Woodhead told reporters after the game that he was all right, and his head coach sounded confident, too.
“I saw him in the locker room,” Bill Belichick said at his news conference. “He seemed all right. I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes.”
Woodhead, whose wife gave birth to their first child Saturday, suffered a concussion last season, and there was some immediate concern after Thursday’s hit from Devin Holland, who blindsided Woodhead as he chased down a punt return. Woodhead was woozy after the play, stumbling for a few steps when he first stood up to run back to the sideline.
“He got hit, and I jumped up because it looked like him,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “He’s a tough guy. Running off the field, he’s unbelievable.”
There was no penalty on the play, but it’s the type of hit that the NFL has tried to eliminate with its emphasis on stricter fines.
“He got hit pretty hard,” Brady said. “That’s football. There are guys moving fast out there, especially on punt returns or any returns. Things are happening so fast. He just turned his head, and the guy really gave it to him good. He’s a tough guy. Everyone is worried about him, as his teammates would be, but hopefully he’s OK.”
