Pats Look To Fill Voids

The New England Patriots are riding a two-game winning streak into their Thursday night, divisional showdown with the New York Jets. While the last two weeks have shown Pats' fans more than a glimpse of the winning tradition they have come to know and expect, a couple injuries to key players on both sides of the ball have raised a bit of concern for the team's future.

Midway through last Sunday's dominant 37-22  road win over the Buffalo Bills, New England found themselves without both co-captain and defensive leader Jerod Mayo and bruising running back Stevan Ridley. The two suffered a pair of tough-luck knee injuries and are all but done for the season.

Although these two are far from the Pats' only injury concerns, their absences do loom large.

Mayo, who was lost in week six last season with a chest muscle injury, is one of the most experienced Patriots on defense. Also, aside from playing middle linebacker, which is one of the more important positions on the field, Mayo serves as the defensive play caller and helps position the team in the right spots for each play.

With an already thin linebacking core that has question marks at the other starting spots, thanks to nagging injuries to Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins, inexperienced guys like Deontae Skinner, Chris White and Ja'Gared Davis will be thrust into action and have to learn on the fly. Skinner and White looked alright after taking over for Mayo last week, but haven't played significant roles in their time in the league.

On the other side of things, Ridley's injury throws a recently clicking Patriots' offense into a bit of a pickle. While he hadn't been dominating so far this year, Ridley added a nice component to New England's offensive attack as it's bruiser back. His ability to get the tough yards in between the tackles had proved to be effective over the past few weeks. Also, it appeared as though his days of struggling to hold onto the ball were in his rear-view mirror as he'd yet to fumble thus far.

Now the emphasis will turn to top special teams performer and the third back on the depth chart, Brandon Bolden. With a style similar to Ridley's, Bolden will most likely be asked to fill the void in the rushing attack, at least to a degree. Also, rookie James White, who has been a healthy scratch in all but one game this season, will likely be expected to assume a larger role as Bolden's special teams duties will not allow him to be as present as Ridley was on each offensive series.

Thursday's game against the Jets is shaping up as one that won't cause much concern to the Patriots and will allow the coaching staff to evaluate these young players in their new and ever important roles. The Jets will come into Gillette Stadium scuffling at 1-5 on the season with a bevy of their own problems on their minds.

The real tests will come later in the season, against tougher teams with playoff aspirations. So, getting these guys some action is key to knowing whether steps need to be taken to address these spots through free agency or possible trades.