Foxborough, MA – The short-handed Patriots are gearing up to host the Raiders at Gillette Stadium, and there's some much-needed good pre-game news for New England on Sunday.

Although the Patriots are down several key contributors, New England's seven questionable players are all active for Week 5: DT Christian Barmore (shoulder), LB Christian Elliss (chest), OLB Dre'Mont Jones (shoulder), OT Morgan Moses (Foot), RB Rhamondre Stevenson (knee), CB Charles Woods (shoulder), and S Craig Woodson will all play vs. the Raiders on Sunday.

The Patriots game-day inactives are CB Christian Gonzalez (shoulder), CB Carlton Davis III (neck), CB Channing Canada (hamstring), CB Karon Prunty (hamstring), OT Dametrious Crownover, and QB Behren Morton is the emergency third quarterback. On Saturday, the Patriots also placed WR Mack Hollins (calf) and FB Reggie Gilliam (ankle/knee) on injured reserve, so they'll miss Sunday's game as well.

Starting on offense, the Patriots are short-handed at wide receiver with Hollins (calf) and star wideout A.J. Brown (ankle) on injured reserve. Brown is eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 6, with some optimism that he could return soon after being spotted in the Patriots locker room this week. However, New England's available wide receivers for Sunday's game against the Raiders are Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III, and Kyle Williams.

Last week, Chism stepped up in Hollins's absence when the Pats veteran wideout appeared to suffer a non-contact calf injury while running a pass route. Chism caught a 19-yard reception and the game-winning touchdown on the Patriots game-winning drive in Buffalo, while throwing some heady blocks in his 22 snaps. Chism will likely play a large role with Doubs and Douglas (slot). Williams will also mix in as a field stretcher on the outside, while the Patriots have tight ends Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon as well.

Obviously, it's not ideal for the Patriots to be down their projected No. 1 receiver in Brown and their current leading receiver in Hollins. Plus, the Pats are also without FB Reggie Gilliam, who landed on injured reserve after adding an ankle injury to his nagging knee injury. The Pats two-back formations with Gilliam haven't been as productive as hoped, possibly due to Gilliam's health. New England could turn to TE Cameron Latu as a lead-blocker from the backfield.

Although Hollins will miss some time, the Patriots dodged a major injury to lead back Rhamondre Stevenson, who was rolled up on late in last Sunday's win in Buffalo. Stevenson is officially active after his knee injury scare vs. the Bills, giving the Patriots their usual backfield rotation with second-year RB TreVeyon Henderson and Stevenson as their top two backs. If Stevenson can't play his usual workload, third-string RB Cory Kiner could take on a larger role.

Drake Maye's Supporting Cast vs. Raiders

OL - LT Campbell, LG Vera-Tucker, C Wilson, RG Brown, RT Moses

WR - Doubs, Douglas, Chism III, Williams

TE - Henry, Raridon, Latu, Arkin

RB - Stevenson, Henderson, Kiner

The Patriots offensive line has also been playing down stud RG Mike Onwenu, who is out for the foreseeable future with a long-term ankle injury. New England is expected to start the same five as last week in their win over the Bills, with Moses (foot, questionable) active and C/G Ben Brown expected to start at right guard against Maxx Crosby and company on Sunday.

Turning to the defense, the Patriots have a rash of cornerback injuries, with the team ruling out four corners heading into Sunday's game, including starters Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) and Carlton Davis III (neck). Gonzalez will miss his second straight game with his shoulder injury, which he suffered while making a tackle in Week 3. Davis is out after playing through his neck injury over the last two games. There's no word yet on how much longer Gonzalez will be out, but he remains on the active roster.

Without two starters, the Patriots have three corners available Sunday: Marcus Jones, Charles Woods, and Kindle Vildor. On Saturday, Vildor signed to the 53-man roster after being elevated from the practice squad last week. Vildor played eight defensive snaps, allowing one catch for 22 yards, but the catch was an unlucky tip-drill reception by Bills WR Keon Coleman on a pass Vildor initially deflected.

As we've outlined several times, the Raiders, who are also down starting WR Jalen Nailor (concussion), run a tight-end-heavy offense. Vegas plays three receivers at the lowest rate in the NFL (19.4%), so the Patriots likely wouldn't have a corner-heavy plan anyway. Instead, the Pats could lean on a three-safety nickel package with S Jaylen Reed as a "big" nickel defender while Jones and Woods play on the outside to match the Raiders heavy groupings that feature All-Pro TE Brock Bowers, TE Michael Mayer, and WR Tre Tucker.

Still, it's never ideal to be down two of your best defensive players, with Davis and Gonzalez both inactive this week. The Pats will need a big performance from the defensive front to disrupt Raiders QB Kirk Cousins with a short-handed secondary on Sunday. On that note, the good news is that stud DT Christian Barmore (shoulder) will return to the lineup after a one-game absence. Barmore ranks third among qualified DTs in pass-rush win rate through four weeks (18%), so his return should provide a boost.

Reinforcements are also arriving for the Patriots special teams units, with coverage ace Brenden Schooler making his season debut. The All-Pro special-teamer missed training camp and the first four games of the season with a back injury, but has been ramping up at practice in recent weeks. The Pats currently rank 21st in special teams DVOA, so getting Schooler back could help their coverage units improve.

Lastly, Raiders star RB Ashton Jeanty is officially active after being listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Jeanty is a key piece of Vegas's offense as the Raiders lead back and is second on the team with 19 receptions. If Jeanty is limited, the Raiders could lean on rookie RB Mike Washington Jr., who has great speed (4.33s 40) and is averaging more yards per carry than Jeanty this season.

With several frontline players unavailable, the Patriots are banged up heading into a game against a frisky Raiders team. That said, this is when quality coaching and your star quarterback can elevate a short-handed roster. The onus is on head coach Mike Vrabel and his staff to have the Pats backups ready to play, while Drake Maye needs to make the offense viable down Brown, Hollins, and others.

The Patriots and Raiders will kick off at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

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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