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Patriots will be without three key players for matchup vs. Buccaneers
Rhamondre Stevenson, Kayshon Boutte, and Christian Elliss have all been ruled out for Sunday.
An already tough matchup for the Patriots against the Buccaneers has gotten a bit more difficult.
Rhamondre Stevenson (toe), Kayshon Boutte (hamstring), and Christian Ellis (hip) will all be sidelined as the Patriots head to Tampa to take on the NFC South leaders, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters on Friday.
Stevenson didn’t play in last week’s victory against the Falcons, but rookie TreVeyon Henderson and veteran Terrell Jennings did enough to get the job done.
The two of them split the backfield, with Henderson taking 14 carries for 55 yards and Jennings going 11 for 35 and a touchdown. They will likely take the bulk of the workload again, although they added practice squad running back D’Ernest Johnson to the roster last week as well.
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Boutte picked up a hamstring injury in the win over the Falcons, which forced him to leave the game. He has been Drake Maye’s go-to deep threat this season, leading the team with five receiving touchdowns to go along with a second-best 431 yards.
With Boutte out, Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, and Mack Hollins will likely continue to be the main targets, but rookie Kyle Williams could see this as an opportunity to prove valuable.
On the defensive side of the ball, Elliss will be a significant miss. Elliss is second on the team in tackles with 53, and forced a fourth-quarter fumble against the Saints in Week 6 to prevent them from having a chance to take the lead.
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We’ll see how much of an impact these injuries will make for the Patriots, who carry a six-game win streak into Sunday’s game against the 6-2 Buccaneers.
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