DeMario Douglas, Jabrill Peppers among 9 Patriots listed as questionable for Week 13 vs. Colts
FOXBORO -- New England Patriots receiver DeMario Douglas was limited at practice all week with an ankle injury, and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's home game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Douglas suffered the injury in last week's loss to the Miami Dolphins, when he finished with five receptions for 62 yards. He leads all New England receivers in receptions (48) and receiving yards (477), and trails only tight end Hunter Henry for the overall lead in both categories this series. (Henry has 51 catches for 535 yards.)
Not having Douglas would be a huge blow to the New England offense and quarterback Drake Maye. The Patriots head into Sunday's game 31st in the NFL, averaging just 16.4 points per game.
Douglas headlines a lengthy injury report for New England heading into Sunday's clash with the 5-7 Colts.
Patriots list 9 players as questionable for Sunday vs. Colts
Here's the full list of Patriots players that are considered questionable for Sunday's tilt:
WR DeMario Douglas, Ankle
S Kyle Dugger, Ankle
LB Christian Elliss, Knee
LB Anfernee Jennings, Knee
T Vederian Lowe, Shoulder
S Jabrill Peppers, Knee
DT Jaquelin Roy, Neck
LB Sione Takitaki, Knee
DE Deatrich Wise Jr., Foot
All nine players were limited on Friday.
Safety Jabrill Peppers, who returned to practice after being taken off the Commissioner's Exemption List earlier this week, could see his first action since Week 4 on Sunday.
Christian Barmore removed from Patriots' injury list
There was some good news on Friday's injury report, as defensive tackle Christian Barmore was removed from the list. That's an indication that he is fully healthy for the first time since returning from blood clots, which sidelined him for the first 10 weeks of the season.
Defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale, cornerback Christian Gonzalez, safety Marte Mapu, and linebacker Keion White were also removed from the injury report by the Patriots.
Cole Strange will not play Sunday
While offensive lineman Cole Strange was a limited participant in practice all week, Mayo said Friday morning that he will not play Sunday against the Colts. That held true when Strange was the only player ruled out by New England for Sunday's game.
But it sounds like a return isn't far off, as Mayo said that he anticipates seeing Strange playing this season.
"He's done a great job. Every day in here rehabbing and every day in here in all the meetings. The mental aspect when he's ready to go shouldn't be too big of a hurdle for him. Excited to get him out there, but not this week," said Mayo.
The Patriots will hit their bye week after Sunday's game against the Colts, so Strange could potentially make his debut in Week 15 when New England visits the Arizona Cardinals.
Colts rule out 4 players for Sunday, including Josh Downs
The Colts will be without four players on Sunday: wide receivers Josh Downs (shoulder) and Ashton Dulin (ankle), center Tanor Bortolini (concussion), and right tackle Braden Smith (personal matter) have all been ruled out for Week 13.
Downs -- who caught passes from Drake Maye in college at UNC -- is Indianapolis' leading receiver this year with 53 catches. He ranks second with 594 yards and is tied for the team lead with four touchdown receptions.
Receiver Alec Pierce (foot) is the only player listed as questionable on the Indianapolis injury report.
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Colts matchup on WBZ-TV -- the flagship station of the New England Patriots! We'll get you Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m. on WBZ-TV and streaming online at CBSBoston.com! After the game, switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!