Vince Wilfork undergoes surgery

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Loss Of Wilfork Significant For Pats

Ron Jaworski discusses how the loss of defensive tackle Vince Wilfork will affect the Patriots on and off the field.Tags: NFL, Patriots, Vince Wilfork, Ron Jaworski

Loss Of Wilfork Significant For Pats

New England Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, who is likely headed to season-ending injured reserve, had surgery on his torn right Achilles on Tuesday.

Wilfork's wife, Bianca, tweeted a photo Tuesday of Wilfork sitting in a hospital chair with a cast on the foot and giving the camera a thumb's up.

Thanking God for a successful surgery pic.twitter.com/matpmHlcgH

— bianca wilfork (@mrs75) October 1, 2013

Wilfork left Sunday night's Patriots' 30-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter, limping off the field on the Falcons' first possession. He did not return and was later seen being carted away in a boot.

"It doesn't look too good for Vince," Belichick said Monday during his weekly interview on Boston sports radio station WEEI. "I think he's got a pretty serious injury, and it's probably unlikely that he'll be able to play again this year."

Wilfork, one of the team's captains, is a perennial Pro Bowler and vital cog to the team's defense, particularly against the run.

"Clearly, there are no Vince Wilforks just standing around out there on the corner waiting to sign with the Patriots or some other NFL team," Belichick said on WEEI. "He is a special player, one of the very best at his position. There's no way that you would replace him with one guy -- that's totally unrealistic. But we'll try to do what we can to make our team as competitive as possible with the 46 guys we put out there against Cincinnati this Sunday."

According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Patriots allowed 4.1 yards per rush with Wilfork on the field over the past five seasons, which is ninth-best in the NFL. When Wilfork was off the field, the Patriots ranked last in yards per rush allowed (5.0).

"Well, to say we'll miss him is an understatement," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Monday in a radio interview with Jim Gray. "His presence in the locker room and on the field is really unmatched, so it will be a team effort.

"I know Coach Belichick said there's no Vince Wilforks on the street corner waiting to sign with the Patriots, which is the truth, but we're going to have to find a way to -- in a group effort -- replace such a valuable player."

The Patriots have been thin at defensive tackle since training camp started in late July, in part because Armond Armstead opened on the non-football injury list after undergoing surgery for an infection. Armstead remains on the non-football injury list, leaving the Patriots with Wilfork, fellow veteran Tommy Kelly and rookies Joe Vellano (undrafted) and Chris Jones (sixth-round pick from the Houston Texans claimed on waivers) at defensive tackle.

"Obviously Vince is a huge asset to our team not only on the field, but off the field," fellow defensive captain Jerod Mayo said. "And he's a great leader, he demands double-teams in the run game, and he also coordinates some of the rushes in the passing game as well."

Information from ESPNBoston.com contributor Field Yates was used in this report.

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