Sounds like the Patriots might be able to exhale. The team and its fans have been holding their collective breaths since Sunday afternoon in Chicago, when rookie running back Sony Michel had to be taken off the field on a cart.
As Michel was being tackled at the start of the second quarter, his body got twisted awkwardly and it looked like his left knee took the brunt of it. However, according to multiple media reports, Michel underwent an MRI on Monday, which revealed "no structural damage," per **ESPN**. He is now considered "week-to-week," the report added.
**The Boston Globe** agreed with that prognosis, saying that the injury doesn't appear to be season-ending, according to the unspecified source for its report.
Meanwhile, head coach Bill Belichick would neither confirm nor deny nor elaborate on Michel's status when he made his weekly appearance on WEEI radio in Boston.
"We'll look at our options and see what we feel like the best thing is, see how long we think Sony might be out," Belichick remarked.
A **MassLive blog post** makes the argument that the Patriots shouldn't go after another running back now that it seems Michel is not seriously injured.
The **Boston Herald** addressed both Michel's injury at Rob Gronkowski latest back problem, which cropped up last Friday and kept him out of action versus Chicago.
"Neither player is dealing with an issue that would keep either out for an extended period of time, according to a source. In Gronkowski's case," the Herald noted, "it's not likely he'll miss any more time."
According to the Herald's source, Gronkowski was dealing with back spasms, which aren't nearly as serious as other back injuries he's overcome before. If true, that would mean Gronk should be available when the Patriots travel to Buffalo this weekend.
NFL Network concurred with that assessment, as this Tweet suggests:
Meanwhile, an **NBC Sports Boston** columnist points out that the Patriots are on a win streak, but questions if the team is actually improving from its 1-2 start to 2018. An analyst from the **Nashua (N.H.) Telegraph** says they are.
Finally, with the NFL trade deadline just one week from today, could a big-name cornerback be coming to Foxborough? A CBS Sports report seems to suggest it's possible. See below Tweet:
A **WEEI.com** reporter examines this tantalizing prospect in a little more detail.
