The New England Patriots will have to face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills offense without one of their best defensive players on the field.
On Saturday, the team announced safety Jabrill Peppers has officially been ruled out for the game. Peppers, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury, returned to practice as a limited participant on Friday, but he isn’t far enough along for the team to give him the green light to play.
The Patriots also ruled out rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, which is a bit of a surprise considering he recently came off the injury report.
With JuJu Smith-Schuster being out, there was hope Boutte could get an opportunity. Tyquan Thornton hasn’t lived up to expectations, and the team has relied heavily on Demario Douglas and DeVante Parker with quarterback Bailey Zappe under center.
Kayshon Boutte and Jabrill Peppers have been downgraded to out for #NEvsBUF. pic.twitter.com/mmdNMW5amk
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 30, 2023
Being shorthanded is nothing new for this Patriots team. It feels like a weekly occurrence at this point.
