New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett is dealing with knee and ankle injuries but is available to play in the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Continue for updates. 

Bennett Active vs. Steelers

Sunday, Jan. 22

The Patriots announced Bennett is available to play against Pittsburgh.

Severity of Bennett's Injuries Revealed

Sunday, Jan. 22

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Bennett is playing with a cracked bone and bone chips in his ankle and will "likely" undergo surgery in the spring. 

Latest on Bennett's Practice Status

Friday, Jan. 20

According to the team's official injury report, Bennett was limited during Friday's practice.

Bennett Is Vital to Patriots' TE Depth After Gronkowski's Injury

Bennett appeared to suffer the injury during the AFC Divisional Round against the Houston Texans. But he shed some light on the situation when speaking to the media about drawing inspiration from his favorite superhero, per Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal:

Always thinking about Luke Cage. I get to sideline and think, 'what would Luke Cage do?' Well, [crap], I've got to get back out there because that's what Luke Cage would do. As an individual, [crap] happens. You just find a way to fight through whatever it is. I've been fighting through [crap] the whole year. I'm not going to stop now. I'm getting too close to what my goal is in life. I just want to keep trucking and keep doing what I can to attribute and play as hard as I can.

Still, this is a worrisome injury for the Patriots because star tight end Rob Gronkowski is already out for the season with a back injury. Quarterback Tom Brady would be without two of his primary weapons if Bennett was forced to miss significant time.

Bennett is a difficult matchup for opposing defenses because of his physicality at 6'6" and athleticism that allows him to make defenders miss in the open field. He can outjump them on fade routes in the end zone and pick up large chunks of yardage during drives.

Bennett was a Pro Bowler with the Chicago Bears in 2014, when he posted a career-high 916 receiving yards and six touchdown catches. He finished with 701 receiving yards and a career-high seven touchdown catches in his first year with the Patriots.

Brady can still rely on wide receivers such as Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan if Bennett can't handle a full workload, and the Patriots feature a powerful rushing attack behind LeGarrette Blount and the versatile Dion Lewis.