The New England Patriots will play in Miami on Sunday without A.J. Brown. On Saturday they downgraded the receiver to out with a knee problem that flared up this week, and ruled out running back TreVeyon Henderson and tackle Marcus Bryant as well. Washington’s fears about Daron Payne were confirmed: the defensive tackle has a season-ending Jones fracture in his foot. The Chicago Bears will be without Kyle Monangai for a fourth straight game when they visit the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.
- Patriots: Brown (knee, ankle), Henderson (illness) and Bryant (ankle) were all questionable on Friday and are now out against the Miami Dolphins
- Commanders: Payne suffered a Jones fracture in Friday’s practice, will miss the rest of the season and is headed to injured reserve
- Bears: Ben Johnson said he “would count out” Monangai (toe, thumb), and the team hopes tight end Colston Loveland’s neck injury is minor
- Activations: the Raiders are expected to bring receiver Jack Bech back from injured reserve, and the Dallas Cowboys activated safety P.J. Locke III
- Browns: right tackle Tytus Howard cleared the concussion protocol and has no designation for the Pittsburgh Steelers game
Patriots rule out A.J. Brown, TreVeyon Henderson and Marcus Bryant
Brown was limited in practice on Wednesday and then did not practice on Thursday or Friday. The team had listed only the right high ankle sprain he suffered in the season opener, but on Wednesday it added a knee issue to his entry on the injury report. “Just wasn’t able to finish practice on Wednesday, so we continue to treat him,” coach Mike Vrabel said on Friday. Brown came back from injured reserve for the Oct. 18 win over the New York Jets and the Oct. 22 loss to the Bears, playing 102 of a possible 122 snaps across those two games. He has nine catches for 101 yards in three games since the Philadelphia Eagles traded him to New England.
With Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins on injured reserve, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III are the only healthy receivers on the 53-man roster. Henderson missed practice on Thursday and Friday with an illness and will not travel, which leaves Rhamondre Stevenson and Corey Kiner as the only running backs. Bryant had practiced fully all week with his ankle injury. The Patriots have one open roster spot and can elevate two practice-squad players, and Mike Reiss named receiver Ryan Miller and running back Lan Larison as the top candidates.
Daron Payne’s season is over
A day after the Commanders downgraded Payne to out with what Ian Rapoport called a significant foot injury, Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that it is a season-ending Jones fracture. Payne, a former Pro Bowler, is in the last year of his contract and had been mentioned as a trade candidate before the Nov. 10 deadline. He had 14 tackles and a sack in six games this season.
Washington had already ruled out defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (knee) for Sunday night’s game against the Eagles, and Jer’Zhan Newton (pectoral) is questionable.
Bears will be without Kyle Monangai on Monday night
“I would count him out this week,” Johnson said of Monangai on Saturday. The second-year running back ran 30 times for 146 yards against the Jets in Week 4 and has not played since. D’Andre Swift should carry the load again in Seattle. Loveland was added to the report on Friday with a neck injury and was limited, and Johnson said the team hopes it is minor. Chicago’s final report is due later on Saturday.
Seattle is also issuing its first game statuses for Monday. Left tackle Charles Cross, receiver Rashid Shaheed and edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu did not practice on Thursday or Friday, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba practiced fully on Thursday.
Saturday activations and elevations
Teams had until 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to activate players from injured reserve and elevate players from the practice squad. Rapoport reported that the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to activate Bech, who has been recovering from a fractured forearm, for Sunday’s game against the Jets.
Dallas activated Locke from injured reserve and elevated tight end James Mitchell for the Arizona Cardinals game.
Cleveland said Howard, who did not practice this week, has cleared the protocol and will start. The Browns also elevated tight end Carsen Ryan.
The Tennessee Titans elevated receiver Xavier Restrepo and punter Thomas Morstead for the Cincinnati Bengals game and did not activate linebacker Dorian Mausi, who is out. The Indianapolis Colts elevated cornerback Johnathan Edwards and defensive end Carl Lawson for the Jacksonville Jaguars game.
Micah Parsons targets a Thanksgiving Eve return
Tom Pelissero reported that the Green Bay Packers’ star pass rusher is expected to return to practice next week, and that his most likely return date is the Thanksgiving Eve game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Saturday status changes at a glance
| Player | Team | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Brown, WR | Patriots | Knee, ankle | Downgraded to out |
| TreVeyon Henderson, RB | Patriots | Illness | Downgraded to out |
| Marcus Bryant, OT | Patriots | Ankle | Downgraded to out |
| Daron Payne, DT | Commanders | Foot (Jones fracture) | Out for the season |
| Kyle Monangai, RB | Bears | Toe, thumb | Out (Monday night) |
| Jack Bech, WR | Raiders | Forearm | Expected to be activated from IR |
| P.J. Locke III, S | Cowboys | Injured reserve | Activated |
| Tytus Howard, RT | Browns | Concussion | Cleared, no designation |
| Dorian Mausi, LB | Titans | Injured reserve | Not activated, out |
What to watch on Sunday
The Seahawks and Bears will issue their final statuses for Monday night, and the Patriots will announce their elevations. Inactive lists come out 90 minutes before kickoff. Jaylen Waddle, Zach Allen, Trent McDuffie, Mansoor Delane, L’Jarius Sneed, George Pickens and Breece Hall are all questionable. Friday’s final injury reports are here.
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