Patriots Country

Patriots Defense Gets Massive Boost vs. Texans

The New England Patriots will have a key star defender back on the field today against the Texans.
Evan Massey|
Jan 1, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger (23) runs for a touchdown after intercepting the ball during the second half of agame against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium.
Jan 1, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger (23) runs for a touchdown after intercepting the ball during the second half of agame against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

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New England Patriots

As the New England Patriots prepare for kickoff against the Houston Texans today, they have received some huge injury news on the defensive side of the football.

Kyle Dugger, the team's star safety, will return to the field this afternoon.

That news was shared by the Patriots on X. It's a huge reinforcement for a defense that will have its hands full defending against C.J. Stroud.

Having Dugger on the field will be key for New England. They are playing without star safety Jabrill Peppers already due to off-the-field issues. Dugger will bring playmaking and leadership to the secondary.

So far this season in four games, Dugger has made a major impact. He has totaled 20 tackles to go along with a sack, a forced fumble, and a defended pass.

The 28-year-old safety is going to be a key piece in slowing down a high-powered offense.

Dugger returning to the field will add extra excitement for the Patriots. The fans are already pumped up to watch the starting debut of rookie quarterback and No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye.

After losing four straight games and looking dead in the water, there is suddenly life in New England. If the team could somehow figure out a way to pull off an upset win over the Texans, fans would explode with excitement.

Getting Dugger back is a big step in the right direction. No one should expect the Patriots to be serious contenders moving forward, but they should definitely be more competitive than they have been over the last few weeks.

All of that being said, things have been set for today's game. Hopefully, we'll be talking about a big-time New England upset win later on this afternoon. Dugger's presence gives them more of a fighting chance ot do just that.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.

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