The New England Patriots entered Sunday’s matchup with the Buffalo Bills short-handed at cornerback. Their depth was tested even further early in the fourth quarter.
Charles Woods left the game after making a tackle on Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer, according to Ethan Hurwitz of Patriots on SI.
Patriots are already down Christian Gonzalez and Channing Canada at cornerback.
Shortly afterward, Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar reported that Woods was questionable to return with a shoulder injury.
The injury occurred at an especially difficult time for New England. The Patriots carried a 21-17 advantage into the fourth quarter against Buffalo before the Bills cut that lead to 21-20.
Update: Woods returned to the game and let up a 34-yard TD to Josh Allen connecting with Keon Coleman. Score is 26-21, Bills lead.
Patriots Were Already Missing 2 Cornerbacks
Woods had taken on a larger role because New England entered the game without two other cornerbacks.
Christian Gonzalez was ruled out with a shoulder injury, while rookie Channing Canada was unavailable because of a hamstring injury. The Patriots’ official inactive list confirmed both absences before kickoff.
Woods was one of the Patriots’ primary options to fill the void left by Gonzalez. Patriots.com projected a cornerback group centered around Woods, Carlton Davis III and nickel defender Marcus Jones with Gonzalez unavailable.
The timing of Woods’ injury, therefore, left New England with limited options against Josh Allen and the Buffalo passing attack.
New England still had rookie Karon Prunty available, and veteran Kindle Vildor was elevated from the practice squad Saturday.
Vildor Gives Patriots Experienced Insurance
The decision to elevate Vildor became particularly important after Woods went down.
The Patriots announced Saturday that Vildor and safety Mike Brown would join the active roster for the Bills game.
Vildor, 28, has extensive NFL experience and entered Sunday having appeared in 80 regular-season games with 27 starts.
The Patriots were asking their secondary to compensate for the loss of Gonzalez, one of the centerpiece players on their defense.
Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez-Less Secondary Takes Another Hit vs. Bills