Blue Christmas (Eve)? Patriots Rule Out 2 Starters vs. Broncos

FOXBORO — As if their woeful offense needed more adversity, the New England Patriots will be without the services of two key contributors for their Christmas Eve matchup with the Denver Broncos.

Tight end Hunter Henry (knee) and offensive lineman Conor McDermott (concussion) have been ruled out for Sunday night. Both players were listed by New England as questionable on Friday’s final injury and practice participation report.

For Henry, this will mark his first missed game as a Patriot. The 29-year-old, who joined the Pats as a free agent in 2021, is the team’s leader in touchdown receptions (six) and second only to rookie Demario Douglas in receiving yards — with Henry logging 419 to Douglas’ 443. The Pats team captain left the team’s Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with a knee injury and did not return.

In three years with New England, Henry has appeared in 48 regular-season games, compiling 133 catches for 1531 yards and 17 touchdowns and earning the distinction of being a favorite target of former starting quarterback Mac Jones and current “QB1” Bailey Zappe. New England currently has Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown available at the position on their 53-man roster, with veteran Matt Sokol eligible for elevation via their practice squad.

McDermott suffered a concussion during the second half of the Patriots loss to the Chiefs. The 31-year-old started all six games he played for New England in 2022, allowing eight pressures without surrendering a sack. Still, the 31-year old was released by the team with an injury designation during final roster cuts in late August.

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Due to a rash of injuries along their offensive line, McDermott was signed to the Pats scout team in mid-October. Having appeared in two games as a game-day elevation, he logged 127 snaps on offense. Since signing with the Pats 53-man roster on Nov. 25, McDermott he has aligned at left tackle on 101 plays. In his stead, the Pats are likley to start rookie Atonio Mafi.

In addition to Henry and McDermott, the Patriots have already ruled out running back Rhamondre Stevenson, safety Jabrill Peppers and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

New England and Denver are set for an 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff from Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday night.