Orchard Park, N.Y. — The Patriots are readying for a divisional clash with the Bills on Sunday with one surprise inactive for New England.
New England's inactives for Sunday's tilt are S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), CB Marcus Jones (hip), RB JaMycal Hasty (ankle), G Tyrese Robinson, G Lecitus Smith, and Joe Milton is the emergency third quarterback. The Pats remaining questionable players are all active: S Kyle Dugger (ankle/illness), OL Cole Strange (knee), and DE Keion White (groin). As a reminder, the Patriots didn't activate rookie OL Caedan Wallace (ankle), so he's ineligible to play vs. the Bills as he's still on injured reserve.
On the other side, Buffalo has several notable inactives on Sunday. The Bills game-day inactives are LB Matt Milano (biceps/groin), CB Rasul Douglas (knee), S Taylor Rapp (neck), S Damar Hamlin (rib), WR Curtis Samuel (rib), T Tylan Grable, and DT DeWayne Carter. For those unfamiliar with the Bills roster, that's their best linebacker (Milano), starting corner (Douglas), and both their starting safeties (Hamlin, Rapp) who are inactive. For a team that has already clinched the division and is unlikely to catch Kansas City for the No. 1 seed, Buffalo's inactives caught the eye.
Starting with replacing Peppers, the Patriots safety will miss Sunday's game after being active in his last two games since returning from the commissioner's exempt list. Although he's had some good moments, Peppers hasn't been his usually impactful self since returning to the team. For example, the Pats safety was at the point of attack on a 53-yard run last week in Arizona, a play we're used to seeing Peppers make.
Without their starting safety, second-year pro Marte Mapu is active for the first time since Week 12. Mapu has fallen out of favor. One guess as to why Mapu hasn't been active over the last several weeks is inconsistencies with reading through challenging coverage assignments, particularly in the screen game. However, he will get another crack at it alongside Dugger, Jaylinn Hawkins, and undrafted rookie Dell Pettus.
As for replacing Marcus Jones on defense and special teams, the Patriots elevated veteran returner Alex Erickson from the practice squad on Saturday. Erickson, who has 162 career punt returns and 110 kickoff returns, could be the next man up at both returner spots. Along with filling in on punt returns, Hasty has also been featured on kickoff returns this season. Erickson could fill both roles for the Patriots on Sunday.
As a returner, Jones ranks second in punt return average (14.8 yards). The third-year playmaker is making his case for postseason accolades as a return man while also playing a key role on defense. Jones has played 64.2% of the defensive snaps this season as a field or slot corner opposite Christian Gonzalez. The Pats will now need to defend MVP front-runner Josh Allen without one of their regulars in the secondary.
The most likely plan will be to use veteran CB Jonathan Jones as a primary defender on Bills leading WR Khalil Shakir, which might've been Marcus Jones's matchup. Then, Gonzo will play his usual role as a boundary corner/shadow on Amari Cooper, with second-year CB Alex Austin manning the other boundary spot on rookie Keon Coleman.
Another matchup to watch is the coverage plan for Bills TE Dalton Kincaid. Kincaid is an explosive route-runner who is a go-to receiver for Allen vs. man coverage. The Pats used Dugger on Kincaid in the past. Last week, undrafted rookie Dell Pettus drew Cardinals TE Trey McBride in man coverage. Kincaid presents a tough matchup for New England, whose safeties have been up and down lately.
Moving over to the offense, former first-rounder Cole Strange is active for the first time this season. Strange, who was activated off the PUP list last week, was a late scratch due to his knee injury in Arizona. Strange has been practicing at center rather than left guard since returning to practice on Nov. 20. The Pats new coaching staff views the 28th overall pick in the 2022 draft as a better fit at center, and the coaching staff hopes to see Strange play before the season ends.
At this point, they're running out of time to get a look at Strange as a center. The third-year pro will dress this week but don't expect him to start vs. the Bills on Sunday. One possible reason for sticking with current C Ben Brown is his comfort level with QB Drake Maye. On Friday, head coach Jerod Mayo suggested that the Patriots will stick with the same starting five along the offensive line as last week: LT Vederian Lowe, LG Layden Robinson, C Ben Brown, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Trey Jacobs. If that holds, Strange's opportunities might only come in a late-game garbage time scenario this week.
"Hopefully, we get to see him at some point. Now, we feel good about where we are up front, and that's what we're going to roll out there," Coach Mayo said.
Lastly, seeing how the Patriots manage their wide receiver rotation will be interesting. After missing last week's game due to a concussion, fourth-round rookie Javon Baker is officially active. Baker suffered a concussion in a serious car accident during the team's bye week. Second-rounder Ja'Lynn Polk struggled as the fourth wideout alongside regulars Kayshon Boutte, Pop Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne in Arizona.
Given the struggles for Boutte and Polk, Baker, another first-year player in need of development, could get more chances to showcase his talents down the stretch. So far, Baker has zero catches in 32 snaps on offense. Eventually, the Pats rookie receivers need to show some promise to be considered roster locks heading into year two.
Due to a late-season scheduling quirk, the Patriots will face the AFC East champion Bills twice in the final three weeks of 2024. Buffalo is the class of the division and a potential Super Bowl winner. Until further notice, they're the team New England is chasing. On Sunday, we'll get our first look at Maye vs. Allen in what could be a quarterback matchup for years to come.
The Patriots kickoff against the Bills at 4:25 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium on Sunday.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
