Two Patriots Miss First Practice of AFC Championship Week

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With their divisional round victory over the Houston Texans now firmly behind them, the New England Patriots are turning their attention to the AFC championship game and a clash with the top-seeded Denver Broncos.

Although the Pats exhibited relatively strong attendance at their first practice of the week, they listed seven players as either non-participants or limited participants as they prepare to take on the Broncos this weekend at Empower Field at Mile High.

Linebackers Christian Elliss and Harold Landry, as well as starting right tackle Morgan Moses, swing tackle Thayer Munford, safety Marte Mapu and tight end Hunter Henry, were either limited or absent from practice. Cornerback Carlton Davis participated in a red non-contact jersey, while rookie defensive tackle Joshua Farmer was back at practice after being on injured reserve.

Unfortunately, receiver Mack Hollins was conspicuous by his absence from the week’s first practice session. Hollins was eligible for New England to open his window of returning from injured reserve — on which he was placed after suffering an abdominal injury prior to the Pats’ Week 17 game against the New York Jets. While the possibility still exists for his participating later this week, his lack of having a full week’s participation puts his status for this weekend’s AFC championship game against the Denver Broncos in doubt.

Still, the news was not all bad for the Patriots on the injury front.

Despite suffering a head injury in the second half of the Pats' 28-16 victory over the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, cornerback Carlton Davis III was present at the team’s first practice. Davis was a limited participant in the session held within the confines of the WIN Waste Management Field House, wearing a red, no-contact jersey. In order for Davis to return to in-game action for this weekend’s AFC championship game at Empower Field at Mile High, he must be removed from the league’s concussion protocol.

In that regard, here is the full report from the first practice of conference championship week for both the Patriots and the Broncos:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
LB Harold Landry III - Knee
LB Marte Mapu - Hip

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
Carlton Davis III - Concussion Protocol
LB Christian Elliss - Hip
TE Hunter Henry - Not Injury Related / Rest
T Morgan Moses - Not Injury Related / Rest
T Thayer Munford Jr. - Knee

FULL PARTICIPATION
DT Joshua Farmer* - Hamstring
RB TreVeyon Henderson - Shoulder
RB Terrell Jennings* - Passed Concussion Protocol
LB Robert Spillane - Hand

* denotes player currently on injured reserve.

What it Means for the Patriots:

While Hollins’ status and the return of Davis earned the majority of the attention, the listings of Elliss, Landry and Mapu will continue to catch the eye of Patriots Nation throughout the week.

Elliss, who signed a two-year contract extension worth $13.51 million with the Pats in March, has been one of the Pats’ standout performers on defense. Despite being previously considered a bit small compared to typical Patriots linebackers, Elliss‘ 6’2", 231-pound frame has been a strong fit within head coach Mike Vrabel’s more aggressive style on defense — one which utilizes smaller andmore athletic linebackers. In New England’s two playoff games, Ellis contributed 12 total tackles, two pass-breakups and a tackle-for-loss.

Landry, who has been battling a knee injury since Week 13, has been a productive fit within Vrabel’s defensive scheme in New England. Landry fits the mold of a smaller, athletic linebacker, capable of relentlessly pursuing the quarterback. Through 15 games played in the regular season, Landry compiled 27 solo tackles, one forced fumble and a team-leading 8.5 sacks. He earned two total tackles in the Pats’ wild card round victory over the Chargers. He added two tackles against the Texans in the divisional round.

Lastly, Mapu was absent from practice due to a hip injury. Despite having aligned predominantly at safety for the past two seasons, Mapu made the switch to linebacker this season, becoming a solid reserve option at the position. Mapu logged 25 total tackles, five passes-defensed and one interception during the regular season. In the Pats’ two postseason games, he has registered two tackles.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES: DENVER BRONCOS

Unsurprisingly, the biggest injury news out of the Rockies this week continues to be that of Broncos’ starting quarterback Bo Nix. With just over six minutes remaining in overtime of Denver’s 33-30 divisional round victory over the Buffalo Bills, Nix suffered a broken bone in his ankle that will require surgery — thus ending his season and pressing backup Jarrett Stidham into the lineup for this game.

Among the notable participants for the Broncos were running back J.K. Dobbins (foot), receivers Pat Bryant (concussion) and Troy Franklin (hamstring) and lastly, also starting center Luke Wattenberg (shoulder.)

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
QB Bo Nix - Ankle

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
WR Pat Bryant - Concussion
RB J.K. Dobbins - Foot
C Alex Forsyth - Ankle
WR Troy Franklin - Hamstring

FULL PARTICIPATION
T Frank Crum - Ankle
TE Lucas Krull - Foot
LB Drew Sanders - Ankle
S JL Skinner - Quad
C Luke Wattenberg - Shoulder

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