Report: Patriots Star LB Suffers Season-Ending Injury

The New England Patriots have suffered a massive season-ending injury blow to a star linebacker.

Dec 3, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley (8) reacts after his tackle against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half at Gillette Stadium. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

After a report had come out that New England Patriots star linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley had avoided a major injury and could play in Week 3, another report has come out and put an end to the good news.

According to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Patriots will be without Bentley for the rest of the season due to a torn pec.

#Patriots standout LB Ja'Whaun Bentley’s injury is worse than publicly known, and sources says he’s out for the season with a torn pec.

Bentley had more than 100 tackles in each of the last three seasons and was on his way again. A brutal reality. pic.twitter.com/ysMGlNCwkR

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 16, 2024

Needless to say, this is a major shock and a huge loss for New England. Bentley has become a key leader for the defense and a big-time playmaker.

Through two games this season, Bentley had recorded 12 games and 0.5 sacks. Back in 2023, he racked up 114 tackles, 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and three defended passes.

At 28 years old, this is a major setback for Bentley. Losing him for the season will also have a profound impact on the Patriots' defense as a whole.

New England has shown flashes of being a very tough team through two weeks. They pulled off a major upset and Week 1 and nearly pulled a second win in Week 2. Moving forward, they'll need another player to step up and fill the key role that was being filled by Bentley.

Hopefully, that player will begin stepping up in Week 3 when the Patriots take on the New York Jets.

Jerod Mayo and company have started off the new era with a great approach. The team is playing an old-school smashmouth style of football. Defensively, they play rough with an edge and attack the football.

While this injury is a major setback for the team, they have players who are ready to step up. Other players will now have a chance to make an impact and they will need to make the most of that opportunity.

It will be interesting to see how the defense responds to losing a key leader and playmaker.

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