The New England Patriots will be navigating yet another game without the services of defensive lineman Milton Williams when they take on the New York Giants in Week 13 on Monday night.
Williams hasn't appeared in a game since Week 11 when he suffered a high-ankle sprain that has since landed him on injured reserve, which means he has to miss at least four games.
It goes without saying how important Williams is to the Patriots' defense, so his absence will be felt.
But here's what we know about his return timeline.
When is Milton Williams coming back?
At the conclusion of the Week 13 game between the Patriots and Giants, Williams will have missed two games.
When factoring in the bye week in Week 14, the earliest Williams can return is in Week 17 against the New York Jets.
However, depending on the severity, a high-ankle sprain can take up to six weeks to heal, so it's possible he returns in Week 18.
The key thing here is that the Patriots get Williams back by the playoffs. Right now, it looks like the latest he'll be back is by the first playoff game, which could come in the wild card or divisional round, depending on which seed the Patriots finish in.
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