Patriots inactives list for Week 9 game against the Titans

There is a lot more excitement around the Patriots' Week 9 matchup against the Titans on Sunday, mainly because they finally got their second win last week against the Jets, somewhat resetting their season moving forward.

There's even more optimism about Sunday's game because of Drake Maye's clearance of concussion protocol. Although Jacoby Brissett did a fine job and led the team to their win in Week 8, Maye brought the team together since he was named the starter last month, and fans want to see that continue, in addition to allowing the rookie to continue to develop with experience.

He will have a good opportunity to do that against an underperforming Titans team, who will be going with Mason Rudolph under center this week. Their starting quarterback, Will Levis, has been dealing with an injury that keeps him sidelined. But even before that, he wasn't exactly helping the team in the way they hoped.

In fact, their first win of the year came in Week 4 when he went down with the injury.

That's a factor the Patriots' defense could take advantage of, and their offense could benefit from at least one defender that has already been ruled out ahead of their matchup. Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, who the Titans traded for this offseason, will not suit up on Sunday, making the Patriots receivers' day a bit easier than anticipated.

Full Inactives List for the New England Patriots

Fortunately, a long list of players were removed from the injury report entirely ahead of Sunday's matchup: DT Daniel Ekuale, RB Antonio Gibson, CB Jonathan Jones, S Marte Mapu, WR Ja'Lynn Polk, G Layden Robinson, LB Jahlani Tavai, WR Tyquan Thornton, DE Keion White, QB Drake Maye

Key Absences and Their Impact

Offensive Impact

The biggest takeaway from offensive players set to miss Sunday's action is the healthy scratches of receivers K.J. Osborn and Tyqaun Thornton.

Rumors have been circulating regarding their status with the team ahead of the trade deadline, and reports have suggested that the Patriots are willing to move on from them both if the right offer comes along. Considering neither has made a tremendous impact this season, and now they won't be playing against the Titans, all signs point to their time being over in Foxboro.

Defensive impact

Most of the players on the injury report this week are on the defense, with Kyle Dugger being the leading name. He has been dealing with injuries this season, which kept him out of one game so far, and it's possible that will be the case against the Titans on Sunday.

The safeties played a good game against the Jets last week in his absence, and although Dugger hasn't been phenomenal this year, he's still the captain of the group and a presence on the field, so it's essential to have him playing.

Full Inactives List for the Tennessee Titans

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