The New England Patriots have had some kicking troubles this year. It looks like things have gone from bad to worse.

According to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe on Twitter, the Patriots placed kicker Stephen Gostkowski on the injured reserve on Wednesday.

The first thing this means is that New England doesn't have a lot of time to find a replacement before their Week 5 matchup with the Washington Redskins.

The second thing is, they need to find a replacement.

Through four games, Gostkowski is 7-for-8 on field goals. That's really solid, but fans have had their issues with the kicker this year. This stems from his struggles with extra points, as he's 11-for-15 on the year in that category.

Now it appears some fans will be getting their wish of a new kicker. Although, they likely aren't happy with the reason for getting someone new (no one roots for injury).

New England plays the Redskins on Sunday in Week 5. Therefore, they have just a few days to find a replacement. Luckily for them, they're currently massive favorites. Therefore, not having a superstar kicker might not be the end of the world for them this week.

In his career, Gostkowski has been incredibly accurate. He's 374-for-428 (87.4%), having played with the Patriots his entire career. Due to that, even a somewhat rough start and an injury this year likely won't change his status with the team. Once healthy, expect Gostkowski to be New England's kicker of choice.

For now though, they need to scramble to find someone to fill in while he's injured. Expect news on that to come out sooner rather than later.