New England is making final preparations for an AFC East showdown with the Bills, and the Patriots defense will be down two key starters for Sunday's game in Buffalo.
After missing all three practices this week, CB Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) and DT Christian Barmore (shoulder) were ruled out for Week 4. The Patriots are also listing seven players as questionable: OT Morgan Moses (foot), OLB Dre'Mont Jones (shoulder), LB Christian Elliss (chest), FB Reggie Gilliam (knee), TE Eli Raridon (thigh), S Craig Woodson (shoulder), and CB Channing Canada (hamstring).
After popping up on the injury report due to his right shoulder this week, QB Drake Maye will not carry an injury designation into Sunday's game – he's good to go. Maye was a full participant in all three practices, and he and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said it hasn't affected his play or McDaniels play-calling approach. On Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel also commented on the health of his quarterback's right shoulder.
"We're just trying to follow protocol exactly how it's given to us as it relates to the injury report," said Vrabel. "The fact that it's a quarterback, those things get looked at very closely, so again, we want to make sure we are transparent. So, we listed [Maye] on the injury report. There were no limitations. He practiced full. He didn't miss any reps. But we felt like it was best to list it just to make sure that we're doing everything that we're supposed to do."
As for the Patriots star cornerback, Gonzalez appeared to injure his shoulder while making a tackle midway through the first quarter in last week's loss to the Jaguars. Gonzalez came down in zone coverage and lowered his shoulder into Jags RB LeQuint Allen Jr. in coverage. He was seen nursing his shoulder on the sideline immediately after getting the defense off the field with a third-down stop. Although he didn't leave the game, Gonzalez didn't practice this week and won't play on Sunday.
Top backup Charles Woods will likely replace Gonzalez. It would be the second time this season that Woods started for an injured Patriots corner. In Week 2, Woods was competitive in coverage while playing 60 defensive snaps for then-injured starter Carlton Davis III. The third-year corner allowed four catches for 24 yards on seven targets and stuffed three runs while filling in for Davis. The only question is whether Woods plays in base packages or the Patriots have NCB Marcus Jones play in two-corner packages. Woods, who has more size than Jones, could make more sense to match the Bills tight-end-heavy groupings.
With Buffalo playing more multi-tight-end sets than any offense in the NFL, New England will need to decide how it wants to match those heavy groupings. Last week, the Pats matched Jacksonville's heavy groupings with 27 snaps in base defense. With a healthy Craig Woodson in the previous two weeks, the Pats played over 20% of their snaps in three-safety nickel, opting to put a safety in the box/slot.
Stopping the Bills top-ranked rushing attack will be key in Sunday's game, so along with personnel matching in the back seven, Barmore's absence also looms large. Last week, Barmore injured his shoulder during the loss in Jacksonville and briefly left the game. The big D-Tackle returned to the game but only played 28 snaps. Although it's unclear whether Barmore would've played more in a more competitive game, his 45% snap rate was below his usual workload.
The Pats disruptive defensive tackle ranks second in pass-rush win rate among DTs through three weeks and is a fixture on New England's three-man lines. Barmore typically plays as a 3-4 end in those base fronts with NT Cory Durden between him and DT Milton Williams as the Pariots preferred early-down defensive package. Without Barmore, Durden will likely see more snaps in four-man fronts, and DTs DaQuan Jones and Joshua Farmer could have bigger roles as well.
The Patriots defense is down two of its best players against Bills QB Josh Allen on Sunday, but getting Jones and Woodson back could help. Young edge rushers Elijah Ponder (82%) and second-rounder Gabe Jacas (78%) had to play hefty workloads without Jones last week, who had a team-high six quarterback pressures in Week 1. Getting back to their three-man rotation on the edge will be a plus while Woodson's return gives the Patriots three-safety flexibility again defensively.
Moving to the offense, the right side of the Patriots offensive line continues to deal with injuries. After losing two layers of depth at right guard with starter Mike Onwenu (ankle) and top back Greg Van Roten (thigh) landing on injured reserve, New England is down to its third-string right guard. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said he expects veteran Ben Brown to start at right guard vs. the Bills on Sunday.
Brown was the projected top interior backup heading into training camp, but a preseason injury forced the Patriots to sign Van Roten, who then became their top option at guard while Brown backed up starting C Jared Wilson. Vrabel said last week that Brown was repping at left guard and center in practice heading into Week 3, which is why T/G Walter Rouse went into the game at right guard when Van Roten got injured. With a full week of practice under his belt, Brown will hopefully be better acclimated at right guard.
As for right tackle, captain Morgan Moses seemed affected by his foot injury in the loss to the Jags last week. Moses had an uncharacteristically down performance and allowed three quarterback pressures. If Moses can't play, first-rounder Caleb Lomu will likely get his first-career start at right tackle. Lomu was drafted 28th overall to be Moses's successor and injury insurance for the 35-year-old veteran.
In Week 3, Lomu played 20 snaps at right tackle in the fourth quarter and allowed two hurries in 14 pass-blocking snaps. It wasn't Lomu's cleanest performance in his first extended regular-season action. But, if he has to play for Moses, a full week of practice and a game plan built around the rookie in the starting lineup should help Lomu get through the game. Whoever is at right tackle for the Patriots will face a tough test against Bills top edge rusher, Greg Rousseau, who was already circled as a key matchup on Sunday.
Lastly, the Patriots supporting cast around QB Drake Maye could get a boost from the return of rookie TE Eli Raridon. Before missing last week's game with a thigh injury, Raridon caught a 30-yard pass in the win over the Steelers, and Vrabel has praised Raridon's improvement as a run blocker in his first season. Getting the rookie back will open the door to two-tight-end sets while Raridon is the Patriots best in-line blocker.
The next step for the Patriots will be injury downgrades en route to Buffalo and practice squad elevations on Saturday. After being elevated last week, DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. could add a layer of depth to the interior defensive line. The Pats could also consider C/G Xavier Newman-Johnson to add depth on the interior offensive line – we'll keep you updated.
The Patriots will then face the Bills at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo at 1 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
