The New England Patriots won Sunday night's game against the Atlanta Falcons, but they lost something very important -- defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. But Monday morning news came out that Wilfork tore his Achilles in the win, which could end his season.
NFL roundup: Vince Wilfork tears Achilles, Jake Locker to miss 6-8 weeks
Sunday’s game featured two important wins that cost teams important players.
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James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Wilfork is vital at clogging the middle for the Patriots, as the 10-year veteran has amassed 469 tackles and 16.0 sacks since being drafted in 2004. Rookie Joe Vellano is expected to fill in while Wilfork is out and the undrafted free agent has played well, totaling 10 tackles and a sack in four games.
The Tennessee Titans find themselves atop the AFC South, but the stay could be short with news that quarterback Jake Locker will miss 6-8 weeks with a hip injury.
Locker went down midway through Sunday's game against the New York Jets. The third-year quarterback was having the most successful season of his short career -- passing for 721 yards and six touchdowns without an interception.
The Vikings traveled to London for a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but the win doesn't mean the team plan to make their quarterback switch permanent. Head coach Leslie Frazier spoke to the media Monday, saying that he still plans to stick with Christian Ponder when he recovers from a broken rib.
Matt Cassel was far from perfect Sunday, but he was better than the quarterback play the Vikings saw in the first three weeks of the season. He finished with 248 yards passing and two touchdowns without an interception.
San Diego came off an important victory over the Dallas Cowboys and will be without one of the team's top pass rushers because Dwight Freeney tore his quad.
Freeney was signed in the off-season to help mitigate the loss of Melvin Ingram, who was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL.
Geno Smith is having a turnover-prone rookie campaign, but his eight interceptions won't be enough for Rex Ryan to bench the rookie quarterback. Ryan told the media that the thought has not crossed his mind, as reports emerged that Mark Sanchez would have surgery on his torn labrum.
Smith has thrown for 1,090 yards over four games, but has just four touchdowns en route to a quarterback rating of 68.6.
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