Patriots vs. Broncos inactives: Matthew Slater misses his first game since 2017

[PatNation]

Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images New England will be shorthanded on Christmas Eve. The New England Patriots’ final primetime game of the season will see them miss several big names in all three phases. Among them is special teams ace Matthew Slater, who entered the weekend as questionable because of a hamstring injury. Slater’s absence against the Denver Broncos will mark his first inactivity since the 2017 season. It also means that an impressive streak of durability has come to an end: before Sunday, Slater had appeared in 108 straight regular season and playoff games for the Patriots. With that said, let’s take a look at who else will not suit up for New England in Week 16. Patriots inactives

• TE Hunter Henry
• S Jabrill Peppers
• DE Sam Roberts
• QB Nathan Rourke (emergency QB)
• WR Matthew Slater
• WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
• RB Rhamondre Stevenson

Four of the Patriots’ seven inactives were already ruled out before the team’s trip to Denver. Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) and Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) were declared out on Friday, with Hunter Henry (knee) joining them on Saturday (as did offensive tackle Conor McDermott but he was since placed on injured reserve). The other three inactives, meanwhile, were announced on Sunday. Whereas the aforementioned Slater is out due to injury, Sam Roberts and recently-claimed Nathan Rourke are both healthy scratches — the latter serving as the third emergency quarterback behind Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones. New England has several big names on its inactives list, but there are some positives still. Six of the players listed as questionable, after all, are able to play on Sunday night: offensive tackle Trent Brown (ankle, hand), defensive tackle Christian Barmore (shoulder), linebackers Anfernee Jennings (illness), Ja’Whaun Bentley (knee) and Jahlani Tavai (ankle), and cornerback Jonathan Jones (knee) have all been cleared to play. Broncos inactives

• TE Nate Adkins
• ED Nik Bonitto
• QB Ben DiNucci
• C Alex Forsyth
• DE Elijah Garcia
• ED Thomas Incoom
• S J.L. Skinner

The most notable name on the Broncos’ inactives list is edge linebacker Nik Bonitto. The Broncos’ sack leader was already ruled out Friday because of a knee injury. Kickoff between the Patriots and Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High is set for 8:15 p.m. ET.

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2023/12/24/2 ... h-schuster