Patriots-Bills Inactives: Harris, Wynn, Cajuste OUT
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are set for a Thursday night matchup with the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.
With just under an hour until the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, the Patriots and Bills have released their lists of inactives:
Patriots Inactives:
OL Isaiah Wynn
RB Damien Harris
CB Shaun Wade
S Joshuah Bledsoe
T Yodny Cajuste
NT Carl Davis
CB Jalen Mills
What it means for the Patriots:
The Pats will clearly miss Harris’ versatile running style, which blends both finesse and power. As expected, running back Rhamondre Stevenson will be forced into an extensive workload in his absence. Buffalo ranks seventh in the league, allowing 105.6 yards per game on the ground and ninth at 4.24 yards per carry. As such, the task of moving the ball on the ground will not be easy.
Despite a strong showing against the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving night, the Patriots offensive line will once again be makeshift as they head into Thursday night’s matchup. Starting tackle Isaiah Wynn is out with a foot injury, while center David Andrews (thigh) will be active. Swing tackle Yodny Cajuste will sit out with a calf injury
The Bills boast a deep front that uses a lot of bodies including Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones and Jordan Phillips inside. Linebackers Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard and Tremaine Edmunds are fast to the ball as well
Bills Inactives:
OL Dion Dawkins
CB Kaiir Elam
S Dean Marlowe
LB Baylon Spector
TE Quintin Morris
What it means for the Bills:
Despite being initially declared out for this matchup, the Bills have placed linebacker Von Miller on injured reserve. As a result, he will miss at least the next four games.
The 33-year-old has a team-leading eight sacks, 12 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss and one forced fumble in his first season in Buffalo. His absence will be a relief for a Patriots offensive line that has been inconsistent at best this season. Look for defensive tackle Ed Oliver and defensive end Greg Rousseau to take on the lead duties in Buffalo’s pass rush in his absence.
Dawkins will miss only his second game since being drafted by Buffalo in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. Therefore, swing tackle David Quessenberry should get the starting nod in his stead. The Patriots had difficulty in exploiting the absence of Minnesota Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw last week, logging only one sack on quarterback Kirk Cousins just once. With Josh Allen being more elusive, the Bills may get some assistance in helping to keep New England’s pass rush at bay in Week 13.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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