Report: 'Increasing Likelihood' Phillip Dorsett Won't Play vs. Cowboys

After positive reports came out earlier in the week, it looks like Dorsett is trending downwards and may not play Sunday.

On Wednesday it was reported that there was "midweek optimism" that New England Patriots wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, who suffered a concussion in the team's Week 11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, would clear concussion protocol in time for New England's Week 12 game against the Dallas Cowboys. 

That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

As Mike Reiss of ESPN reported Saturday morning, there is an "increasing likelihood" that Dorsett will not play Sunday afternoon because he had not been cleared by doctors yet to resume full football activity. 

With veteran receiver Mohamed Sanu looking like he'll have an inactive designation in Week 12 because of an ankle injury, putting Dorsett on the shelf would be a big blow to the Patriots' passing attack against a stout Cowboys defense. 

If neither Dorsett or Sanu can play, that would leave Julian Edelman, N'Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers as the only receivers available to play Sunday afternoon. That's not ideal for a team that has leaned on their passing game because of a lackluster run game in 2019.