Report: Matthew Slater Has Serious Hamstring Injury, Could Miss Multiple Games
BOSTON (CBS) -- Matthew Slater injured his hamstring during the Patriots' 41-16 win over the Broncos on Sunday night, and it appears that he could be out for a while.
The Patriots special teams captain missed Wednesday's practice at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and was sent back to New England, according to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss. That means Slater is likely out for Sunday's game against the Raiders in Mexico City. The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later reported that a source described Slater's injury as "serious" and that he could be "looking at a multi-game absence."
The injury comes at an unfortunate time for the Patriots, who had just come out of their bye week before Sunday's game in Denver. The special teams units are riding an impressive hot streak, including a dominant performance against the Broncos with a return touchdown, blocked punt, and fumble recovery. They also forced a safety against the Chargers' Travis Benjamin in Week 8 and have been a sneakily important part of the Patriots' five-game win streak since Slater's return.
It's possible that Slater re-aggravated his previous hamstring injury that kept him out of the first four games of the regular season. The preliminary reports suggest that the special teams ace will once again have to miss multiple games.
Elsewhere on the Patriots' injury front, Malcom Brown (ankle) returned to practice after missing the previous two games. Chris Hogan (shoulder) and Marcus Cannon (ankle) remained absent.
