The New England Patriots did not look very competitive in Week 3. New England lost 35-6 against Jacksonville in one of the team's worst loses in recent memory. To make matters worse, the Patriots just got some devastating injury news that has become all too familiar this year.
The Patriots have placed veteran guard Greg Van Roten on injured reserve on Tuesday, per ESPN's Mike Reiss. He left Sunday's game with a thigh injury.
Van Roten started for the Patriots on Sunday in placed of starter Mike Onwenu, who missed the game with an ankle injury. Unfortunately, Van Roten went down with an injury too. Afterwards, Walter Rouse replaced him at right guard.
Injuries are already beginning to stack up in New England at an alarming rate. Van Roten is the 17th Patriots player to be placed on injured reserve, or reach an injury settlement, so far this season. That is wild compared to the 2025 season where the Patriots had 16 players placed on injured reserve throughout the entire season.
The following Patriots players are also on injured reserve: A.J. Brown, Julian Hill, Dell Pettus, Marcus Bryant, and Bryce Baringer.
All of these injuries are not making life easy for QB Drake Maye so far this season. Maye faced a whopping 47% pressure rate in Week 3. Not only is that the highest rate he's faced in 2026, it is the fourth highest of his entire career. He did not play well under pressure either, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble against the Jaguars.
New England is now 1-2 on the season and undoubtedly needs a win. Unfortunately, the Patriots face the NFL's best team in Week 4.
Next up for the Patriots is a road game against the Bills. That AFC East matchup kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 4 from Highmark Stadium in Buffalo.