NFL Injury News: Patriots lose RB Rex Burkhead for rest of season

The New England Patriots have lost a key piece of their offense.

In the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Houston Texans, running back Rex Burkhead would suffer a knee injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the 2020 season.

Burkhead is a key contributor to the rushing attack of the New England Patriots, and he's used regularly as a receiver coming out of the backfield. When Burkhead went out against the Texans, it left the Patriots with two running backs for the rest of the game.

🙏 out to Rex Burkhead. This doesn’t look good. pic.twitter.com/mY5IsiEfSh

— ACL Recovery Club (@ACLrecoveryCLUB) November 22, 2020

The injury to Burkhead is a big loss because the Patriots rely on the veteran running back in short-yardage plays. They often turn to Burkhead when they're down in the red zone near the goal line. New England can only hope for a great recovery for the veteran running back.

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What are the Patriots losing with Burkhead being out?

Burkhead is the veteran leader for the New England Patriots' running back group. He has given them a lot of quality carries throughout his time with New England. Burkhead has carried the ball 63 times for 267 yards and 3 touchdowns this season.

The New England Patriots' running back would add to his rushing totals with 23 receptions for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns. Burkhead is the power option for the New England Patriots' backfield. New England will welcome back Sony Michel soon from injury, but Burkhead gives the Patriots experience which cannot be replaced.

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Where do the Patriots go from here?

The New England Patriots will turn to Damien Harris and James White to carry majority of the load from the backfield. Sony Michel was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, but was inactive for Sunday's game against the Texans. New England will limit Michel's carries when he first comes back to make sure he does not get injured again.

Patriots RB Rex Burkhead did suffer a torn ACL on Sunday. NFL ACL count = 33 pic.twitter.com/1GaQH16Bie

— ACL Recovery Club (@ACLrecoveryCLUB) November 24, 2020

New England relies on their running game to move their offense down the field. We could potentially see the Patriots run quarterback Cam Newton more to make up the extra carries. Damien Harris will get more touches than James White. White will be used more on passing downs because he is the better receiving back out of the two.

It should be interesting to see how the Patriots handle this situation. One thing the Patriots need to be cautious about is to not rush Michel back. Sony Michel is their future at the running back position. The loss of Rex Burkhead is a huge loss, but losing Sony Michel for the future would be a game breaker for the Patriots.