Brandon LaFell

Danny Amendola’s injury, which the team announced was to his knee, came late in the third quarter on running back James White's 6-yard touchdown run. He was coming off the left side of the line to block and didn’t make contact with anyone, but came up limping.

“When I saw him, it looked like he was in good spirits,” WR Brandon LaFell said. “I hope it’s nothing major. We’re going to need him soon.”

Amendola came on to return a punt after the Bills’ next drive went three-and-out, but came up hobbling again as he let the ball hit the ground and backed away from it.

He was seated on the bench for the remainder of the game after that, at one point talking with Bill Belichick during a timeout.

Aaron Dobson left in the second quarter with an ankle injury and didn’t return.

Losing Amendola for any stretch of time would be a tough blow for the Patriots, who are already without No. 1 man Edelman (left foot) for the foreseeable future, and running back Dion Lewis. Amendola essentially stepped into Edelman’s role Monday and delivered with nine receptions for 117 yards, and the numbers could have spiked further if not for an unusual inadvertent whistle in the third quarter. He was charted on the field for 45 of 50 offensive snaps (including penalties) before hobbling off. Keshawn Martin became a popular name last week as a possible Edelman recplacement, and with both Amendola and Dobson now banged up, he could be thrust into a bigger role out of necessity. He was inactive for Week 11 and hasn't caught a pass since Week 6, which was the last time he was active.