The Patriots are readying for their first matchup against the Bills in Buffalo this weekend, with two players already ruled out and five listed as questionable for Sunday's contest.
On Friday, New England ruled out starting CB Marcus Jones (hip) and RB JaMycal Hasty (ankle) after the two Patriots didn't practice all week. The team also listed the following players as questionable: S Kyle Dugger (ankle/illness), S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), OL Cole Strange (knee), OT Caedan Wallace (ankle), and DE Keion White (groin).
Starting on defense, Jones's absence will have a significant trickle-down effect on the Patriots roster. The sticky cover corner has played 64.2% of the defensive snaps in his third season, primarily playing field or slot cornerback opposite star CB Christian Gonzalez. Jones splits his time in the slot (279 snaps) and out wide (216 snaps) as the Pats third-most used corner. Without Jones, New England will rely on veteran Jonathan Jones, Alex Austin, second-year DB Isaiah Bolden, rookie Marcellas Dial Jr., and Gonzalez.
As for specific matchups vs. the Bills wide receivers, Marcus Jones would've likely shadowed explosive slot receiver Khalil Shakir, while Gonzalez covers veteran Amari Cooper. Shakir has a team-high 71 catches for 774 yards, with 573 of those yards coming after the catch (third-most in the NFL). To cover Shakir, one must have great quickness to mirror quick-hitting routes from the slot and be able to tackle in the open field. The Pats will likely have to lean on Jonathan Jones to cover Shakir, with Austin probably as the third corner on rookie Keon Coleman.
Along with needing to replace him on defense, the Patriots also have to fill Jones's role as the team's primary punt returner. The third-year pro ranks second in the league in yards per punt return this season (14.8). After being named a first-team All-Pro as a returner in his rookie season, Jones is a frontrunner to receive postseason accolades once again for his return skills. Jones has also played five snaps on offense over the last four games as a gadget player, with two touches for 23 yards, so that's another area where the Patriots will miss him on Sunday.
As for contingencies at punt returner, WR DeMario Douglas has been the backup punt returner. Douglas has yet to return a punt this season but had 11 returns for 56 yards during his rookie campaign. The other option is to elevate recently signed practice-squad WR Alex Erickson for Sunday's game. Erickson, best known for his five seasons with the Bengals, has plenty of experience, with 162 career punt returns in eight NFL seasons.
Following an injury-plagued second season, Jones has been a regular contributor in 2024. On Thursday, the team also placed starting DT Christian Barmore on the reserve/NFI list after he experienced "recurring symptoms" from blood clots that appeared during training camp. Barmore and Jones are two key losses for a Patriots that will need to slow down Josh Allen and the high-powered Bills offense.
Moving over to the offense, Hasty, who will miss Sunday's game due to an ankle injury, has been a regular in the Patriots running back rotation. At times, the veteran was RB2 behind Rhamondre Stevenson and ahead of Antonio Gibson. Lately, Gibson has taken back the primary backup role, but one would expect New England to elevate a running back from the practice squad to maintain having three backs available on game day.
Earlier this season, undrafted rookie Terrell Jennings got the nod when Stevenson missed the Week 6 contest vs. the Texans. It could be Jennings again, or the Pats also have third-year RB Kevin Harris as an option on the practice squad. Gibson and Stevenson will be the Patriots lead backs, but depth is important at that position, so expect a move to add a third running back to the active roster.
Along the offensive line, the Patriots have two questions to answer. First, third-round rookie Caedan Wallace (ankle) is 11 days into his 21-day return window after being placed on injured reserve in Week 4. Wallace suffered a severe lower leg injury, which has held him out most of his rookie season. On Friday, head coach Jerod Mayo didn't want to put a timetable on Wallace returning to game-action, but offensive line coach Scott Peters confirmed that the rookie is practicing at right tackle.
From this perspective, it would be great to see Wallace start as many games as possible at right tackle down the stretch. Although he probably won't be penciled in as a starter next season, a strong finish to his rookie campaign would make you feel optimistic that Wallace could factor into the team's long-term plans at offensive tackle, a significant position of need this offseason. The Pats must address left tackle with a premium asset either in the draft or free agency, but maybe Wallace can be a functional starter at right tackle to fill a hole on the right side.
The other talking point on the offensive line is former first-rounder Cole Strange. Strange was activated to the 53-man roster last week but was scratched from last week's game vs. Arizona. Based on Coach Mayo's answer on Friday morning, it doesn't sound like the Patriots are planning on inserting Strange into the starting lineup at center this week.
"I don't want to say I'm sure, but 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.
On Friday, Peters also offered context to starting C Ben Brown's two aborted snaps vs. the Cardinals. According to Peters, Brown had a towel in the back of his pants, an old center trick to keep the ball dry, that was interfering with his snaps. Once he removed the towel, Brown didn't have any snapping issues. Along with Strange still working his way back to full health, the towel situation could explain why the Patriots are sticking with Brown after a shaky performance.
According to Coach Mayo, the Patriots starting five along the offensive line will be unchanged this week with the following configuration: LT Vederian Lowe, LG Layden Robinson, C Ben Brown, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Trey Jacobs. To make him available for the game, the team has until 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to activate Wallace to the 53-man roster.
New England will fly to Buffalo on Saturday afternoon with an upset on their mind. The Patriots are currently 14-point underdogs, which is understandable given that the Bills already clinched their fifth-straight AFC East title. Still, for Coach Mayo's team, a strong finish is key. The Pats benefit greatly from showing well over the last three weeks, and that starts with having the necessary compete level to hang with the Bills.
The Patriots will face the Bills at Highmark Stadium with kickoff at 4:25 p.m. ET 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
