Rhamondre Stevenson, 4 others would have missed Monday's practice had Patriots actually practiced

FOXBORO -- It's a short week for the Patriots with their Thursday night clash against the Steelers quickly approaching. The team's usual weekly schedule is being condensed into just three days, which doesn't leave much time for everyone to hit the practice field.

The team did not actually practice on Monday, because they just played Sunday afternoon and it would be madness to have players practice less than 24 hours after competing a game. But had the Patriots practiced, five players would have missed the session with injuries, including running back Rhamondre Stevenson.

Stevenson left Sunday's loss to the Chargers with a sprained ankle that he suffered while being tackled on a first-half carry. He missed the rest of the game and was set to undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the sprain and potentially give the team a timeframe for his return. But he will most likely miss Thursday's tilt in Pittsburgh.

Receivers Kayshon Boutte (shoulder) and Demario Douglas (concussion) also would have missed Monday's practice, after both sat out Sunday's loss. Defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. and cornerback Shaun Wade would have also been sidelined with the illnesses that kept them out of action on Sunday.

Had they actually practiced, eight other Patriots would have been limited at Monday's session:

DL Christian Barmore (shoulder)
LB Chris Board (back)
OT Trent Brown (ankle/hand)
RB Ezekiel Elliott (thigh)
WR DeVante Parker (knee)
OL Riley Reiff (knee)
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle)
OG Sidy Sow (ankle)

The Patriots will practice on Tuesday for the first and only time of Week 14, before leaving for Pittsburgh on Wednesday. We'll see if some of those hypothetical absences and limitations turn into actual absences and limitations at that point.