The Patriots are readying for a divisional matchup with the Jets at Gillette Stadium, and the team has ruled out two players while listing eight as questionable for Sunday's game.

New England ruled out WR Ja'Lynn Polk (concussion) and G Layden Robinson (ankle) on Friday. The Patriots also listed the following players as questionable: DT Daniel Ekuale (abdomen), CB Jonathan Jones (shoulder/personal), G Michael Jordan (ankle), T Vederian Lowe (ankle), LB Raekwon McMillan (knee), G Sidy Sow (illness), LB Sione Takitaki (knee), DL Keion White (ankle).

At wide receiver, the Patriots will be without second-round rookie Ja'Lynn Polk due to a concussion. Although some have speculated that Polk would benefit from a mental reset, the rookie wideout was placed in concussion protocol late in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. Polk's career has been off to a rocky start, with three contested drops in London and a few route-running issues, including failing to get a second foot in bounds on a potential game-winning touchdown in Week 5.

During his Friday press conference, head coach Jerod Mayo indicated that third-year WR Tyquan Thornton could take Polk's spot on the game-day roster. Thornton has been a healthy scratch over the last two weeks, but Coach Mayo credited the speedy receiver for having a strong week of practice that might be enough for him to earn a game-day role on Sunday.

Over the summer, Thornton showed some promise while adding weight to his frame. The former second-round pick was making plays in practice, catching a notable deep ball on top CB Christian Gonzalez and showing well in the red zone in camp. However, once we got into the regular season, Thornton fell out of favor for second-year WR Kayshon Boutte, who has been the offense's primary outside deep threat.

Thornton will likely get another chance to translate his strong practice performance into game reality this week. To this point, that has been the issue for Thornton, who is an effective practice player. Fans might also be clamoring to see rookie WR Javon Baker, who has been inactive since Week 2. Although anything is possible, the best guess here is that the Patriots active receivers will be DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, K.J. Osborn, Kayshon Boutte, and Thornton on Sunday vs. the Jets.

As for the offensive line, the Patriots could return to the lineup they used against the Texans in Week 6. Veteran tackle Vederian Lowe sat out last week with his ankle injury but is trending in the right direction. Although Coach Mayo wouldn't commit to Lowe playing when asked on Friday, the best guess here is that the starting line could be LT Vederian Lowe, LG Michael Jordan, C Ben Brown, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Trey Jacobs.

If Lowe cannot play, expect Jacobs to flip sides to left tackle with Onwenu back outside at right tackle and Sidy Sow at right guard. The goal this week for the Pats offense is to get the run game going again. Last week, New England managed just 38 rushing yards while generating -2 yards before contact vs. the Jaguars. With Onwenu moving back inside, the Patriots can hopefully get downhill more on the ground vs. the Jets.

On defense, the Patriots had two new absences at Friday's practice, which could indicate that veteran Daniel Ekuale (abdomen) and starting CB Jonathan Jones (shoulder) are trending in the wrong direction for Sunday. Officially, Ekuale and Jones are questionable, but the vet D-Tackle was added to Thursday's injury report with his abdomen injury while Jones has been playing through his shoulder injury. Jones first appeared on the injury report with a shoulder issue heading into the Patriots matchup with the 49ers in Week 4, so this has been lingering.

New England's defensive line is already having issues stopping the run recently, meaning that removing Ekuale from the mix would be another blow. The Pats have allowed 167.4 rushing yards per game since losing starting LB Ja'Whaun Bentley (shoulder) for the season and tone-setting safety Jabrill Peppers to the commissioner's exempt list. Those issues include allowing 133 rushing yards to the Jets in a Week 3 loss.

If the Patriots are without Ekuale, in-season additions Jaquelin Roy and Eric Johnson could step into larger roles alongside NT Davon Godchaux on the interior, while DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. might be active for depth purposes. Roy's had some nice moments since stepping into a larger role, making six run stuffs with two sacks in the last three games. The LSU product also made a fourth-down stop to force a turnover on downs against Jacksonville in the second half last week.

Another situation along the defensive front worth monitoring is edge rusher Keion White's status. White leads the team with 23 pressures but is dealing with an ankle injury. White was among seven players who did not practice on Wednesday. He was listed as a limited participant over the last two days and is officially questionable.

The Patriots run defense needs to be stouter. The Pats defensive line has struggled to hold the point of attack, which then has a trickle-down effect on a linebacking corps that misses Bentley. Ultimately, the defensive line and linebackers must improve against the run as a group; it's not on any one player or position group.

Rather than overcomplicating things, it sounds like the Patriots want to get back to basics with their details against the run. New England will face Jets running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen this week. Statistically, New York ranks 29th in rush DVOA. But those stats don't necessarily tell the whole story, as both Jets RBs have big-play potential despite poor overall efficiency.

There are downsides to those things, too, but something has to be done about the run defense. New England will face Jets running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen this week. Statistically, New York ranks 29th in rush DVOA. But those stats don't necessarily tell the whole story, as both Jets RBs have big-play potential despite poor overall efficiency.

In the secondary, Jones has been a core contributor for years with a 66.5% snap usage this season, the second-highest among Patriots cornerbacks. Third-year corner Marcus Jones is already a regular alongside top CB Christian Gonzalez, playing the nickel spot in the Pats three-plus corner packages. The fourth contributor in the group is Marco Wilson, who might need to start at field corner opposite Gonzalez.

New England's pass defense will face future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers and his collection of playmakers on Sunday. The Jets added three-time All-Pro Davante Adams to former Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson. The Jets could be down third receiver Allen Lazard (chest, doubtful), so the Patriots might catch a break there. But it's still a dangerous group.

The Patriots are seven-point home underdogs to their division rivals on Sunday. At 1-6, there has been a lot of noise around the team this week, including comments by head coach Jerod Mayo that the Patriots are playing "soft" football right now following last week's loss in London. After losing to this Jets team 24-3 earlier this season, Sunday's tilt is a big test for the team's mindset now that they're taking their lumps in Mayo's first year as head coach. The ultimate goal is to end their six-game losing streak, but even a competitive loss would show us something.

New England hosts the Jets 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