Tag: Jabrill Peppers

Patriots S Jabrill Peppers feels ‘forever indebted’ to Bill Belichick

Jabrill Peppers has a lot of “admiration and respect” for former Patriots coach Bill Belichick

New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers had nothing but praise for Bill Belichick when he met with the media on Tuesday.

Belichick signed Peppers as a free agent ahead of the 2022 season. Peppers then re-signed with the Patriots in March 2023, inking a two-year deal.

The veteran defensive back is coming off a strong 2023 campaign that saw him record 78 tackles, a sack and two interceptions. It was a breakout year for the former Michigan star, as he held down the safety position for the Patriots, alongside Kyle Dugger.

With that in mind, Peppers is keeping his run of success in perspective, particularly when it comes to learning under Belichick.

“I’m thankful for Bill. That’s a guy I have a lot of admiration and respect for,” said Peppers, via the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan. “… I’ll always be forever indebted to Bill. But at the end of the day, it’s a business.”

It would be a stretch to say that the sidelines won’t look strange without Belichick. Nevertheless, a changing of the guard provides intrigue as New England looks to forge a new identity.

Patriots Week 17 inactives: Trent Brown OUT vs Bills

Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown is inactive for Sunday’s game against the Bills

The New England Patriots have officially ruled out offensive tackle Trent Brown for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.

Brown has dealt with a multitude of injuries and an illness leading up to the game. However, there was hope that he would be able to go considering he was removed from the injury report on Friday.

It’s another odd situation in a season full of many for Brown, who is set to hit free agency in 2024.

The Patriots will also be missing safety Jabrill Peppers and tight end Hunter Henry for the Week 17 matchup. On Saturday, the team tried to make up for those absences by signing safety Joshuah Bledsoe to the main roster, while also elevating offensive lineman Andrew Stueber and tight end Matt Sokol from the practice squad.

Here’s the list of inactives for both teams on New Year’s Eve:

The Patriots could play spoiler for a second consecutive week if they’re able to upset a Bills team still trying to solidify a playoff spot.

Buffalo has been red-hot as of late with wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs, while the Patriots are coming off a huge upset win over the Denver Broncos.

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Patriots downgrade two more players to out ahead of Bills matchup

#Patriots downgrade two more players to out ahead of #Bills matchup:

The New England Patriots will have to face the Buffalo Bills without one of their best defensive players on the field.

On Saturday, the team announced safety Jabrill Peppers has officially been ruled out because of a hamstring injury. The Patriots (4-11) also ruled out rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte due to illness.

Two duo join wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) who had already been ruled out.

Peppers was limited in practice on Friday and was listed as questionable to play.

Throughout this week multiple Patriots players have appeared on their injury report due to an illness that appears to be going around the team’s locker room. Boutte was previously listed with an illness but was removed from the injury report only to now be ruled out.

Without Boutte, New England’s top receivers will likely be rookie Demario Douglas and DeVante Parker. Jalen Mills or Adrian Phillips would be the next man up behind Peppers.

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Patriots downgrade two players as out ahead of Bills matchup

Two players have been ruled out for the Patriots ahead of Sunday’s game.

The New England Patriots will have to face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills offense without one of their best defensive players on the field.

On Saturday, the team announced safety Jabrill Peppers has officially been ruled out for the game. Peppers, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury, returned to practice as a limited participant on Friday, but he isn’t far enough along for the team to give him the green light to play.

The Patriots also ruled out rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, which is a bit of a surprise considering he recently came off the injury report.

With JuJu Smith-Schuster being out, there was hope Boutte could get an opportunity. Tyquan Thornton hasn’t lived up to expectations, and the team has relied heavily on Demario Douglas and DeVante Parker with quarterback Bailey Zappe under center.

Being shorthanded is nothing new for this Patriots team. It feels like a weekly occurrence at this point.

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Patriots Week 17 injury report: 3 players miss practice on Wednesday

Things are getting dangerously thin for the Patriots at safety.

Injuries at safety are beginning to stack up for the New England Patriots with both Jabrill Peppers and Jalen Mills being listed as non-participants at Wednesday’s practice.

Peppers is still working his way back from the hamstring injury that caused him to miss Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Meanwhile, Mills is in concussion protocol, putting his availability in Week 17 in doubt.

Safety has been considered as one of New England’s strongest positions this season, but they could be another injury away from catastrophe.

Here are the full injury reports for both the Patriots and Buffalo Bills on Wednesday:

New England Patriots

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game Status
OT Trent Brown Illness DNP
S Jalen Mills Concussion DNP
S Jabrill Peppers Hamstring DNP
DL Christian Barmore Knee LP
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley Knee LP
DB Myles Bryant Chest LP
TE Hunter Henry Knee LP
LB Anfernee Jennings Illness LP
CB Jonathan Jones Knee LP
ST Matthew Slater Hamstring LP
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster Ankle LP
CB Shaun Wade Hip LP
T Tyrone Wheatley Knee FP

DNP: Did not practice; LP: Limited participation ; FP: Full participation

Buffalo Bills

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game Status
DE Leonard Floyd Wrist/Rib/Rest DNP
Edge Von Miller Vet Rest DNP
LB Terrel Bernard Ankle LP
DE A.J. Epenesa Rib LP
S Damar Hamlin Shoulder LP
S Micah Hype Neck Stinger LP
RB Ty Johnson Shoulder LP
LS Reid Ferguson Right Thumb FP
DT DaQuan Jones Pectoral FP
DB Cam Lewis Thumb FP
WR Justin Shorter Hamstring FP
LB Dorian Williams Knee FP

DNP: Did not practice; LP: Limited participation ; FP: Full participation

The Bills have suddenly emerged into one of the hottest teams in the league late in the season. Being shorthanded against a Josh Allen-led football team is never a good thing, and it could come back to bite the Patriots if that remains to be the case at kick-off.

