The New England Patriots will have wide receiver Julian Edelman back in action on Saturday for the first time in two months after he missed the final seven games of the year with a broken foot.
Julian Edelman will make return for Patriots 2 months after suffering broken foot
Edelman suffered a broken foot in Week 10 and will finally make his return in time to help the Patriots make a run in the postseason.
Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Amorosino of 7News in Boston first reported on Sunday that Edelman had been medically cleared to return with a steel-plated shoe to prevent further injury to his foot. That report that the receiver would be back in action was confirmed on Monday by Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
Edelman, 29, last played in Week 10 for the Patriots, catching four passes for 53 yards against the New York Giants before leaving with the foot injury. The Patriots won that game 27-26 to improve to 9-0 on the year, but the team finished 3-4 in the seven games without Edelman including losses in the last two weeks that handed the No. 1 seed in the AFC to the Denver Broncos.
Without Edelman, the Patriots offense struggled to replicate its hot start to the year. After racking up at least 350 yards of total offense in each of the first nine weeks, including 507 yards and 40 points against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, the New England offense was held under 350 yards in five of the last six games.
Even with Edelman back in the lineup, though, finding offense against the Kansas City Chiefs could be tough. The Chiefs finished No. 3 in points allowed and racked up 22 interceptions, second to only the Carolina Panthers. In the Wild Card round, the Chiefs forced five turnovers from the Houston Texans in a 30-0 shutout win.
A seventh-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Edelman tallied only 714 receiving yards in his first four NFL seasons combined before exploding for 105 receptions and 1,056 yards in 2013. It was enough to earn him a four-year, $17 million contract in the 2014 offseason and he followed it with another 92 receptions for 972 yards.
Prior to his Week 10 injury, Edelman had 61 receptions for 692 yards and seven touchdowns in nine games for the Patriots.
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