Patriots Activate Chase Winovich, Who Could Rejoin Pass Rush Against Falcons
FOXBORO (CBS) -- The New England pass rush lost Josh Uche on Wednesday, with the linebacker landing on IR with an ankle injury. But the Patriots gained another potential quarterback-seeker in Chase Winovich.
Winovich was activated from injured reserve on Wednesday, and could see some immediate action in New England's Thursday night clash with the Atlanta Falcons. The defensive end missed the last four games after suffering a hamstring injury in a Week 6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Winovich got off to a slow start as he began training camp on PUP and wasn't activated until mid-August. He has played in six games this season, racking up seven tackles and one quarterback hit. He played in all 16 games as a rookie last season and finished with 5.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits.
The New England defense has been excellent in 2021, ranking second in the NFL in scoring at 17.7 points per game and sixth in total defense, surrendering 328 yards per game. The pass rush has been a big part of the defense's success, with New England sacking quarterbacks 24 times in the first 10 games of the season.
Winvovich figures to add some more pressure to a defense that has constantly harassed opposing quarterbacks, with QB pressures on 25.7 percent of dropbacks so far this season. Matt Judon leads the team with 9.5 sacks; Uche was second on the team with three over nine games played. New England has 10 players with at least one sack on the season.
