The New England Patriots can breathe a sigh of relief.
After adding left tackle Trent Brown to the injury report with an illness, NFL Network’s Mike Giardi is reporting the veteran blindside protector is expected to play against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night. It will be an important game for a Patriots team hoping to stay in the playoff hunt.
Brown is a key part of the Patriots offensive line, which has dealt with a slew of injuries in recent weeks. The line gave up six sacks against the New York Jets, but then they bounced back with a great performance in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12. They only allowed three sacks on the evening, and quarterback Mac Jones finished with 382 yards passing.
Now, the line will need to be on top of their game for Thursday’s matchup. As Girardi indicated, Brown will play in the game, but there are no guarantees he’ll be able to finish.
“Trent Brown got put on the injury report this morning with an illness,” Giardi said, during an NFL Network appearance. “Now, I’m told he’s gonna play, but the question is, can he finish the game? This is the second time he’s been sick in the last three weeks. Did not start the Jets game a couple weeks ago — Bill Belichick wouldn’t say if that was discipline-related or illness-related — but he ended up playing in that game at some point.”
Injuries will impact both offensive lines tonight when the #Bills host the #Patriots. The latest on Trent Brown and more. pic.twitter.com/dOpd7BAhAn
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) December 1, 2022
It remains to be seen how much Brown will play. Nevertheless, his presence could be key, as New England looks to contain Buffalo’s push rush and vault their way back into the playoff picture.
