The New England Patriots are one of the NFL’s best teams once again. Mike Vrabel immediately brought the Patriots back to glory, leading them to an AFC Championship game in his first season as head coach. Now the Patriots are gearing up for their most important game in several years. The team received a mixed bag of injury updates before this weekend’s game against the Broncos.
Vrabel said that cornerback Carlton Davis III is expected back at practice on a limited basis, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Davis suffered a concussion against the Texans during the Divisional Round. He played well in that game, logging four tackles and snagging two huge interceptions.
It is a good sign that Davis should practice at all on Wednesday. However, the NFL’s concussion protocol is a multi-step process. It is simply too early to tell whether he’ll be cleared to play on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Vrabel also said that veteran receiver Mack Hollins will not start practicing on Wednesday.
Hollins suffered an abdomen injury in late December and was placed on injured reserve. He has missed New England’s last four games.
The fact that Hollins has not yet return to practice suggests he may not play in the AFC Championship. Even if he ends up getting activated, it would be unlikely that he has a large role in the offense after practicing so little this week.
But getting Hollins back would be a big emotional boost for the team. Patriots receivers Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte explained after the Divisional Round that they were inspired by Hollins’ eventual return.
“We said one more game before we get Mack back,” said Boutte, per Mark Daniels of MassLive on X, formerly Twitter.
Both players did just enough against Houston to keep New England’s offense humming. But the challenge will be quite different against Denver this weekend.
Patriots at Broncos kicks off at 3PM ET on Sunday from Mile High.
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