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Bills-Patriots inactives report
Bills: DT Star Lotulelei (personal), RB Matt Breida, TE Tommy Sweeney
Patriots: WR Nelson Agholor, CB Shaun Wade, QB Jarrett Stidham, TE Devin Asiasi, CB Joejuan Williams, S Joshauh Bledsoe
The Buffalo Bills take on the New England Patriots in their second AFC East divisional meeting of the season that has heavy playoff implications. In their first meeting, the crazy weather combo in Buffalo kept the game script run-heavy, but we will see these offenses open up more today.
Kickoff from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts is set for 1:00 p.m. ET and the game will air on CBS. We don’t have the official inactives report yet as it is released an hour and a half before kickoff, but there are already some big names confirmed out. We will get the full list around 11:30 a.m. ET, but for now, here is what we know.
Tackling the Bills side first, they come into this game relatively healthy. They haven’t ruled anyone out early for injury, but they will be missing wide receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis due to COVID-19. Both of the players are unvaccinated and based on protocols, they are required to remain on the COVID list and away from the team for 10 days. Injury-wise though, the only questionable player is defensive tackle Star Lotulelei who is dealing with a personal matter that is not injury-related.
The Patriots aren’t as healthy on the injury front as the Bills. They have already ruled out wide receiver Nelson Agholor (concussion), safety Joshuah Bledsoe (calf) and running back Rhamondre Stevenson (illness). Agholor was a decent safety net for rookie quarterback Mac Jones so look for Jones to lean more on tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith in the gameplan while Damien Harris will probably see a career-high in carries.
New England also has a number of players that are questionable that we will need to see the official injury report for at 11:30 a.m. ET to learn their game status. Center David Andrews (shoulder), defensive tackle Christian Barmore (knee), linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (ribs, ankle), running back Brandon Bolden (knee), kicker Nick Folk (left knee), running back Damien Harris (hamstring), wide receiver N’Keal Harry (hip) and safety Adrian Phillips (knee) are all players to look for when the injury report drops.