The National Football League has an old saying, “A win is a win.” Yet, New England’s 23-16 victory over Vinny and the Jets is not making the region all bubbly.

The fact that the Patriots have a 2-1 record does nothing to disperse the threatening clouds of doom. Their play on the field has been adequate at times and impressive at others. The list of walking wounded and sidelined wounded painfully grows by the week. Although the season is young, Pats fans will soon be getting that old feeling of pessimism if the injury trend continues.

This week’s additions to infirmary include Ted Washington, a big (and I mean big) plug on the defense line against an opponent’s running game, and David Patten, starting wide receiver who is the only legitimate downfield threat in the Patriots passing game. The Pats were already without Roosevelt Colvin (out for the season), Ted Johnson (out indefinitely), and Mike Compton (out for who knows).

And if that wasn’t enough, Ty Law was seemingly headed to becoming another victim of the football Grim Reaper after teammate Roman Phifer rolled on his lower leg in the second quarter. Thankfully, what was thought to be a serious injury turned up to be a minor one, which allowed Law to return to the game in the second half. We’ll just have to wait and see if the injury lingers during the season.

Pat fans should also be concerned about the golden arm of Tom Brady. He was not sharp in the Jets game and did some things he normally doesn’t: floaters over the heads of receivers; losing the grip of the football, etc. No one knows and no one is telling if the elbow is in trouble. Coach Bill Belichick is as secretive a coach as there is in the league, and he is always cryptic and evasive about his team’s casualties, workout schedules, and lunch menus.

This weekend’s opponent is the offensively charged Washington Redskins and their new wide receiver Lavareneus Coles. The Pats’ secondary is going to have their hands full with this lot, and hopefully Law is around to contribute even if he is only 75%.

The sky is not falling but it is getting awfully black. A team can only lose so many players before realistic prospects of the playoffs begin to vanish. One can only pray that the Patriots have made enough acts of attrition and they are spared from any more long term injuries. If not, the months ahead are going to be very bleak indeed.