The New England Patriots were back on the field for the first time on Wednesday, since their disappointing loss to the Washington Commanders. It’s still a mostly banged-up football team, but there is hope things could get better in the coming days.
Wide receiver DeVante Parker, who missed last week due to a concussion, was back on the field in a limited capacity.
This season has obviously been a letdown for Parker, but he’s still the Patriots’ best outside receiving target. So having him back on the field will be an instant boost for the unit against a shaky Indianapolis Colts secondary.
Offensive tackle Trent Brown didn’t participate for personal reasons. Once that’s resolves, there’s hope he can return to practice in a limited fashion, while he continues to work his way back from an ankle injury.
Here is the full injury report for both teams ahead of Sunday’s showdown in Germany:
New England Patriots
| Player | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game Status |
| OT Trent Brown | Not injury-related (personal)/Ankle | DNP | |||
| CB J.C.Jackson | Not injury-related | DNP | |||
| DL Christian Barmore | Knee | LP | |||
| LB Ja’Whaun Bentley | Hamstring | LP | |||
| CB Myles Bryant | Chest | LP | |||
| WR Demario Douglas | Ankle | LP | |||
| CB Jonathan Jones | Knee | LP | |||
| OL Vederian Lowe | Ankle | LP | |||
| WR DeVante Parker | Concussion | LP | |||
| DL Deatrich Wise | Shoulder | LP |
DNP: Did not practice; LP: Limited participation ; FP: Full participation
Indianapolis Colts
| Player | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game Status |
| CB JuJu Brents | Quadricep | DNP | |||
| WR Josh Downs | Knee | DNP | |||
| LB Zaire Franklin | Knee | DNP | |||
| TE Drew Ogletree | Foot | DNP | |||
| CB Tony Brown | Concussion | LP | |||
| T Braden Smith | Hip/Wrist | FP |
DNP: Did not practice; LP: Limited participation ; FP: Full participation
The Patriots are a bit too far gone to right the ship in 2023. At this point, it’s all about staying as healthy as possible and playing well enough in games to keep things from sinking entirely.
They’ll have a legitimate shot at doing that in Sunday’s meeting with a Colts team with less than .500 win percentage and enough flaws to make quarterback Mac Jones and the sputtering Patriots offense look decent enough to steal an upset.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]