It might be cliché to a degree, but having a “next man up” mentality has served the New England Patriots well this season. The team has suffered several high-profile injuries this season in all three phases of the game, and had to adapt along the way.
The results of that process may not have been equally encouraging across the board, but there are a few bright spots especially on defense. Despite the unit losing players who were projected to play big roles either as starters or key rotational pieces heading into 2023 — including edge rusher Matthew Judon and cornerback Christian Gonzalez — it has been able to stay its course.