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Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster headlines absences at Friday’s practice

Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster was reportedly absent during the media portion of Friday’s practice.

The New England Patriots were missing four players at Friday’s practice, ahead of their contest against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. That list of names included wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, per NESN.com’s Zack Cox.

This news just adds to what has been a difficult season for the Patriots’ wide receiver room, when it comes to injuries. Smith-Schuster did not play in last week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. In turn, he was unable to build momentum from the previous game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he caught four passes for 90 yards.

Smith-Schuster has had an up-and-down season. All told, he has recorded 29 catches for 260 yards and a touchdown on the year. The lone touchdown came against the Miami Dolphins back in October.

Three other Patriots players were absent from the entirety of this week’s practices. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson, safety Jabrill Peppers (hamstring) and offensive tackle Conor McDermott (head) also did not practice on Friday.

The Patriots look to secure a win over the Broncos for the first time since 2017 on Christmas Eve. Kickoff is set for Sunday night at 8:15 p.m ET.

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3 standout stars in Patriots’ 27-17 loss to Chiefs

Who were the three stars for the Patriots in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs?

The New England Patriots fell to 3-11 at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, but for a second straight week, their offense looked competent.

The issue is they lack the talent across the board on offense, and they are without key stars on defense due to injuries. But they did manage to hang in there with the defending Super Bowl champions in a 27-17 loss.

Whether Bill O’Brien has turned a corner with his play-calling, or if the change at quarterback sparked players to buy in on offense, there seems to be better execution overall. It also helps when the quarterback isn’t making terrible decisions every play and running the offense as designed.

Regardless, this week had some bright spots, despite the loss. Here are the  three stars of the game for the Patriots:

Patriots S Jabrill Peppers shared main reason for coming to New England

Jabrill Peppers gave S Kyle Dugger the highest praise that could be given.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick praised Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger as being two of the best safeties in the NFL. Peppers, who had a big hand in Thursday night’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, agreed with that statement.

But he had even bigger praise for his teammate, Dugger, who combined for seven tackles against the Steelers. He called Dugger the “best in the league” at the safety position.

“I definitely agree with that,” said Peppers, via NESN’s Zack Cox. “We’ve got to play much better to improve this (3-10) record, but if you check the tape out — especially with Dugger. I think he’s the best in the league. So it’s definitely been fun playing with him.

“…One of the main reasons I came [here] was to play with him. … I think we’ve got a hell of a safety room.”

Together, Peppers and Dugger did their parts in securing New England’s third victory of the season. They came into Thursday night’s game with snap rates of near 100 percent. So they are two players for the Patriots defense that rarely leave the field.

The safety position has been one of the more stable position groups over the past couple seasons. Even after losing legendary defensive back Devin McCourty, Peppers and Dugger have been able to hold things down for New England in the backfield.

Dugger is one of the Patriots’ most notable talents playing on an expiring deal. With the season winding down and his future up in the air, the questions are starting to swirl regarding a potential contract extension. It would have to seem like a no-brainer at this point given how well things are going on the field.

But as we all know, nothing is ever certain with the business of player contracts.

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Jabrill Peppers passionately defends Bill Belichick after all the ‘flak’ Patriots coach has recieved

“I don’t really like all the flak he’s been getting, because it’s on us as players to go out there and execute.”

Bill Belichick is probably aware of the fact that the calls for his retirement or firing have been pretty loud as the 2023 NFL season nears its end.

The New England Patriots are a mess, with perhaps a future in which they reboot with a new quarterback and face a rebuild.

But the Pats did beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night, and Jabrill Peppers wants the world to know the team “needed” this victory for Belichick.

“I don’t really like all the flak he’s been getting, because it’s on us as players to go out there and execute,” he said to reporters. “I personally feel like the game plan has been phenomenal week in and week out and when we had opportunities to make plays, we didn’t make them.”

But, as he pointed out, they did on Thursday.

Studs and duds in Patriots’ unbelievable upset win over Steelers

Who were the studs and duds in the Patriots’ 21-18 win over the Steelers?

For at least a night, the New England Patriots had naysayers on hush mode after marching into Acrisure Stadium and knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers in a surprising upset win.

The victory came on a night when the Patriots were as limited as they’ve ever been at the skilled positions. There was no Rhamondre Stevenson, DeVante Parker or Kayshon Boutte in this matchup.

And it didn’t matter.

The Patriots offense rallied around quarterback Bailey Zappe and put together their best performance since their win over the Buffalo Bills back in October.

With the win, New England improved to 3-10 on the season and officially put an end to their five-game losing streak. Here are the studs and duds from the game: