The Patriots leave Indianapolis with a win - albeit it a bit closer than many expected it to be - but they don't leave there unscathed.
Already hurting with Dont'a Hightower (ribs) inactive, the Patriot's injury list is almost certainly going to grow this week - and on all three sides of the ball.
The first player to go down for the Patriots was offensive lineman Marcus Cannon. Cannon had just taken on a bigger role on the line with Nate Solder going down for the season with torn biceps. But Cannon left after the first drive of the game with a toe injury and did not return. That meant Cameron Flemming, just signed to the team from the practice squad on Saturday, was going to get plenty of time on the line Sunday night.
"Had a few guys banged up. We had some people step in and do a real good job for us, take extended snaps at various positions so it was good to have so many guys contribute and step up when we really needed them," Bill Belichick said after the game. "Cam came in and Seabass [Sebastian Vollmer] flipped over. That's kind of the way we practiced it for that contingency. Unfortunately that's what came up and we had to go to it. Cam stepped in there, played really competitively, Sebastian over on the left side. Tackle is a critical position. Thankfully we had four guys play pretty well for us this year. It's not a position you want to keep losing guys at, but the guys that stepped in played well. Cam did a good job and Sebastian played well on the other side."
The O-line did have its hiccups, however. Brady was sacked twice and took a couple licks otherwise. The running game was average, though Blount finished with 93 yards on 16 carries (he broke off a 38-yard run). But for a position with so much changeover over the last week, it was a solid effort and one that Brady acknowledged after the game.
"It was tough. That was a big challenge," Brady said of the injury to Cannon on Sunday. "That's probably the NFL. We've had a great situation with three great tackles and then Nate went down. We brought Cam up. Then whatever, one series into the game Cam is in there. So he did a good job, competed really hard. He was on the team last year and did a good job for us. So we'll need to count on him. Adjusting with Seabass going to the left [tackle], a few moving parts there. But we'll get time to settle in and see if we can settle those positions down and all make improvements."
The offensive line wasn't the only position that took a hit. The Patriots' best offseason signingl Jabaal Sheard, left the game in the second half with an ankle injury and didn't return.
Then in the fourth quarter, special teams ace Matthew Slater needed help walking off the field after an apparent knee injury. ESPN's Mike Reiss reports Slater was taken by cart through the tunnel in Lucas Oil Stadium after the game.
There were no health updates on any of the injured players after the game.