The Patriots are preparing to make the short trip to the Meadowlands for Sunday's divisional tilt against the Jets, and New England has its lengthiest injury report of the season.

On Friday, the Patriots ruled out OLB Harold Landry III (knee), LB Robert Spillane (ankle), DT Khyiris Tonga (foot), WR Kayshon Boutte (concussion), WR Mack Hollins (abdomen), LG Jared Wilson (concussion), and DT Milton Williams (ankle). New England also listed WR DeMario Douglas (hamstring), RB TreVeyon Henderson (concussion), and CB Charles Woods (foot), as questionable for Week 17.

Despite being eligible to return from injured reserve this week, Williams will not be activated for Sunday's game. The Patriots have 21 days from his return to practice on Tuesday to activate Williams, who is one of their best defenders. The Pats will be a little thin on the interior D-Line behind starter Christian Barmore without Williams, Tonga, and rookie Joshua Farmer (placed on IR). New England will likely lean on DT Cory Durden and DT Eric Gregory, while Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and Leonard Taylor III are also options to be elevated from the practice squad this week. On Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about the progress he saw at practice from Williams this week.

"Just trying to get back into it. I think he's working hard. I would say that it'd be tough to see a lot just from the way that the practices were structured, but he's working hard to get back, and again, it's good to see him out there with the team. That's just the first step of it," Vrabel said of Williams.

The Patriots will also be shorthanded at the skill positions with Boutte (concussion) and Hollins (abdomen) ruled out. Douglas (hamstring) is banged up as well, and Henderson is progressing toward clearing concussion protocol after practicing in a full capacity on Friday, giving him a chance to play on Sunday – all four Patriots playmakers were injured in last Sunday night's win over the Ravens.

At wide receiver, Boutte was placed in concussion protocol after a hard landing on a deep target late in last Sunday's win. Boutte went up to catch a pass from QB Drake Maye, and appeared to be interfered with by Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey, but there weren't any flags on the play. Humphrey was wrapped around Boutte's legs as he attempted to make the catch, causing the Pats wideout to take a hard fall, landing him in concussion protocol.

As for Hollins, it's unclear when he sustained his abdominal injury, while Douglas did not return after exiting the game in the second quarter last week. New England's healthy wideouts are Stefon Diggs, Kyle Williams, and undrafted rookie Efton Chism III, who has appeared in only six games this season with only 25 snaps on offense. The Patriots also have John Jiles, Jeremiah Webb, and Brandon Smith on the practice squad. Smith signed earlier this week, while Jiles and Webb have been with the team since training camp.

As for the running back position, Henderson practiced without a non-contact jersey on Friday. If he remains symptom-free after going through full football activities at Friday's practice (phase five), Henderson can be cleared in time to play on Sunday. Currently, the Pats healthy backs are Rhamondre Stevenson and RB/KR D'Ernest Johnson. New England also has veteran RB Elijah Mitchell and second-year RB Jashaun Corbin on the practice squad.

Along the offensive line, Wilson will miss his third game this season due to a concussion, but will likely be replaced by super-sub Ben Brown, who recently signed a contract extension with the Patriots. Brown has played well in his two spot-starts at left guard this season, allowing just three total pressures with zero sacks in games against the Panthers and Giants, while also entering the Patriots win over the Bengals early in Week 12 (two pressures allowed).

New England is in good shape to replace their rookie left guard with Brown available to step in, and after visiting the blue medical tent last Sunday, starting RT Morgan Moses (knee) is should be good to go, while top backup Thayer Munford will hopefully be available as well. The Patriots projected starting offensive line vs. the Jets this week is LT Vederain Lowe, LG Ben Brown, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Morgan Moes.

Moving back over to the defense, the Patriots have to navigate several injuries in the front seven. New England will be down starting LB Robert Spillane and starting edge rusher Harold Landry III, along with Tonga and Williams.

Landry, who has been playing through injury since Week 6, will rest his injured knee on Sunday. Over the last nine games, Landry's pressure rate has dropped to 7.3% compared to a 10.7% in the first five weeks before his injury scare in New Orleans. Landry has been playing through the injury while practicing sparingly during the week, but will be out on Sunday. Last week, Anfernee Jennings (19 snaps), Jahlani Tavai (15 snaps), and Elijah Ponder (five snaps) chipped on the edge with Landry playing a season-low 54.5% snap rate. Rookie pass-rusher Bradyn Swinson could also be active.

At linebacker, Spillane has not played since the Patriots victory over the Giants in Week 13. The Pats captain's absence has contributed to New England's struggles against the run, as the defense has allowed 4.3 yards per carry without Spillane on the field. Once again, the Patriots will likely rely on linebackers Jack Gibbens, Christian Ellliss, and Jahlani Tavai to stop the Jets rushing attack on Sunday afternoon.

The Patriots lengthy injury report comes at a time when the playoff-bound Pats are gearing up for the postseason. On the one hand, New England wants to win the AFC East, with a win over the Jets and a Bills loss to the Eagles securing a division title in Week 17 (the Patriots will win the division with wins in their last two games). They're also playing for seeding in the AFC playoffs, with a chance to be the No. 1 overall seed in the conference still in play.

However, the Patriots roster is banged up, with 10-plus players coming out of last week's game with bumps and bruises. And the Pats will be playing in the playoffs. Yes, seeding is important, but there's an argument to be made that the health of their top contributors is more critical. For head coach Mike Vrabel, that presents a difficult decision of going full-tilt for the No. 1 seed versus continuing to try to win while resting players with more severe injuries.

Vrabel indicated that the Patriots will make multiple roster moves with seven players ruled out and two listed as questionable. New England will likely need to add depth at defensive tackle, wide receiver, and possibly running back. Typically, the Pats have five active defensive tackles and wide receivers, but they have only two standard elevations from the practice squad available. Therefore, they might need to make room for a signing to the 53-man roster.

We'll keep you updated on what should be a busy Saturday of transactions for the Patriots ahead of Sunday's tilt vs. the Jets at MetLife Stadium.

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