By Reice Shipley

Copyright newsweek

The New England Patriots put together their best effort of the season in their Week 5 upset victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. But the game didn’t come without a price, as the organization learned about the unfortunate injury diagnosis for running back Antonio Gibson on Monday following his departure from Sunday’s game.

Gibson, who serves as a rotational running back and kick returner for the Patriots, was forced out of the matchup after taking a hit on a kick return in the second quarter of the game, which nearly resulted in disaster for the Patriots, as it caused Gibson to fumble the ball which was fortunately recovered by a Patriots player.

While the play didn’t have any on-field ill-effects, it did have a lasting effect on the Patriots’ offense when it comes to Gibson’s health moving forward.

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 05: Antonio Gibson #4 of the New England Patriots is checked on by medical staff during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on October 05, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

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It was clear right away as Gibson walked off to the locker room with the assistance of the New England training staff with tears in his eyes that the hit around the knees had caused a significant injury. On Monday, we learned the reality of just how severe the injury was, with reports emerging that Gibson is set to miss the remainder of the 2025 season with a torn ACL.

Patriots RB Antonio Gibson will miss rest of season with torn ACL. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/wA4NguAKss— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2025

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The loss profiles to be a big one for the Patriots, as Gibson was a fixture in the three-man New England backfield alongside TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson. In fact, Gibson has actually been the most productive of the three thus far, averaging 4.2 yards per carry, the highest average on the team.

It will be interesting to see whether the Patriots bring in someone else to replace Gibson in the three-man backfield, or potentially just split work equally between Stevenson and Henderson.

Either way, Gibson’s injury certainly takes away from what should have been a great night for Patriots fans after defeating the previously unbeaten Bills.

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