, it became clear why that injury distinction came so briskly during the game, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the 27-year-old ball carrier would miss the remainder of the 2025 season with a torn right ACL.
Through five weeks of action, it was clear offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had planned on using his whole stable of running backs each and every game - Gibson, fellow veteran RB Rhamondre Stevenson, and rookie TreVeyon Henderson.
WIth Stevenson’s issues fumbling the football and with Henderson’s lack of involvement in the offense after bursting on the scene during the preseason, there was a case building for Gibson to command more touches moving forward, especially as a player who has shown the ability time and time again throughout his career to pop for big plays.
But on a kickoff return in the second quarter on Sunday, those potential opportunities for Gibson in 2025 went out the window, as the six-year pro began clutching his knee after taking a big hit with 9:27 remaining in the first half.
Gibson’s ability to impact both the running game and kickoff return game on a weekly basis make this a huge loss for New England. Not only do the Patriots lose arguably one of the best return men in the league, they lose a reliable ball carrier at a point in time where that room is screaming for some stability.
With veteran Terrell Jennings on the New England practice squad, look for the 24-year-old to be promoted to the 53-man roster at some point this week.
And with New England showing on Sunday that they have the chops to compete with the Bills at the top of the AFC East, the Patriots front office should be active on both the free agent and trade market to give this offense what it needs in the run game for 2025.
Windows to compete at a high level in the NFL can come and go in an instant. Rolling with a run game consisting of a guy with fumbling problems and a rookie who can’t seem to take-off like he was expected to doesn’t feel like a formula for maximizing the potential of this season.
Look for executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf to try and help bolster this position group before the league’s November 4 trade deadline.
Patriots are back on the road in Week 6, as they’ll head down to New Orleans to take on the Saints.
As of publishing, the Patriots are 3.5-point road favorites at FanDuel. You can get them on the moneyline at -210, and the total sits at 45.5.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.