The Patriots are preparing to take on the Dolphins in Miami for their Week 12 matchup, and neither team is expected to have an easy day. Historically, the Patriots haven't fared so well when playing their divisional rival in an away game, and it's unlikely that will be any different come Sunday.
It will be particularly difficult for their defense, which will have to cover some of the best receivers in the league with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and the rising tight end and former Patriot Jonnu Smith, who has become Tua Tagovailoa's leading pass catcher in recent weeks.
Given how poorly they played against a similarly built Rams offense last week, it doesn't bring much optimism about how they'll do against a familiar opponent, especially since it wasn't just the secondary that struggled to shut down a high-power offense.
The lack of pass rush and weak tackling also put the Patriots in deep water. It was so bad that at one point, Matthew Stafford laughed at the defense's game plan that led to a 69-yard touchdown run by Cooper Kupp. If that doesn't indicate how much they struggled, it's hard to say what would be.
That makes the ongoing absence of defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. much more concerning in the days leading up to Sunday's game. He missed another practice on Thursday, and it doesn't help that Keion White is also dealing with an injury that has been keeping him limited in practice all week.
DID NOT PARTICIPATE | LIMITED PARTICIPATION | FULL PARTICIPATION |
|---|---|---|
DT Jaquelin Roy (neck) | S Kyle Dugger (ankle) | DT Christian Barmore (not injury related) |
DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (foot) | DT Daniel Ekuale (elbow) | LB Sione Takitaki (knee) |
DT Davon Godchaux (back) | ||
S Marte Mapu (neck) | ||
LB Anfernee Jennings (knee) | ||
T Vederian Lowe (shoulder) | ||
OL Cole Strange (knee) | ||
LB Keion White (knee) |
Removed from list: LB Christian Elliss, TE Austin Hooper
The return of Christian Barmore will certainly help ease the pain of Wise potentially missing the game, and Sione Takitaki getting back on the field will also help. It will be difficult, however, to make up for the loss of Wise and the production he brings as one of the best players on the defensive line and a voice of the defense as a whole, which couldn't be happening at a worse time with the Dolphins on the docket.
The hope is that Wise's injury isn't so severe that it will keep him sidelined for multiple games. The defense has already had to deal with the losses of Ja'Whaun Bentley and Jabrill Peppers, two of its most instrumental members, and their success on game day.