Prior to the NFL kickoff game, the Patriots already knew that they would be playing the entire season without a critical component to their offense: Julian Edelman. During the team’s preseason contest against the Detroit Lions, the 31-year-old wide receiver went down with a torn ACL that will require surgery.
Little did New England know, however, that Edelman would be the first of multiple players to go down with an injury. During the Patriots preseason finale against the New York Giants a week later, cornerback Cyrus Jones suffered a torn ACL and partially torn meniscus.