FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Change is unavoidable. It has been impossible, for instance, for Logan Mankins to ignore the subtle shift in the way his body responds (or doesn't respond).

Some other differences have been more jolting, a shock to the system, like sticking your feet in a bucket of frigid water. That's how it felt when he lost his longtime partners on the offensive line, Matt Light and Dan Koppen; one retired, one released, just like that.

Like it or not, the football life of Logan Mankins is evolving.

"It's a little different," Mankins conceded. "I played next to those guys for seven seasons. We've been through a lot together, and all of a sudden, they're gone. I went from the third-oldest to the oldest [on the line] very fast."

The newly anointed "elder statesman" is the anchor charged with protecting Tom Brady against J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans in Sunday's playoff game at Gillette Stadium. The O-line's job is paramount to the success of the Patriots, who have learned that when Brady is under duress, his job becomes infinitely more complicated.

Mankins, a cattle rancher's son who prided himself on never missing a game under any circumstances, has been sidelined a career-high six games this season. According to the perpetually murky Patriots injury report, he has battled ankle and calf injuries. It has been a source of frustration for Mankins to be unable to play up to his capabilities, even though he still garnered his fifth Pro Bowl invitation.

Logan Mankins, center, is the senior member of the Patriots offensive line after Matt Light, left, retired and Dan Koppen, right, was released. Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images

In the first five seasons of his Patriots career, he played all 16 games, regardless of what was ailing him.

"I had a pretty good streak for a while," Mankins said, "but this year has been injury-plagued."

Mankins has been targeted by impatient fans who believe the Patriots ran the ball more successfully while he was sidelined, by national pundits who questioned the veracity of his Pro Bowl selection.

Former teammate Tedy Bruschi, now an ESPN analyst, said such scrutiny is preposterous, particularly since Mankins played most of last season with a torn ACL.

"Some have reported it as happening late in the year, but it was the entire season," Bruschi said. "It happened in the Miami game [Week 1].

"Think about this: How amazing is it that he played through that, had major surgery and didn't even start the season on the PUP [physically unable to perform] list? Actually, he probably came back too soon, and maybe it affected other things. That could explain some of these injuries. The trainers call that overcompensating."

It remains unclear whether Mankins unknowingly played through the ACL tear or knew exactly what was happening and chose to soldier on quietly all the way to the Super Bowl.

"You don't ever ask him how he's feeling," tackle Sebastian Vollmer said. "You just assume he's going to play through anything."

The mention of Mankins elicited a wide range of adjectives describing his uncommon grit: "a rock," said tackle Nate Solder; "nails," offered linebacker Niko Koutouvides; and "tougher than boot leather," submitted Bruce Vegely, who coached Mankins in high school football and baseball.