The New England Patriots are getting a boost at wide receiver and taking a hit at the same time.
On Sunday, the team activated wideout DeVante Parker, while also ruling out JuJu Smith-Schuster. Not having Smith-Schuster is a huge letdown considering how well he played against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
He emerged as a reliable receiving target for quarterback Bailey Zappe, who lit up the Steelers defense in a surprising 21-18 victory. The veteran receiver finished the game with four receptions and a team-high 90 receiving yards. There was hope that effort would carry over against the Chiefs, but the Patriots won’t have the luxury of finding out.
However, they will have more offensive weapons at their disposal with Parker and rookie Demario Douglas returning for this game. Here are the full injury reports for both teams:
Patriots inactives. pic.twitter.com/6n8gK66sA2
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 17, 2023
Chiefs inactives. pic.twitter.com/aECz2kF7gz
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 17, 2023
The Patriots could make some serious noise late in the season with an upset win over the Chiefs. Bill Belichick, on the other hand, could be playing for his job in this matchup.
