Patriots LB Hightower (pectoral) out for season

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower will miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle, an injury that was suffered in the third quarter of last Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Pro Bowler reportedly had surgery on Thursday to repair the injury and is expected to make a full recovery for 2018.

This is a huge loss for a New England defense that has struggled in the first half of the season. One player called Hightower the team’s best defender while lamenting the loss and others used the word “special” to describe the linebacker both as a playmaker and a leader in the locker room as a team captain.

“He knows the defense like the back of his hand. To lose a guy like that is a huge blow for the team,” linebacker David Harris said. “But as a linebacker group, we have to step up and try to fill his place, which is going to be tough to do.

“It’s a huge loss.”

Hightower, who has a history of knee and shoulder injuries, previously missed two games this fall with a knee problem. Starting all five games he’s played, Hightower displayed his versatility with action at both defensive end and linebacker, on the edge and in the middle, while notching a pair of sacks to go along with 14 tackles.

As Harris alluded to, a number of players will be called upon to step up in Hightower’s absence, including Harris, who saw his most extended playing time against Atlanta, after having previously played a mere seven snaps all season, sitting out three games altogether.

“We hate to lose a guy like that but it’s on all of us to step up, myself included,” Harris said. “Injuries are part of the sport, unfortunately. And it’s always next man up.

“We have a lot of veterans in this locker room and guys that have played a lot of ball, myself included. So I’ve seen numerous guys go down over my career, but Hightower is a special guy in this locker room.”

Linebacker Kyle Van Noy has started all seven games for the Patriots this season and is second on the team with 49 tackles while tying for the team lead with 3.5 sacks. But he also emphasized the need for a unified effort to replace the leader of the front seven.

“Dont’a is a special player,” Van Noy said. “He does a lot for this team. It’s going to take a group effort. He’s a leader of this team and the defense. We know what we have to do to fill his spot. As a unit, everyone has to step up and hold each other accountable and get on the right page.”

Concluded safety and fellow co-captain Devin McCourty, “It’s a tough loss. Communication, everything. He’s a huge part of what we do.”