The New England Patriots (2-2) and Las Vegas Raiders (3-1) will each be shorthanded when they take the field at Gillette Stadium for Sunday afternoon’s intraconference clash. Now under 90 minutes until kickoff, those game day squads have been finalized.

Each sideline will be forced to find counters for the absences of star players and thinning depth along the perimeter. Practice squad elevations and new faces in the lineup for game day are sure to play their part — and create intriguing matchups that could factor into deciding the contest’s outcome. 

Here’s who’s in — and out — of New England’s Week 5 matinee against Las Vegas:

The following players on the Patriots’ 53-man roster will not be active this afternoon:

The Patriots’ defense will be severely shorthanded in the secondary, as each of Christian Gonzalez (shoulder), Carlton Davis III (neck), Karon Prunty (hamstring), and Channing Canada (hamstring) were confirmed to be out of the lineup heading into the weekend. Preseason standout and Week 4 practice squad elevation Kindle Vildor was signed to the 53-man roster on Saturday to bolster the number of active players at cornerback to three. He’ll join Marcus Jones and Charles Woods — who was questionable with a hamstring injury — on the perimeter.

The Raiders will not be dressing the following players:

Just as New England is thin at cornerback, Las Vegas is scraping the bottom of the barrel at wide receiver. Already without Jack Bech (placed on injured reserve with a fractured forearm after Week 3) and Dont’e Thornton Jr. (suffered a hamstring injury in training camp), the Raiders’ receiving corps will miss free agent acquisition Jalen Nailor — who did not practice during the week as he works his way through the NFL’s concussion protocol and was ruled out for Sunday. Unfortunate news for Las Vegas, but a saving grace for the Patriots in what would otherwise be a matchup-defining injury report.

In addition to the list of game day inactives, other key contributors missing from the lineup for both sides when the action begins: 

New England’s game day inactives list is filled with cornerbacks, but those aren’t the only players that will be missing in action when Sunday’s contest kicks off.

After initially being ruled out, fullback Reggie Gilliam (ankle/knee) and wide receiver Mack Hollins (calf) were both placed on injured reserve and will miss at least the next four games. That now raises the Patriots’ total number of players on injured reserve to 19, far surpassing their 16 players on IR during the entirety of the 2025 regular season. 

Against the Raiders, New England will have just four wide receivers on the active roster: Efton Chism III, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams. That may place Williams in a “now or never” situation, as today will be his most extensive look as the top X receiver in the group. He has just two catches on seven targets this season, and the Patriots will need greater production from him in a more significant role. In the backfield, Gilliam’s role will likely be filled by a tight end (or two), with Tanner Arkin and Cameron Latu both previously taking snaps at fullback.

As dire as New England’s injury situation seems heading into Sunday’s game, the team did receive good news on other players that carried questionable injury designations. On offense, Morgan Moses (foot) and Rhamondre Stevenson (knee) spent the week as limited participants, but will be on the field when the action begins. On defense, Christian Barmore (shoulder), Christian Elliss (chest), Dre’Mont Jones (shoulder), and Craig Woodson (shoulder) will battle through their injuries to be a part of the lineup. Barmore missed last week’s win with his shoulder injury, and will be a huge boost along the interior of the Patriots’ defensive front today.

Las Vegas’ most closely monitored injury during pre-game was star running back Ashton Jeanty, who appears to be suiting up for the Raiders after his status became more doubtful as the week progressed.

Dealing with an ankle/foot injury, Jeanty was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, was listed as a limited participant on Thursday, and did not participate on Friday. He was listed as questionable for game day, but appears to be cleared for action after an on-field workout this morning. 

The extent of Jeanty’s participation throughout the game will be something to monitor closely. Even without great efficiency on the ground (3.4 yards per carry), he’s been an integral piece of Las Vegas’ passing attack. Jeanty ranks second on the Raiders in targets (24) and fourth in receiving yards (165) through four games.

Rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. (picked in the fourth round, No. 122 overall) will likely be more heavily featured in the Las Vegas offense with a limited Jeanty. He's carried the ball 24 times for 120 yards (5.0 yards per carry) and scored one touchdown on the year, but is coming off of a nine carry, 18-yard outing in Week 4.

These players were called-up from the practice squad for Sunday’s game:

New England made two practice squad elevations for Week 5: linebacker K.J. Britt and safety Elliott Davison.

Britt was originally signed by the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent on March 12 and was in the competition for the third linebacker job throughout training camp. He made the initial 53-man roster, but was released shortly after to make space for waiver claims Cameron Latu and Darius Muasau. As a vested veteran, Britt was able to forego waivers himself and re-signed with the practice squad quickly. This is his first of three possible elevations for the season.

Davison was signed to New England’s practice squad on September 3. An undrafted free agent out of the University of Texas San-Antonio in 2025, he spent his rookie season with the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad and was released on cutdown day this fall. Sunday will be his first-career regular season activation.

Each of the Patriots’ practice squad elevations from Week 4 — safety Mike Brown and cornerback Kindle Vildor — were added to the 53-man roster this week to compensate for the expansive list of missing pieces in the secondary. Also in the mix will be safety/special teams ace Brenden Schooler, who was activated on Saturday after spending the first month of the regular season on the Non-Football-Injury (NFI) list. 

With just three cornerbacks and six safeties on their game day roster, expect New England to frequently employ “big nickel” packages against the Raiders. A strategy first tested in the season-opener, having three (or more) safeties on the field at once would create personnel mismatches against a Las Vegas offense that uses 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) at the third-highest rate in the NFL (36.2%). 

The Raiders’ two practice squad elevations, running back Roman Hemby and WR Deven Thompkins, more directly address the team’s thinning depth.

Hemby was signed as an undrafted free agent this spring after starring in the backfield for the Indiana Hoosiers en route to a National Championship victory last fall. He began this season on the practice squad, and this is his first elevation to the game day roster. With Jeanty in the lineup, he was listed as a game day inactive.

Thompkins is a veteran of five years who previously had stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons. He’s accrued 29 receptions, 162 yards, and one touchdown in his NFL career. Sunday marks his first elevation of the season.

How do you think New England will fare in this afternoon’s homecoming contest against Las Vegas? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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