Orchard Park, NY â New England is gearing up for an AFC East showdown with the Bills at the new Highmark Stadium, and the Patriots six questionable players are all active on Sunday.
The Patriots game-day inactives are CB Christian Gonzalez (shoulder), DT Christian Barmore (shoulder), CB Channing Canada (hamstring), OT Dametrious Crownover, TE Tanner Arkin, and rookie Behren Morton is the emergency third quarterback. New England's regulars who were carrying questionable designations into Sunday's game are all active: OT Morgan Moses (foot), FB Reggie Gilliam (knee), TE Eli Raridon (thigh), OLB Dre'Mont Jones (shoulder), S Craig Woodson (shoulder), and LB Christian Elliss (chest).
Starting with the offensive line, Moses is officially active despite having a foot injury. The 13-year veteran sat out the first two practices this week before returning in a limited capacity on Friday. He is known for playing through bumps and bruises over the course of the season, which is commendable, but the question is whether Moses will be effective. Last week, he allowed three quarterback pressures with his foot injury possibly limiting him, so it'll be worth monitoring how the Pats right tackle performs on Sunday. If the Patriots captain can't finish the game, first-rounder Caleb Lomu is expected to be the next man up at right tackle.
On the interior offensive line, the Patriots are expected to start Ben Brown at right guard after losing starter Mike Onwenu (ankle, IR) and top backup Greg Van Roten (thigh, IR) to injuries in the last two games. Brown is a solid backup who was serviceable at left guard and center over the last two seasons, but the Pats are now on their third-string right guard while their right tackle is playing through an injury. Backing up the interior starters will be T/G Walter Rouse and newly signed veteran Matt Pryor, who signed with the team earlier this week.
At skill positions, the Patriots offense should benefit from the return of rookie TE Eli Raridon, who missed last week's game with a thigh injury. In Week 2, the Patriots created mismatches in the passing game out of two-tight-end sets featuring Raridon and Hunter Henry. On his 30-yard catch vs. the Steelers, Raridon drew a matchup against a linebacker with the Steelers playing base defense vs. New England's 12-personnel (2 WR, 2 TE, 1 RB). With Raridon emerging as an adequate blocker, his presence could create similar personnel mismatches moving forward.
The Pats could also create similar advantages by featuring FB Reggie Gilliam more, who is active despite being questionable with a knee injury. Gilliam played only eight plays last week and just over 21% of snaps across three games after signing with the Patriots in free agency. New England is just 29th in EPA out of its two-back formations, so it needs a little more juice from its fullback packages.
Drake Maye's Supporting Cast vs. Bills
OL - LT Campbell, LG Vera-Tucker, C Wilson, RG Brown, RT Moses
WR - Doubs, Hollins, Douglas, Williams, Chism III
TE/FB - Henry, Raridon, Latu, Gilliam
RB - Stevenson, Henderson, Kiner
At wide receiver, the Patriots will roll out the same group they've been featuring since star WR A.J. Brown went down with a high-ankle sprain in the season opener. Brown won't be eligible to return until Week 6, so the group needs to step up to give QB Drake Maye options. New England's backfield also remains the same with Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson as the featured backs for the Patriots on Sunday.
On defense, the Patriots will be missing frontline starters CB Christian Gonzalez and DT Christian Barmore, who are both inactive with shoulder injuries. That's a major blow against the NFL's top-scoring offense led by MVP candidate Josh Allen in Buffalo. At cornerback, New England will likely lean on a trio of Carlton Davis III, Charles Woods, and nickel corner Marcus Jones. In Week 2, Woods filled in well for a then-injured Davis, allowing just four catches for 24 yards with three run stuffs. The Pats also elevated veteran Kindle Vildor from the practice squad and rookie Karon Prunty is active.
It'll be interesting to see how the Patriots match the Bills heavy personnel groupings: is it Jones or Woods opposite Davis in two-corner/base defense? The Patriots personnel matching against Buffalo's multi-tight-end sets, which they use at a league-high rate, could also hinge on the health of their safety group. Woodson returns after missing last week's loss to the Jags, where New England ditched its three-safety nickel grouping for 27 snaps in base defense. In the first two weeks, it appeared the Patriots wanted to match heavy personnel groupings with three-safety packages to stay flexible in pass defense. With having the Bills top-ranked rush EPA offense and three productive tight ends, holding up in a three-safety nickel or base defense could decide Sunday's game.
Along with personnel matching, New England will need to compete on the line of scrimmage without Barmore (shoulder) this week. The good news is that starting OLB Dre'Mont Jones is active after missing Week 3 with a shoulder injury. Last week, Elijah Ponder (82%) and second-rounder Gabe Jacas (78%) were leaned on heavily while Jones led the team with six quarterback pressures in Week 1. Getting the veteran back will give the team a three-man rotation on the edge and, hopefully, more juice in the pass rush.
However, New England's interior defensive line is short one of its most dominant players in Barmore vs. a great Bills rushing attack. Most likely, DTs Milton Williams and Cory Durden will play as the defensive tackles in four-man fronts while DaQuan Jones and Joshua Farmer could rotate in base fronts where the Patriots play with three interior defenders. The Pats also have Leonard Taylor III active for the first time since the opener as depth without Barmore.
For the Bills, top cornerback Christian Benford is also inactive due to a toe injury, so both teams are down their No. 1 cornerbacks on Sunday. The Patriots are managing several injuries against one of the NFL's best teams, which isn't ideal. However, as head coach Mike Vrabel said, "That is just what the situation is. There's nothing we can do about it. We can make sure the guys that are playing are ready." Luckily, New England has its regulars available who were questionable heading into Week 4.
The Patriots and Bills kickoff at 1 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo on Sunday.
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