Patriots vs Bills: What’s the injury situation for both teams?

What are the most notable injuries heading into Sunday’s AFC East rivalry game between the Patriots and the Bills?

The New England Patriots enter Sunday’s contest against the Buffalo Bills with plenty to play for. A win over Buffalo (or a Miami loss to Jacksonville) would earn the Patriots their 10th consecutive division championship and punch the team’s ticket to the playoffs.

Similar to last week, the Patriots are about as healthy as they’ve been all season long.

Rob Gronkowski was a surprise addition to Thursday’s injury report, listed as a limited participant in practice due to ankle and back issues. Thankfully for Tom Brady and the rest of the New England offense, his name was removed on Friday, meaning he’ll be good to go against Buffalo.

Cordarrelle Patterson also found his way onto the injury report earlier this week with an unspecified illness; a disturbing development given the team’s sudden lack of depth at receiver after Josh Gordon’s suspension. Like Gronk, Patterson was taken off Friday’s report, which bodes well for his chances of suiting up on Sunday. Assuming his sickness is behind him, he’ll be needed to stretch the field against Buffalo’s stingy secondary.

Special teams contributor Brandon King is the only player on the active roster still listed on the injury report; he’s questionable with a knee problem.

For the Bills, the best news on the injury report is the player that’s no longer there. Star running back LeSean McCoy has been nursing a bum hamstring, but declared confidently that he’d “be out there” against the Patriots.

Fellow veteran rusher Chris Ivory is listed as questionable on the Bills’ report. Between McCoy’s return and the emergence of undrafted rookie Keith Ford, it’d be surprising if Bills coach Sean McDermott hurried Ivory back onto the field before he’s ready – especially with nothing to play for.

The only other Buffalo player on the injury report is cornerback Ryan Lewis, meaning Sunday’s game should be a great chance for fans of both teams to see how they measure up against each other at full strength.