New Details Emerge On Julian Edelman’s Knee Aliment

Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman damaged the tendon of his left knee during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was dealing with a lot of difficulties throughout the week, and he was in pain. That’s what NFL Media’s Mike Giardi reported.

The knee ailment may be more serious than expected, and Edelman may be dealing with a serious issue at the moment.

Giardia reported that the receiver received treatment three times a day ahead of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Edelman was considered healthy enough to confront the Bengals after testing his knee in the pregame. However, he was playing at less than 100 percent, and had his worst statistical game of the regular season. Edelman finished with two catches on five targets for 9 yards while playing just 62 percent of offensive snaps. That’s his second-lowest total for the year. The wide receiver showed signs of discomfort.

Dr. Jessica Flynn writes about injury-related problems for Boston Sports Journal. She speculated that Edelman is dealing with tendonitis in the patellar tendon or an acute partial tear of the tendon.

“If the tendon is weakened by tendonitis or partial tearing, there is a risk of worsening of the tear or complete rupture of the tendon,” Flynn wrote Monday. “Unfortunately, we are unable to predict when or if that will happen, but it is often preceded by symptoms of tendonitis. A fully torn patellar tendon requires surgery, has a prolonged recovery, and a return to the previous level of play in the NFL is very, very difficult. On average, a full patellar tendon tear is much more difficult to recover from than an ACL tear.”

Edelman was the driving force of the Patriots passing game in the regular season. He leads the pass-catchers in receptions and receiving yards by a huge margin. He has 92 catches for 1,019 yards and a team-high six touchdowns in 14 games.

Running back James White is second on both lists with 65 catches for 588 yards. Wideout Phillip Dorsett comes right after him with 28 for 347. Dorsett has not caught a pass in three games and wasn’t targeted against Cincinnati.