Why Patriots should stay afloat amid Milton Williams' IR stint

The New England Patriots will be without defensive tackle Milton Williams for their next four games, although it might be hard to tell. 

On Saturday, the Patriots placed Williams, who had a four-year, $104 million contract this offseason after four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, on injured reserve after he suffered a high ankle sprain in Thursday's 27-14 win over the New York Jets (2-8). Thanks to quality depth and a couple of favorable matchups, the impact of his absence should be minimal.

New England Patriots should be able to withstand defensive tackle Milton Williams' injury

Williams has been great for the Patriots, tied for second in the league in total pressures (35) among interior linemen, per Pro Football Focus data. He's third in ESPN's defensive tackle pass-rush win rate rankings. Williams has also been impactful on run defense, averaging one yard depth of tackle on his 10 run-play tackles, the 10th-lowest mark among 89 qualifying linemen.

Losing that kind of production could sink plenty of teams, but New England should stay afloat.

Tackle Christian Barmore has 34 total pressures, while third-year pro Cory Durden has emerged as a viable rotational piece. His 21.4 pressure win rate is first among 104 linemen with at least 100 pass-rush snaps. (h/t PFF)

Fifth-year veteran Khyiris Tonga adds more depth, while 2025 undrafted free-agent Eric Gregory received his first playing time in Week 11 and could see a larger role with Williams sidelined.

The Patriots (9-2) also benefit from their upcoming schedule, at least over their next two games. New England plays the Cincinnati Bengals (3-6) in Week 12. Entering Saturday, the Bengals rank last in the NFL in rushing (78.8 yards per game). That's followed with a home game against the New York Giants (2-8), who don't have much of a run game outside of quarterback Jaxson Dart. He's inactive this Sunday after suffering a concussion and shouldn't be much of a factor on the ground if cleared for the Week 13 tilt.

The schedule toughens after a Week 14 bye, with games against the Buffalo Bills (6-3) and Baltimore Ravens (4-5) potentially having an impact on playoff seeding. While it would be nice to have Williams for those two, it's better to have him available when the postseason begins, which he's on track for.

Williams has been worth every dollar he earned in free agency, but New England is more than capable of continuing to win without him. The Patriots are a well-oiled machine, and it will likely take more than missing Williams to knock them off track.