The latest Patriots injury update brings one piece of good news and a lot of uncertainty. Rhamondre Stevenson won’t need surgery on his injured knee, but he’s expected to miss Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions in Munich, and the team still doesn’t know whether A.J. Brown will be on the field after another knee flare-up.
New England is 5-4 after a 45-27 loss to Green Bay, sits second in the AFC East behind the 7-1 Bills and currently holds the No. 7 seed. One game remains before a Week 11 bye, and it comes with an overseas flight. Every key injury, one by one:
Patriots injury report at a glance
| Player | Injury | Latest status |
|---|---|---|
| RB Rhamondre Stevenson | Plantaris tendon, knee | No surgery; likely out vs. Lions, reevaluated after bye |
| WR A.J. Brown | Knee | Expected to travel to Germany; no decision on playing |
| OL Ben Brown | Knee | Not expected to make the trip |
| OL Greg Van Roten | Injured reserve | Team considering activating him this week |
| OL Will Campbell | Left Sunday’s game | Said he felt good and could have returned |
Rhamondre Stevenson injury: no surgery, but a few weeks
Stevenson left the Packers game after six carries for 32 yards, according to Boston.com. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported a knee tendon injury that isn’t expected to require surgery. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added that it’s a plantaris tendon issue in the back of the knee, with rest and rehab as the plan and an expected absence of the next few weeks, per NBC Sports Boston.
That timeline lines up neatly with the schedule. If Stevenson sits out Munich, the bye gives him a second week off before the Patriots reevaluate him. Missing one game would be a far better outcome than Sunday’s scare suggested.
The bigger issue is depth. NBC Sports Boston’s live blog said the Patriots could look to add a running back before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline, and head coach Mike Vrabel said he wants the team to use every avenue to get better, whether through the current roster or players from outside it, Boston.com reported. Vrabel called this team a contender, and contenders don’t head to Germany thin at running back if they can help it.
For fantasy managers, Stevenson is a hold through the bye. Watch Wednesday’s practice report to see who takes the first-team reps.
A.J. Brown injury update: on the plane, not on the field yet
Brown’s first season in New England has been stop-and-start. The Patriots acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason, according to Yahoo Sports. Then:
- He suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener against Seattle and missed four games on injured reserve, Boston.com reported.
- He returned for the Bears and Jets games, two games in five days.
- A flare-up of an existing knee issue kept him out against Miami and Green Bay, his sixth missed game of the season.
Vrabel said Monday there was no decision on Brown’s availability, but that the plan was for him to travel with the team on Wednesday. “I think that’s the plan,” Vrabel said, according to Pats Pulpit. NBC Sports’ fantasy desk noted that the knee is the same issue that came up in the offseason trade talks.
The Patriots seem to be looking past this week. The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero wrote in his Nov. 7 newsletter that the team believes Brown could be back shortly after the Week 11 bye, according to Yardbarker. Bringing him to Munich keeps him with the training staff and gives him a chance to play if the knee responds, without forcing the issue.
Offensive line: Ben Brown out, Van Roten could return
The line has its own problems. Offensive lineman Ben Brown hurt his knee against Green Bay and isn’t expected to make the trip, Yahoo Sports reported. Walter Rouse took over after Brown left Sunday’s game, and Rouse or Greg Van Roten is likely to fill the spot.
Van Roten is on injured reserve, but Vrabel said he’s eligible and has been working to return. The decision on activating him will come after practice Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Boston.com. Will Campbell also left the Packers game, though he said afterward that he felt fine and could have kept playing if the score had been closer.
Protection matters for Drake Maye. He threw three touchdowns and three interceptions in the loss to Green Bay, and his first pass of the game was picked off by Xavier McKinney. Our Packers vs. Patriots recap breaks down how that game got away from New England.
Patriots vs. Lions in Munich: what’s at stake
The game kicks off Sunday, Nov. 15, at 9:30 a.m. ET on FOX at Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich. Detroit is the designated home team, according to the Lions, and it’s the franchise’s first game in Germany. New England’s only other trip to Germany ended in a 10-6 loss to the Colts in Frankfurt in 2023.
The travel schedule is tighter than usual. Vrabel said the team will leave a day earlier than it normally does for international games, with a walkthrough Thursday and practice Friday, Boston.com reported.
What the Patriots injury update means for the AFC East race
Buffalo fans should keep an eye on all of this. The Bills beat Minnesota 23-6 on Monday night to reach 7-1, which puts them 2.5 games ahead of New England. The Patriots do own the head-to-head tiebreaker from their Week 4 win in Orchard Park, so the division isn’t over, but a loss in Munich would make the gap hard to close.
The wild-card picture is just as tight. As things stand, New England holds the last AFC playoff spot. Our AFC playoff picture has the full seeding.
New England’s best-case path runs like this: win in Munich without Stevenson, get both Browns back healthy after the bye, and head into December with a full roster. The first test of that plan is Wednesday’s injury report, the first official one of Week 10.
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