New England Patriots: Five Players To Watch For Versus New York Giants

January 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Sealver Siliga (71) against the Denver Broncos in the 2013 AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

5. Sealver Siliga/Chris Jones

Siliga returned to practice this week, so I will be interested to see if he returns to action tonight. The same can be said for Jones, but he hasn’t returned to practice yet, which doesn’t bode well for him playing tonight. My gut feeling is no, because the Patriots probably don’t want to risk losing them again before the regular season starts, but you never know.

If they do suit up, I want to see how they look in terms of health, Siliga with his wrist, and Jones with his ankle. Jones’ injury may cause more problems going forward, because if you can’t use your feet effectively as a defensive tackle, you will get run over fairly often.

As I mentioned earlier, Tommy Kelly is gone, which means the rest of the young guys along this front have to step up. Siliga and Jones, along with Joe Vellano, are at the top of this list. They gained valuable game experience in 2013, and they must continue to build on that going forward.