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If the New England Patriots are going to pull off the upset against the Buffalo Bills, the already limited roster just received an additional blow. Both sides of the ball will need to step up, and now it looks like a more limited roster rotation will affect the game on Sunday.
New England Patriots Injuries
The New England Patriots have ruled out safety Jabrill Peppers, and wide receiver Kayshon Boutte for the week 17 matchup.
Jabrill Peppers has been dealing with an ongoing hamstring injury that saw him sidelined last week, against the Denver Broncos. While it was not looking good for Jabrill Peppers, the fact that he missed practice throughout the week was always going to be a good indication that he would miss the game against the Bills.
Kayshon Boutte has not been able to consistently crack the rotation and was looking for the possibility to have a breakout game this year against the Buffalo Bills, he is out with an undisclosed illness.
For a team that still has not said if Hunter Henry will be available or not, New England Patriots fans will be hoping that the lack of news means that he will be back. Seeing as Peppers and Boutte are not making the trip to Buffalo, and Hunter is, that bodes well for his chances to see action against the Bills.
New England Patriots Matchup Against The Bills
Last week we saw Kyle Dugger step up, with Jalen Mills filling in for the injured Peppers. The longtime cornerback has worked on his transition to the safety position and did well stepping in last week. While the New England Patriots will likely keep this combination for now, especially with the recent acquisition of Marco Wilson, you can also expect to see others take a few snaps from the safety position for a possession or two.
While Stefon Diggs always presents a threat, the Bills have been leaning on the rushing attack lately from their running backs and not trying to overly rely on Josh Allen. This is why players like Myles Bryant, Jahlani Tavi, and Marte Mapu may even see occasional plays from the safety spot, only to get more downhill run stoppers on the field at the same time.
The downfield, big-play ability of Josh Allen is always a threat, but if the New England Patriots can force the Bills to become one-dimensional, Allen has proven to be mistake-prone. He is someone who can often like Icarus fly too close to the sun.
New England Patriots Kayshon Boutte
After some promising plays during preseason, New England Patriots fans were hoping to see a more inspired rookie campaign from the receiver. But after not being able to narrowly drag a second toe on a deep pass attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles, he has seen what many are considering a benching. Only played in two games since then, the final matchup against the New York Jets will be the last chance for Boutte to make an impact on the 2023 regular season.
More must-reads:
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- The '100 catches in an NFL season' quiz
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