Patriots should shut down Matthew Judon

Judon injured his right bicep in the fourth quarter of the Patriots' 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday while tackling running back Deuce Vaughn.

Per Schefter's report, Judon still wants to play again this season and will do everything he can to return to the field as soon as possible.

Is that the correct decision though?

According to former NFL team physician Dr. David Chao, the typical recovery process for this type of injury and surgery usually takes about three months. If everything goes smoothly, that would put Judon returning to the Patriots for their Week 17 matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 31.

The Patriots have struggled to start the season. They have a 1-3 record with their only win coming against the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets. The only positive has been their defensive performances in the first three weeks. The Patriots held the Eagles' offense to 18 points, the Dolphins to 24 points, and the Jets to 10 points. 

Judon, who finished in the top five in the NFL last season with 15.5 sacks was having another excellent season before his injury. He had a team-high four sacks, nine QB hits, and a safety. With standout rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez also dealing with a long-term injury, the Patriots defense will almost certainly take a significant step back going forward.

If the Patriots defense isn't holding teams to under 20 points per game, their offense doesn't have enough firepower to compete in more high-scoring shootouts. The game plan for the Patriots the past few seasons has been to dominate on defense and special teams instead of investing in their offense.

Judon still has one more year left on his contract with the Patriots. Instead of working his way back as quickly as possible for the chance to play in at most two, potentially meaningless Week 17 and Week 18 games, Judon should focus on his long-term health and make sure that he is 100% for next season