Patriots WR N’Keal Harry will be ready on Sunday. So will DeVante Parker.
The Patriots and Dolphins are finally ready to open up a season unlike any other in New England. And despite a few last-minute injury scares, it appears both teams will be bringing their full arsenals.
On the verge of perhaps a breakout season, 2019 first-round wideout N’Keal Harry was deemed questionable for Cam Newton’s debut on Sunday, nursing a shoulder issue. Though Harry struggled to develop a rapport with Tom Brady in his first NFL season (not stunning; Brady clearly didn’t intend to stay long or develop chemistry with a kid), it seems likely that he’ll make a large leap forward as Newton’s go-to guy on the outside.
Luckily for everyone involved, the shoulder’s not going to keep Harry off the field. Per sources, he’s starting.
#Patriots WR N’Keal Harry (shoulder) is listed as questionable, but he’s good to go for today vs. the #Dolphins, I’m told.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 13, 2020
Phew. The Patriots can’t exactly afford to sacrifice weapons in 2020, as the stable didn’t get much larger following Brady’s departure. Harry’s emergence will be a must, and for that to begin, he’s got to be on the field.
Unfortunately for Pats Nation, the Dolphins offense won’t be compromised, either.
It seemed that Miami’s most consistent threat DeVante Parker might not be available, either, but Ryan Fitzpatrick will indeed be able to target his favorite wideout in Week 1 after all.
Dolphins’ WR DeVante Parker, who was limited in practice during the week due to a hamstring injury, is playing Sunday vs. the Patriots.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 13, 2020
Stephon Gilmore probably never got his hopes up and falsely assumed that Parker would be taken off the table, but now it’s officially time for him to strap up.
The Defensive Player of the Year spoke this week about preparing for Parker, and seemed beyond ready for the revenge assignment.
After all, in Week 17, Parker’s out-of-character dominance against Gilmore played a large part in swiping a bye from the Pats and shortening their playoff journey.
DeVante Parker: only WR to put up 100+ yards against Stephon Gilmore in 2019 pic.twitter.com/fr7lQ5N7aW
— PFF (@PFF) September 13, 2020
By the time Week 1 is over, we’ll have a much fuller idea of the capability of both the Patriots and Dolphins offenses, as it looks like both squads will have their key pieces good to go.
New England made things official and dropped their list of inactives about an hour and a half before kickoff. While Jarrett Stidham’s inclusion surprised us (Brian Hoyer’s the man for the No. 2 job), the move to push Josh Uche to the side was relatively stunning.
#Patriots inactives. pic.twitter.com/KmovwrvKNK
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 13, 2020
Uche, long expected to be a huge part of the pass rush alongside Chase Winovich, will be watching from the sidelines this time around. Ditto for Dalton Keene, who will watch his fellow 2020 draft pick Devin Asiasi in action. Perhaps Keene’s blocking impact was overhyped.
Can we just kick off now, please? We’re getting antsy!