FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England had 14 players listed as questionable to play in this game because of a variety of injuries – many of which were sustained or aggravated in Week 6 versus the Cowboys. Of those, linebacker Dont'a Hightower was the only one who appeared to suffer a setback during the week of practice, and it'll keep him out of today's game with New York.
After suffering an elbow injury in the first half of last week's game against Dallas, Hightower eventually returned to action in the second half of that contest. He practiced on a limited basis this past Thursday after sitting out the Wednesday session, but then did not take part at all in Friday's workout here in Foxborough.
On the other end of the spectrum, right guard Shaq Mason will suit up today after a two-week absence stemming from an abdomen injury. Veteran Ted Karras has been filling in solidly for Mason these past two games. Mason's return means backup guard Yasir Durant is expendable and will be inactive for this game.
Elsewhere, with cornerback Jonathan Jones placed on IR yesterday, Joejuan Williams will be back in action today. He was a healthy scratch last week versus Dallas.
Meanwhile, the intrigue at running back continues. Rookie Rhamondre Stevenson, who's garnered a lot of attention so far with his flashy playing style, will sit in favor of veteran J.J. Taylor. Stevenson is a healthy scratch today (not listed on the injury report), while Taylor returns to action after being held out last week due to a groin issue.
The remaining three inactive Patriots today come as little surprise. Tight end Devin Asiasi, rookie edge rusher Ronnie Perkins, and rookie cornerback Shaun Wade have been inactive for all seven regular season games thus far in 2021. The first two are healthy scratches, but Wade continues to deal with the effects of a concussion suffered earlier this season and remains a fixture on the game day inactive list. He's yet to appear in a game for New England since coming to town in late August in a trade with Baltimore.
On the other side of the field, the Jets will be without a pair of starters today, as linebacker C.J. Mosley (hamstring) and tight end Tyler Kroft (back) were unable to practice all week due to their respective ailments. Both players were on the field for the Week 2 matchup with New England at MetLife Stadium, but won't be in uniform today. Kroft was ruled out on Friday, while Mosley's final status was determined late this morning. The Jets originally listed him as doubtful to appear today.
Also notable, New York running back Tevin Coleman hurt a hamstring during Friday's practice and will not be available for the Jets today.
