The New England Patriots continued to be plagued by the illness bug at Thursday’s practice with running back Ezekiel Elliott and offensive tackle Trent Brown both being out.
Brown has been in and out of the lineup for multiple weeks, but the team has leaned heavily on Elliott with Rhamondre Stevenson out for the season with an ankle injury. Not only has Elliott led the way on the ground, but he has also turned into a security blanket receiving back for quarterback Bailey Zappe.
Without Elliott, the team is down to Kevin Harris and JaMycal Hasty at the position. They also recently added veteran Ke’Shawn Vaughn to the practice squad.
Here are the full injury reports for both teams on Thursday:
| Player | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game Status |
| OT Trent Brown | Illness | DNP | DNP | ||
| S Jalen Mills | Concussion | DNP | DNP | ||
| S Jabrill Peppers | Hamstring | DNP | DNP | ||
| DL Christian Barmore | Knee | LP | LP | ||
| LB Ja’Whaun Bentley | Knee | LP | LP | ||
| DB Myles Bryant | Chest | LP | LP | ||
| TE Hunter Henry | Knee | LP | LP | ||
| LB Anfernee Jennings | Illness | LP | LP | ||
| CB Jonathan Jones | Knee | LP | LP | ||
| ST Matthew Slater | Hamstring | LP | LP | ||
| WR JuJu Smith-Schuster | Ankle | LP | DNP | ||
| CB Shaun Wade | Hip | LP | LP | ||
| T Tyrone Wheatley | Knee | FP | FP | ||
| WR Kayshon Boutte | Not injury-related/Personal | DNP | |||
| RB Ezekiel Elliott | Illness | DNP |
DNP: Did not practice; LP: Limited participation ; FP: Full participation
Buffalo Bills
| Player | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game Status |
| DE Leonard Floyd | Wrist/Rib/Rest | DNP | FP | ||
| Edge Von Miller | Vet Rest | DNP | FP | ||
| LB Terrel Bernard | Ankle | LP | LP | ||
| DE A.J. Epenesa | Rib | LP | LP | ||
| S Damar Hamlin | Shoulder | LP | LP | ||
| S Micah Hype | Neck Stinger | LP | LP | ||
| RB Ty Johnson | Shoulder | LP | LP | ||
| LS Reid Ferguson | Right Thumb | FP | FP | ||
| DT DaQuan Jones | Pectoral | FP | FP | ||
| DB Cam Lewis | Thumb | FP | FP | ||
| WR Justin Shorter | Hamstring | FP | FP | ||
| LB Dorian Williams | Knee | FP | FP | ||
| DE Shaq Lawson | Illness | DNP |
DNP: Did not practice; LP: Limited participation ; FP: Full participation
The Patriots will have their hands full attacking a Buffalo Bills defense that has been stingy at home this season. Elliott’s health could have as great of an impact as any on the outcome of the game.
