The Patriots are readying for a home matchup with the Rams at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, looking for their first two-game winning streak since the 2022 season.
On Friday, New England listed ten players as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Rams: CB Alex Austin (ankle), DT Christian Barmore (not injury related), S Kyle Dugger (ankle), DT Daniel Ekuale (abdomen), LB Christian Elliss (abdomen), T Vederian Lowe (shoulder), S Marte Mapu (neck), DT Jaquelin Roy (neck), LB Sione Takitaki (knee), and DL Deatrich Wise (foot).
Starting with the potential return for DT Christian Barmore, the Patriots stud defensive tackle didn't participate in the final practice of the week on Friday after practicing Thursday for the first time since being diagnosed with blood clots on July 28. Since the Patriots opened his practice window, the team has 21 days to activate Barmore from the non-football illness list. That gives them until Dec. 5 to activate Barmore.
In July, Patriots head athletic trainer Jim Whalen urged Barmore to get further testing on bruising in his calf, per reports. Whalen was also on the training staff when captain David Andrews's season was lost due to blood clots in 2019. With prior experience with blood clots, the Pats team doctors were able to catch Barmore's condition early.
As a result, Barmore is now in line to return this season. However, the coaching staff is managing expectations. The 25-year-old, who signed a lucrative four-year contract extension with New England last offseason, missed most of training camp and has not participated in padded practices or games since the 2023 season ended. Therefore, one would expect a ramp-up period for Barmore as he works his way back.
"Just to see Barmore out there, it was a great sight to see. The expectation is there is no expectation. When he's ready to go, he'll play," head coach Jerod Mayo said Friday morning. "There's a chance [Barmore will play on Sunday]. We have a meeting with the doctors after practice today. There's a chance."
Although he is trending in the right direction, one aspect of managing expectations is being realistic about how much Barmore could play. Last season, the Pats interior rusher played 65.9% of the defensive snaps, logging 8.5 sacks, 49 pressures, and 32 run stops (tied for seventh among IDLs). After his breakout campaign, Barmore was supposed to be a fixture on the Pats defense, as reflected by his contract extension. Still, expecting Barmore to step in seamlessly after such a long layoff is unfair.
"For a guy who hasn't who hasn't really put on pads since January, it's tough. You never want to just throw a guy out there coming off an injury regadless of what the injury is and throw him out there for 50 plays. That's unrealistic. I think we see what he can handle and we'll go from there," Mayo continued.
Once the medical professionals clear him, Barmore will provide a massive boost to the defense. This season, the Patriots rank 26th in team pressure rate (31.3%) and dead-last in pressure rate generated by a four-man pass rush (24.8%). With Barmore last season, the Pats four-man rush generated pressure at a 6.2% higher rate (31%, 26th) and were 24th in team pressure rate (33.8%). It wasn't worlds better, but certainly an improvement, while adding Barmore coming off a nine-sack performance in a win over the Bears could see this group come into its own.
New England's defense could also improve with the addition of former Pro Bowl pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue. Ngakoue might not be at the peak of his powers nine years into his career, but he does have 70.5 career sacks. The 29-year-old's specialty is rushing off the edge with his signature cross-chop move, so he could be useful. Specifically, Ngakoue could help fill the void left by veteran DE Deatrich Wise. Wise still has a chance to play through his foot injury but didn't practice this week, which usually indicates a player won't play on Sunday. However, Wise is an experienced vet, so he could be an exception.
This scribe is also closely monitoring LB Sione Takitaki's status. Takitaki is officially questionable due to a knee injury after playing his first extended snaps as a Patriot last week (28 snaps). The free-agent addition didn't finish last week's game and missed Wednesday's padded practice while being listed as a limited participant on the final two days. Takitaki provided stability next to starting inside linebacker Jahlani Tavai. Although he didn't make many splash plays, Takitaki's reliability was needed, allowing Tavai to have his best game of the year. If he can't go, LB Christian Elliss is expected to return in that spot.
In the secondary, the Patriots might also get captain Kyle Dugger back this week. Dugger has missed the last three games due to a nagging ankle injury. The Pats safety returned to practice in a limited capacity this week and is officially questionable for Sunday. Without their captain in the backend, the Pats have gotten good moments from second-year LB/S Marte Mapu and undrafted rookie Dell Pettus. Still, Dugger, who makes plays from various spots in the defense, would be welcomed back with open arms.
Moving over to the offense, the Patriots are hoping to have the same starting five along the offensive line on Sunday. Last week, starting guard Mike Onwenu was seen practicing at left guard. As it turns out, Onwenu was practicing there in case starter Michael Jordan, who was dealing with an ankle injury, couldn't play vs. the Bears. Jordan ended up playing in Chicago, so Onwenu was able to stick at his natural spot of right guard.
Jordan is off the injury report, so one would expect the Patriots to roll with the same interior O-Line vs. the Rams. At tackle, starting left tackle Vederian Lowe has recently popped up on the injury report with a shoulder issue, but Lowe has played through the injury. New England's starting offensive line should be LT Vederian Lowe, LG Michael Jordan, C Ben Brown, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Trey Jacobs. This group will be tested by a Rams defensive front that ranks second in pressure rate (41%) and seventh in run-stopping win rate. By the metrics, LA has one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL.
As for rookie QB Drake Maye's pass catchers, Coach Mayo indicated that veteran receiver Kendrick Bourne will be back in the mix this week. Last week, it was surprising that Bourne didn't play a single snap against Chicago. Instead, the Pats went with Kayshon Boutte (59 snaps), K.J. Osborn (27), Ja'Lynn Polk (25), DeMario Douglas (25), and fourth-round rookie Javon Baker played four snaps. Bourne was active but didn't play.
From this perspective, Bourne's struggles with drops and mental errors led to his benching. Although it's fair to point to Bourne's issues, it's also fair to say that he is a better separator than Osborn. In his 27 snaps, Osborn was targeted once, where he was called for illegal touching after stepping out of bounds before catching a great off-script pass by Maye in the end zone. Bourne would be an upgrade in terms of getting open downfield, but his play has been inconsistent after missing training camp due to his ACL recovery. Based on Coach Mayo's comments, it seems like Bourne will get another chance this week vs. the Rams.
The Patriots head into Sunday's tilt as winners of two of their last three games, with their lone loss in that span coming in overtime in Tennessee. Although they're 3-7, New England has been playing better football of late, while the arrow is pointing up on Maye. However, to turn the corner, the Pats need to start stacking wins and competing in games against top competition. We can debate how good these Rams are, but they're a team in the playoff hunt, so a competitive loss or even an upset win as a 4.5-point home underdog would say a lot about the program's direction.
New England will host Los Angeles with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette 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
