Next on the Patriots schedule this season is a Week 12 game against the Dolphins in Miami, a game that has historically haunted them every year. For some reason, they haven't fared well against their divisional rival on the road, and that's expected to continue again on Sunday when the two teams meet for the first time this season.
Both teams have had chaotic seasons thus far, but for very different reasons.
The Dolphins have been uncharacteristically bad, some of which was due to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's injury, which kept him sidelined for a few weeks. However, the offense has been underperforming even with him back in the lineup, especially with the firepower they have in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Besides the expected struggles the Patriots should have going against them, their lackluster defensive effort for most of last week's game has many concerned about how they'll fare against another team with high-performing wide receivers. They didn't do a good job shutting down Puka Nacua or Cooper Kupp, but they'll need to be much better this week, or else they'll be beaten again by Hill and Waddle.
That makes many of the limited participants in their non-padded Wednesday practice a bit more worrisome ahead of Sunday's game.
DID NOT PARTICIPATE | LIMITED PARTICIPATION | FULL PARTICIPATION |
|---|---|---|
T Vederian Lowe (shoulder) | S Kyle Dugger (ankle) | LB Christian Elliss (abdomen) |
DT Jaquelin Roy (neck) | DT Daniel Ekuale (elbow) | LB Sione Takitaki (knee) |
DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (foot) | S Marte Mapu (neck) | |
DT Christian Barmore (not injury related) | TE Austin Hooper (neck) | |
LB Keion White (knee) | ||
LB Anfernee Jennings (knee) | ||
OL Cole Strange (knee) |
The number of defensive players listed as not participating or limited is concerning at this point in the week. It's still early, and there's time for their statuses to improve as the game gets closer, but some of their highest-performing players were not readily available at today's practice.
Injuries continue to plague this team, and it doesn't appear to be getting any better. And it's not just injuries that have been the worst part, it's who has been injured that has impact the team's effort far more than the number of hurt players.
The one silver lining was the return of starting left guard Cole Strange, as the offensive line has long needed him back in the lineup, and now his 21-day return window is officially opened.