New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett is one tough dude. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, he’s been playing this season with a cracked bone and bone chips in his ankle, an injury that will likely require surgery this offseason.
#Patriots love Martellus Bennett’s toughness. Example: He plays with a cracked bone & bone chips in his ankle. Surgery likely this spring
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 22, 2017
Bennett has been a major player in New England’s offense this year, especially as they have had to make a go of it without Rob Gronkowski for much of the season. He’s caught 55 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns and has become one of Tom Brady’s go-to guys in the red zone.
More than once this season, Bennett has gone down in a heap on the field after getting blasted, and this ankle injury has been around most of the year. He’s gotten back up and soldiered on every time (thanks to Luke Cage), but it’s certainly no surprised that he’s dealing with a painful injury.
For New England’s sake, hopefully Bennett can endure two more games. He and the Pats are hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday in the AFC Championship Game for a chance to play in Super Bowl LI.