Jerod Mayo placed on New England Patriots’ injured reserve

The Patriots will face the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

Jerod Mayo, a long-time Patriots linebacker and captain, was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury on Tuesday, according to a source.

Mayo injured his shoulder in Saturday’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs. As was the case over the last month of the season, Hightower limped on and off the field throughout and missed plays at times. But his usage picked up when Collins fell ill and stayed high as injuries to Hightower and Jonathan Freeny, another linebacker signed in the offseason, put him front-and-center.

The 29-year-old played in all 16 regular season games this year, starting eight games and racking up 49 tackles and one sack.

Mayo first entered the game in the third quarter, replacing Jamie Collins, per ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss. And in 2013, he tore a pectoral muscle in a game against the Saints. If Mayo signs with another team, the Patriots would be eligible to recuperate a compensatory pick.

The team now has an open spot on the active 53-man roster to fill before Sunday. So far, there have been no updates on either player’s status, though their injuries were believed to be minor.