The Patriots are preparing for a trip to Chicago to face the Bears and there's a lot to unpack in New England's final injury report for Thursday Night Football at Soldier Field.

On Wednesday, the Patriots ruled out LG Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring), RG Ben Brown (knee), CB Carlton Davis III (neck), CB Karon Prunty (hamstring), and CB Channing Canada (hamstring). The Patriots are also listing RT Morgan Moses (foot), S Kevin Byard III (chest), S Craig Woodson (shoulder), and LB Christian Ellliss (chest) as questionable for Thursday night's game.

Starting on offense, the Patriots offensive line will be shorthanded, with the Pats down multiple guards who have started games this season. Along with starting RG Mike Onwenu (ankle) and top backup Greg Van Roten (thigh), who are on injured reserve, New England is also down Vera-Tucker (hamstring) and Brown (knee). In his final press conference before Thursday night's game, head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed that Walter Rouse and Matt Pryor will start vs. the Bears. The Pats projected starting offensive line is LT Will Campbell, LG Walter Rouse, C Jared Wilson, RG Matt Pryor, and RT Morgan Moses (questionable) or Caleb Lomu.

Although it makes sense to keep players at their usual positions, it'll be interesting to see if the Patriots try to get first-rounder Caleb Lomu into the mix. Lomu has filled in well at both tackle spots over the last two weeks, playing 59 snaps at right tackle when Moses left last Sunday's win over the Jets. With Moses still having a chance to play, one reason the Pats might not start Lomu at guard is that he'll need to be ready to replace Moses if the veteran right tackle can't finish the game on Thursday night.

If Moses can't finish the game and the Patriots start Lomu at guard, the rookie would need to kick back outside. Vrabel also hinted at Lomu being prepared to be the backup center. In short, that's a lot of moving parts to plan for in-game contingencies, so the clearest path forward is to start Rouse and Pryor at guard while Lomu continues in his role as the top swing tackle. Plus, Moses is listed as questionable, and if he doesn't play on the short week, Lomu would make his first NFL start at right tackle.

The Patriots offensive line is in a difficult spot, but the Bears leaky early-down defense might help the Patriots protect their banged-up offensive line. Chicago ranks 29th in EPA on first and second down, with a big-play-prone pass defense and a shaky run defense. If the Pats can establish the run and script play-action passes off it, they can avoid drop-back passing that exposes the line to a very good Bears third-down defense (25.8%, second-best in the NFL).

At the skill positions, the Patriots are down two wide receivers, Doubs and Hollins, both on injured reserve. However, the Pats will have top WR A.J. Brown, whose ankle is off the injury report. New England's available wideouts are Brown, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism III, while OC Josh McDaniels can use all his tight ends and running backs. The Patriots could elevate a fifth wide receiver from the practice squad, but that feels unlikely with limited game-day roster spots.

Moving over to the defense, starting CB Carlton Davis III (neck) will need to wait at least another week before returning to the lineup. Despite practicing in a limited capacity this week, Davis won't play on Thursday night, marking the third straight game he has missed with his neck injury (four out of the last six). The Patriots held lighter walkthrough sessions during a short week to prepare for the Bears, so Davis may have participated as a ramp-up for a potential return sooner rather than later.

With both starters missing time this season, the Patriots haven't had Christian Gonzalez and Davis on the field together since Week 3. Along with Davis being out, rookie corners Karon Prunty and Channing Canada also won't play this week due to hamstring injuries. The Pats available corners are Marcus Jones, Charles Woods, Kindle Vildor, and Gonzalez – the same group they had vs. the Jets in Week 6.

The Bears rank second in multi-tight-end usage and run-and-play action rate, with Vrabel pointing to Chicago's physicality as a strength. So, the question is how will the Patriots defend the Bears when they play with multiple tight ends? The Pats typically play out of three-corner nickel rather than base defense, with some snaps in three-safety nickel. While they're short-handed at corner for the third straight week, New England may play mostly base or three-safety nickel.

The next steps for the Patriots will be activations and practice squad elevations, which happen on game day for Thursday Night Football. The Pats typically have eight offensive linemen active on game day, but only seven are currently not ruled out. New England could activate second-year OT Marcus Bryant from injured reserve while the Patriots have four linemen who could be elevated from the practice squad: G Andrew Rupcich, C Jacob Rizy, OL Jake Kubas, and OL Xavier Newman-Johnson – we'll keep you updated.

The Patriots will visit the Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago on Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET.

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