New England Patriots: How the Andre Carter Injury Affects the Defense

The Patriots picked up their first road win against the Denver Broncos since 2003, but may have suffered an even greater loss.

ESPN reporter Josina Anderson spoke with Patriots defensive end Andre Carter's agent, who said that Carter sustained a "quad-related injury that will require surgery."

Carter has arguably been New England's defensive MVP this season, logging 10 sacks and becoming the first player to do so since Tully Banta-Cain did it in 2009.

The Patriots had huge problems with their pass rush last season, but those problems had fallen to the wayside with Carter's performance this season. Now that Carter is on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Patriots must now wonder what will come of their defense.

In case you didn't know, they already weren't very good against the pass. Now, without their best pass rusher, things could get hairy in a hurry.

Mark Anderson was a force against the Broncos on Sunday with three tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble on Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. Anderson has been criticized for getting a majority of his production in garbage time, but most of that production on Sunday came shortly after Carter came out of the game. Anderson's hot start was a good sign for him stepping up in the absence of his partner-in-crime.

But Anderson is just one guy, and the Patriots would obviously like to get contributions from other defensive linemen.

Patriots defensive linemen Brandon Deaderick got the start on Sunday over Anderson, and may also see an increased work load with Carter out. He has played 183 snaps this season, all since making his way back onto the active roster after coming off the physically unable to perform list in Week 7. Deaderick's size could help him contribute against the run, which was an underrated aspect of Carter's game.

The strongest case, however, could be made for Rob Ninkovich. He has played a mix of linebacker and defensive end this season. Through 13 games, Ninkovich had played even more snaps (777) than Carter (733), according to Pro Football Focus, although most of Ninkovich's time came at linebacker. He is formidable against the run, and has flashed potential as a pass rusher. He has 5.5 sacks on the season and might have an opportunity to add to that total with increased playing time.

Carter's contributions to the Patriots defense were enough to earn him the most Pro Bowl votes of any AFC defensive end. The Patriots will need to find their next man up if they want to go anywhere in the playoffs.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter.