The New England Patriots suffered a major injury on Thursday night with the team losing linebacker Brandon King for the season. King was carted off the field during the second quarter and according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe, he was diagnosed with a torn quadriceps muscle.

This is the Patriots first major injury during the preseason and it is going to have a big effect on the team, especially with special teams.

King played on all four kick coverage units last year and was a standout. According to Pats Pulpit, King played 344 of a possible 545 snaps in the kicking game and made 13 tackles which led the team.

King signed a two-year extension during the offseason and there was no question that he was going to make the roster.

The Patriots suffered a few more injuries but fortunately, those don't seem to be too serious. Tight end Benjamin Watson suffered a concussion on a late hit by Eric Reid and although brain injuries are nothing to mess with, the expectation is that he won't be out long.

Tight end Lance Kendricks, safety Nate Ebner, wide receiver Gunner Olszewski, running back Damien Harris, and linebacker Kyle Van Noy also received medical attention during the game but all are expected to be fine.

The more key injuries that happen during the preseason the more there is going to be a debate about how many preseason games need to be played. King is a big loss for the Patriots and the team probably wishes now that they wouldn't have played him.