The Patriots have a tough road to end the 2024 season, and it starts with their final road game of the year against the Bills next Sunday. As if playing in Buffalo isn't difficult enough, and coming off an embarrassing loss to the Cardinals last week, their first injury report doesn't bode well for their chances against the AFC East winners.
The Patriots have been plagued with injuries all season, especially to some of their most important players on the team. That's led to several being out for the year, including David Andrews and Ja'Whaun Bentley, two captains who left early on.
They're still dealing with several injuries as they head into Week 16, with the only silver lining being that the list of players not participating in Wednesday's practice has gotten shorter over the past week.
DID NOT PARTICIPATE | LIMITED PARTICIPATION |
|---|---|
S Kyle Dugger (ankle/illness) | WR Javon Baker (concussion) |
RB JaMycal Hasty (ankle) | DT Christian Barmore (not injury related) |
CB Marcus Jones (hip) | CB Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) |
LB Anfernee Jennings (knee) | |
T Vederian Lowe (shoulder) | |
G Cole Strange (knee) | |
LB Jahlani Tavai (groin) | |
T Caedan Wallace (ankle) | |
DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (foot) |
The continuously growing list of names on the limited participation side of the injury report is concerning, however.
While it's great that they were able to be on the practice field in some capacity, the number of players dealing with injuries and their statuses for Sunday's game up in the air is not great timing for the Patriots. They'll need everyone to be available (if possible) against the Bills, but it looks like they could be down some of their most productive players if their injuries don't improve over the next few days.
They're not expected to have much of a chance to sneak out a win, as they are the biggest underdog going into a game this season. However, the hope is that the Patriots will show up better than they did in Arizona. If they're down some of their best performers, the chances of that happening start to dwindle before they even step on the field.