Patriots-Colts Inactives: 4 New England Starters OUT
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are set for a Week 9 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Nov. 6 at Gillette Stadium.
With just under an hour until the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, the Patriots and Colts have released their lists of inactives:
Patriots Inactives:
C David Andrews
WR DeVante Parker
DT Christian Barmore
RB Damien Harris
RB Kevin Harris
S Joshuah Bledsoe
CB Shaun Wade
DT Sam Roberts
What it means for the Patriots:
As David Andrews remains sidelined for the 11th straight, as he continues to recover from a concussion, it is becoming more likely that reserve center James Ferentz will get the starting nod on Sunday. Ferentz played 100 percent of New England’s snaps in their Week 8 victory over the New York Jets. However, the seven-year veteran struggled against a tough defensive front. New England has also called upon practice-squadder Kody Russey for some added depth at center.
Although wideout DeVante Parker is set to sit out, New England will continue their commitment to three-receiver sets; utilizing alpha target Jakobi Meyers, rookie Tyquan Thornton and the recently-resurrected Kendrick Bourne. While Bourne has been slow to emerge in the Pats offense, his playing time is likely to exceed that of Nelson Agholor. Like Wynn, Agholor remained in New England, despite being the subject of several trade rumors. If the Colts focus their efforts on slowing New England’s run game, Agholor may benefit from the Pats potential increased usage of their receivers.
Running back Damien Harris returned to practice as a limited participant, after having missed each of the team’s previous sessions with an illness. However, Harris will remain sidelined for Week 9. As such, running back Rhamondre Stevenson will have a heavy workload, with reserve backs J.J. Taylor and Pierre Strong likely to see some snaps, as well.
Defensive tackle Christian Barmore will sit for the third consecutive week, meaning that New England will have to account for his routinely absorbing the opponent’s double team. In his stead, reserve Daniel Ekuale may see extended time at defensive tackle.
Colts Inactives:
RB Jonathan Taylor
QB Matt Ryan
RB Zack Moss
CB Tony Brown
LB Grant Stuard
DT Chris Williams
C Wesley French
What it means for the Colts:
Conspicuous by his absence from Indy’s practices throughout the week, coach Frank Reich confirmed the obvious on Friday when he ruled running back Jonathan Taylor out for Week 9.
With Taylor out, Indianapolis will rely on running back Deon Jackson. The Colts also chose to elevate veteran running backs Phillip Lindsay and Jordan Wilkins from the practice squad for additional depth at the position.The recently-acquired Zack Moss, who arrived in Indianapolis on Thursday after his inclusion in the deal which sent Nyheim Hines to the Buffalo Bills, is a healthy inactive.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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