FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman injured his chest late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the New York Jets and was ruled out the rest of the game.
Edelman sustained the injury on a three-yard catch with 1:18 remaining until halftime. On the play, he caught a short pass and ran up the field, with Jets cornerback Brian Poole swiping at his legs. As the 5-foot-10, 198-pound Edelman fell to the ground, he was landed on by 6-foot-6, 301-pound defensive lineman Henry Anderson.
Edelman reached for the area of his ribs on his right side as he stood up. He stayed on the field for the team’s final play of the drive, and then left for the locker room as the Jets took over possession with 34 seconds remaining until halftime.
Edelman, who was named Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl LIII, didn’t come out of the locker room for the second half with his teammates. The Patriots had initially ruled Edelman questionable before downgrading him to out early in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots’ receiving corps was thinned after the release of Antonio Brown on Friday, and Edelman is quarterback Tom Brady’s No. 1 option. The team’s other starter, Josh Gordon, injured his left hand in the third quarter and required medical attention as well, but he returned to action with his ring and pinkie fingers taped together.
Until Gordon returned, five-year veteran Phillip Dorsett and undrafted rookie free agents Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski were the only receivers available for action.