Patriots rule out seven players, list 10 as questionable against Raiders
Patriots
New England will be without several key pieces on Sunday.
The Patriots are heading to Las Vegas with lots of holes in their lineup, according to Friday’s injury report.
Seven players have already been ruled out by New England, while 10 more are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Those not making the trip include Riley Reiff (knee), who returned from IR just last week, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Demario Douglas, both due to concussions. Cole Strange, Tyrone Wheatley Jr., and Cody Davis are also unavailable. All three are dealing with knee injuries.
Matthew Judon was also officially ruled out, a formality as the Patriots have yet to place the pass-rusher on IR. He is expected to be out of action until December, if not later.
Of the 10 players with questionable game status, seven are on the defensive side of the ball. Kyle Dugger was a recent addition to the injury report with a foot injury. Jonathan Jones’s ankle injury that held him out early in the season is still lingering. Defensive linemen Christian Barmore (knee), Trey Flowers (foot), and Davon Godchaux (ankle) are all still working through their injuries. Josh Uche (knee), and Shaun Wade (shoulder) are also uncertain to play.
Offensively, Mike Onwenu (ankle), Trent Brown (chest), and Tyquan Thornton (shoulder) are the three players making the trip and hoping to suit up on Sunday. Thornton is a particularly interesting player to watch, given his speed and deep threat nature, along with other injuries to receivers. If he can play, Thornton could make an immediate impact on the field.
During New England’s Friday morning press conference, Bill Belichick touched on the process of getting players back on Sunday. He noted how important Friday practices are for gauging each player’s recovery.
“After going through Wednesday, Thursday practice — where are they? Guys that haven’t practiced, are they good to go?,” Belichick said. “They could be kind of sore, not a setback, but need a little more time. So, I think [Friday] is usually a good indication on those players on how the two heaviest practice days have affected them or not affected them.”
The Patriots are struggling to generate any momentum on the season, and lots of missing pieces could make matters even worse.
New England takes on the Raiders at 4:05 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday.
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