The Patriots are preparing for a primetime showdown with the Baltimore Ravens, where New England can clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2021 with a win on Sunday night.
However, the Patriots defense could be shorthanded, with several starters on the injury report this week. On Friday, New England ruled out LB Robert Spillane (ankle), while listing DT Christian Barmore (knee), CB Carlton Davis III (hip), CB Marcus Jones (knee), and OLB Harold Landry III (knee) as questionable. After missing the first two practices this week, Davis, Jones, and Landry participated in a limited capacity on Friday, giving them a chance to play on Sunday night.
Despite being active for the game, Spillane didn't play a single snap in last Sunday's loss to the Bills, a decision made after Spillane went through pre-game warmups. The Pats captain was then spotted in the locker room this week with a walking boot on his left foot and was held out of all three practices. As the team's defensive signal-caller and leading tackler, Spillane is a key piece in the middle of the Patriots defense, which has struggled to stop the run in recent weeks with Spillane, NT Khyiris Tonga, and standout DT Milton Williams (ankle) in and out of the lineup in New England's last four games.
Although every team is dealing with injuries, Spillane and Williams help form the spine of the Patriots defense. Since Week 11, the Patriots run defense is second-to-last in rushing success rate allowed after ranking eighth through their first 10 games. It stands to reason that the drop-off in effectiveness for the run defense is personnel-driven, but Spillane and Williams won't be available again this week against a potent Ravens rushing attack.
Led by star QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry, Baltimore ranks sixth in rush EPA and second in explosive run rate this season. The Ravens also major in heavy personnel groupings as an old-school smash-mouth offense, so this will be a tough test for the Pats defense without their starting MIKE linebacker and captain. Without Spillane last week, the Pats relied heavily on linebackers Jack Gibbens and Christian Elliss. The duo is expected to start again, but New England struggled to stop Buffalo's top-ranked rushing attack last week, allowing 107 rushing yards on 22 attempts to Bills star RB James Cook in Week 15.
With their depth at linebacker being tested, the Patriots added LB Chad Muma to the 53-man roster from the Colts practice squad. Muma has some experience in the kicking game, where Gibbens and Elliss are both featured, with Gibbens playing all 70 defensive snaps plus 19 snaps on special teams in Week 15. Along with reserve linebackers Jahlani Tavai and Marte Mapu, Muma could fill a special teams role this week to lessen the burden on Elliss and Gibbens. Ideally, that could keep Elliss and Gibbens fresher for their snaps on defense.
As for the edge of the Patriots defense, captain Harold Landry III continues to manage a knee injury that has seen him miss practice time for several weeks now. Although it's never ideal for a key starter to miss practice, the team typically manages Landry's workload during the week, and then he plays on game day. That said, Landry's effectiveness has diminished since he suffered his knee injury in Week 6. In his last eight games, Landry's pressure rate is at 7.7% compared to 10.7% in the season's first five weeks. Landry did log a sack in the first half vs. the Bills on a stunt scheme last Sunday, so hopefully that was a positive sign.
Next, Barmore sat out Friday's practice with a new knee injury. Earlier in the week, Barmore was listed on the injury report with a non-injury related (other) designation, as has been the case for most of the season. In his recovery from blood clots, which caused him to miss most of the 2024 season, Barmore has been on a practice routine for most of the year. However, his knee injury seems to be unrelated. During media access at Friday's practice, Barmore was riding the bike to the side while his teammates stretched. We'll have to monitor the situation as Sunday's game gets closer.
In the secondary, Patriots starting CB Carlton Davis III (hip) and top nickel corner Marcus Jones (knee) appeared to be on the same load management routine this week. Both of the Pats corners spoke in the locker room on Friday, and said they plan on playing on Sunday night.
Davis was injured early in the third quarter of last week's game, then returned to finish the game with what was originally reported as a groin injury. While he was sidelined in Week 15, CB Charles Woods took Davis' place at the outside cornerback spot opposite star CB Christian Gonzalez. Woods played well in limited snaps vs. the Bills, allowing one catch for 16 yards while having perfect coverage on an incomplete deep pass attempt down the right sideline.
It seems as though Woods is currently the fourth corner on New England's depth chart, but it's unclear if that would be the case if someone needs to fill in for Jones in the slot. The Pats could go bigger by playing S Dell Pettus or LB Marte Mapu some in the nickel spot, which would make sense against a Ravens offense that uses three-receiver groupings at a league-low rate, while Woods would be the logical next-man-up in three-corner packages.
New England's defense is trending toward being shorthanded for Sunday night's tilt, with Spillane ruled out and Davis, Jones, and Landry's status uncertain. As mentioned, the Ravens rank second in called run rate and play the fewest percentage of snaps with three or more receivers on the field. Given that it's going to be a run-heavy game with bigger personnel, it could be easier to manage injuries at cornerback. However, the Pats depth in the front seven will be tested if they match Baltimore's heavy personnel with base defense, which New England plays 20.9% of the time (25th in the NFL), relying more on nickel packages.
The good news for the Patriots is that they're mostly healthy on the offensive side of the ball. The players on the active roster practiced in full during the week, while none of New England's regulars on offense will carry game statuses into Sunday night's game. With the defense banged up, the Pats offense might need to lead the team to victory, with QB Drake Maye and company looking to play a full 60 minutes.
Lastly, the Ravens have some notable injuries worth monitoring heading into Sunday night. Jackson missed practice time with flu-like symptoms this week, but should be good to go. Baltimore might be down CB Chidobe Awuzie (doubtful), who exited last Sunday's win over the Bengals due to a foot injury. Although the Ravens still have top corners Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins, New England could test Baltimore's cornerback depth if Awuzie can't play. Baltimore starting LT Ronnie Stanley (knee/ankle) is also questionable for the Ravens.
The next steps for the Patriots are potential injury downgrades and practice-squad elevations en route to Baltimore on Saturday. Then, the Patriots and Ravens kickoff at M&T Bank Stadium at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday night.
