The New England Patriots have a tough injury situation to sort out before facing the Buffalo Bills.
The New England Patriots are preparing to play their biggest game of the season this Sunday, as they can complete a sweep of the Buffalo Bills and clinch the AFC East in the process.
However, their health situation is not the best right now.
While offensive lineman Jared Wilson (ankle), defensive tackle Khyris Tonga (chest) and special teams ace Brenden Schooler (ankle) all seem ready to go for Week 15, third-string running back Terrell Jennings is expected to miss the Bills matchup due to a concussion.
Why is that such a big deal? Because beyond TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, Buffalo does not currently have any other options in its backfield.
Keagen Stiefel of NESN outlined the sticky circumstances.
"D’Ernest Johnson has already been elevated to the from the practice squad on three separate occasions — making him ineligible to play unless he is promoted to the active roster," Stiefel wrote. "Craig Reynolds, who recently joined the organization, was placed on practice squad injured reserve on Wednesday. Jashaun Corbin, who returned from practice squad injured reserve in the same transaction, has played a grand total of 15 snaps in the NFL."
New England Patriots running back Terrell Jennings. Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images.Stiefel notes that Johnson is the most probable option, but remember: that would mean replacing someone on the active roster, which would then make that player available for other teams to pluck.
Could the Patriots try and roll with just Henderson and Stevenson? Sure, but then they would be taking a pretty huge risk in the event of an injury.
This is an issue many felt New England should have addressed at the trade deadline, but the Pats chose to roll with what they have.
Chances are, this won't cause the Patriots any significant problems on Sunday. The real issue that could arise is if New England ends up losing a key player on its 53-man roster because of the situation, which would definitely hurt with the playoffs right around the corner.
The Pats are 11-2 and are riding a 10-game winning streak. We'll see if they can take care of business against Buffalo this weekend and thus end the Bills' run of five straight division crowns.