Until the past month of the 2025 season, the Patriots have been fortunate on the injury front, avoiding superstar players having their seasons ended prematurely. That has been a problem for many other teams across the league, but it only recently impacted New England when they lost starting left tackle Will Campbell and defensive tackle Milton Williams.
A few other players have become more absent at practice during the week, which was particularly concerning in the days leading up to Sunday's matchup with the Ravens, especially those missing from the defense.
Their lackluster effort in the second half against the Bills made it even more crucial that the handful of starters who weren't present for Thursday's practice didn't miss the game, as the Patriots have a depth issue that would only make their chances to clinch a playoff berth even lower.
Fortunately, despite the long list of players not participating in their latest practices, their decision not to elevate any players from the practice squad suggests that most, if not all, those who were labeled questionable for Sunday's game will be active once the game begins.
The Patriots might be in better position with their roster against the Ravens than it initially looked
By the Saturday deadline to elevate players, ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that the Patriots made no moves, suggesting that players like DT Christian Barmore, CB Marcus Jones, and LB Harold Landry will be available to play in primetime.
The Patriots did not elevate any players from the practice squad for Sunday's game -- just the second time that's happened this season.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 20, 2025
The other time was Week 5 vs. Buffalo.
Although the Patriots don't technically need the win over Baltimore to remain the No. 1 team in the AFC East and the No. 2 seed in the conference, it would be beneficial to stay one game ahead of the Bills, since they split the season series after last week's second-half meltdown.
It would give them some breathing room to end the year and, at the same time, prove they can hang with one of the more established teams in the AFC, featuring an MVP quarterback and one of the best running backs in the history of the game.
That would certainly make up for what happened against the Bills last Sunday, while also maintaining their edge over Buffalo for, at the very least, one more week. And having most of their best players on the field will make that a lot easier.