Injury report: Smith-Schuster, Douglas among 7 Patriots ruled out; 10 players questionable vs. Raiders
FOXBORO -- Most of the Patriots left for Las Vegas on Friday. But a lot of them did not, as the team has ruled out seven players for Sunday's game against the Raiders.
That includes receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas, who both left last week's loss to the Saints and remain in concussion protocol. They won't be alone in Foxboro, as offensive lineman Riley Reiff (knee), guard Cole Strange (knee), special teamer Cody Davis (knee), tackle Tyrone Wheatley (knee), and linebacker Matthew Judon (elbow) have also been ruled out for Sunday's game.
New England also listed 10 other players as questionable against the Raiders. That lengthy list includes safety Kyle Dugger, who was limited on Friday for the second straight day due to a foot issue:
DL Christian Barmore, Knee
OT Trent Brown, Chest
S Kyle Dugger, Foot
DL Trey Flowers, Foot
DL Davon Godchaux, Ankle
CB Jonathan Jones, Ankle
OL Mike Onwenu, Ankle
WR Tyquan Thornton, Shoulder
LB Josh Uche, Knee
CB Shaun Wade, Shoulder
With Smith-Schuster and Douglas both out, the Pats are heading to Sin City wildly shorthanded at receiver. Tyquan Thornton could be activated ahead of Sunday's game, after he was a limited participant all week in practice. The 2022 second-round pick would bring a lot of speed to the New England passing attack if he can play, after starting the season on IR with a shoulder injury that he suffered during the preseason.
Rookie Kayshon Boutte, who has been a healthy scratch each of the last four weeks, could also find his way back to the field on Sunday. He could be the catch-and-run threat that Smith-Schuster was supposed to be in the offense, but Boutte struggled in Week 1 after an impressive preseason and hasn't been on the gameday roster since.
New England could also potentially elevate practice squaders Malik Cunningham and Jalen Reagor for Sunday's game. Reagor has already been elevated once this season, and Cunningham has been earning some rave reviews for his work in practice from New England coaches. While he's been doing his work as a receiver in practice, he could also play some QB if the Patriots really want to go in a different direction at the position.
Whatever happens, the Patriots are going to be shorthanded on Sunday as they look to snap a two-game losing streak and win for just the second time this season. We'll find out which of those 10 players listed as questionable will and won't be playing 90 minutes prior to kickoff on Sunday afternoon.
Tune in to Patriots-Raiders on WBZ-TV -- the television home of the New England Patriots. Coverage continues Friday with Patriots All Access at 7pm on WBZ. Pregame coverage begins Sunday morning at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay, the Pats and the Raiders will kick off just after 4pm, and after the game tune in to Patriots 5th Quarter on TV38!
