Glendale, Ariz. — The Patriots game-day roster is set for a West Coast showdown with the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.

New England's inactives are as follows: WR Javon Baker (concussion), G Cole Strange (knee), LB Marte Mapu, G Tyrese Robinson, and rookie Joe Milton is the emergency third quarterback. Arizona's inactives are T Christian Jones, TE Travis Vokolek, WR Xavier Weaver, and NT Khyiris Tonga.

Besides Strange, the four other players listed as questionable heading into Sunday's game are all officially active for the Patriots, those being DT Christian Barmore (not injury related - other), S Kyle Dugger (ankle), CB Christian Gonzalez (shoulder), and T Vederian Lowe (shoulder).

Starting on offense, the biggest unknown for New England is how former first-rounder Cole Strange will factor into the mix along the offensive line. Despite being activated from the physically unable to perform list earlier this week, Strange is officially inactive for Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals. The coaching staff has signaled that they'd like to get Strange some game-action before the season ends, but the Pats are airing on the side of continuity by sticking with Ben Brown at center this week.

During his 21-day ramp-up period that began on Nov. 20, Strange has primarily practiced at center rather than guard, his primary position in his first two seasons. Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and O-Line coach Scott Peters said they evaluated Strange coming out of UT Chattanooga as a center, so it's becoming clear that this coaching staff views him at the pivot spot. That said, after losing captain David Andrews to a season-ending injury, Brown has started the last eight games at center, with Brown starting every game where rookie Drake Maye has been the starting quarterback.

Although the team views Strange as a part of their future plans, changing centers this late in the season while things are going relatively smoothly with Brown and Maye is a risk, especially since Strange has never played the position in an NFL game before. In this offensive system, the center is primarily responsible for making all the line calls before the snap, like identifying the defensive front, setting the MIKE points, and changing protections to block the pass rush properly. There's also the QB-center exchange element when it comes to snapping, so more goes into playing center than just blocking the defender across from you.

With Strange inactive and Brown expected to start, the Pats projected starting offensive line is LT Vederian Lowe, LG Layden Robinson, C Ben Brown, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Trey Jacobs.

Next, the Patriots are emphasizing incorporating their younger pass-catchers into the offense for the stretch run. Unfortunately, Baker being inactive puts a pause in his developmental opportunities. With only four wide receivers active, rookie WR Ja'Lynn Polk and TE Jaheim Bell could see more playing time, as head coach Jerod Mayo mentioned using multiple tight ends as one way to manage a thin wide receiver room.

Despite struggling in his first season, the team hasn't given up on Polk. The coaching staff believes the 37th overall pick has a bright future, pointing to difficult mental hurdles from plays that didn't go Polk's way earlier in the year. With improved confidence, the Patriots are hoping that Polk will eventually break out. These last four games following the bye week are a great opportunity for the rookie to reset and build some momentum heading into his second season.

OL - Lowe, Robinson, Brown, Onwenu, Jacobs
WR - Boutte, Douglas, Bourne, Polk
TE - Henry, Hooper, Bell, Westover
RB - Stevenson, Gibson, Hasty

Above is a snapshot of QB Drake Maye's supporting cast vs. the Cardinals on Sunday.

Moving over to the other side of the ball, the Patriots defense is mostly healthy for their tilt in Arizona, with Barmore, Gonzalez, and Dugger active. Defensively, improvement must come from within for players projected into key roles before the season began, such as Barmore, Dugger, and safety Jabrill Peppers.

At safety, the Pats signed Dugger (four years) and Peppers (three years) to multi-year contract extensions last offseason. After being a top tandem in 2023, injuries and off-field circumstances have derailed the seasons for Dugger (ankle injury) and Peppers (off-field) to this point. Dugger has struggled since his return from injury in Week 11, while Peppers is still getting reacclimated after returning to the team in Week 13. New England needs its safety duo to play to its usual standard.

The other big piece who had a difficult season is Barmore, who missed the majority of the year after developing blood clots in training camp. Barmore playing at all this season is a testament to his perseverance and the treatment he received from the medical professionals. Following his diagnosis, anything the team gets from Barmore is a bonus.

On Friday, Coach Mayo addressed the challenge for Barmore and Peppers, who are trying to jump on the moving train after lengthy absences.

"When you have a guy, and then all of a sudden, he plays his first game – which he's been out for over a year – and we expect him to return back to the form where he left off," Coach Mayo said. "I would say that about other players as well. You could even use Pep [Jabrill Peppers] as an example, who for six or seven weeks was outside the building, then you expect him to come in and just be the Pep that he was at the start of the season.

"As we continue to progress through the season, you just want those guys to continue to get better. I would say – going back to Barmore – his training camp started two weeks ago, realistically, and it's just where we are," Mayo continued.

With four games remaining in the season, the mantra for the Patriots is to finish strong despite being eliminated from postseason contention at 3-10. The goal is to use some wins down the stretch as a springboard for better results in the 2025 season. Although they're six-point road underdogs to the Cardinals (6-7), it feels like a winnable game for New England, with Arizona in a slump of its own amidst a three-game losing streak.

The Patriots will face the Cardinals with kickoff at 4:25 pm ET at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.

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