New England Patriots rumors for Week 8 just got a bit worse. The Patriots were already without linebacker Dont’a Hightower for the rest of the regular season, but a report by NBC Sports adds more names to the list of players getting ruled out. The Patriots’ injury report states that the team will be without defensive tackle Malcom Brown and cornerback Eric Rowe when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday (Oct. 29).
Malcom Brown had played in every game this season but had to miss practice this week due to an ankle injury. That injury didn’t heal enough and he has been officially ruled out for Week 8.
Eric Rowe, who has missed the last three games for the Patriots, is also going to be on the sidelines against the Chargers. Rowe is dealing with a groin injury that has weakened the secondary for the Patriots at a critical time of the season.
Patriots injury report
Receiver Danny Amendola, who got injured on another punt return in Week 7, has declared that he is ready to go for the game against the Chargers. That’s great news for the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady, but should be a welcome announcement to fantasy football owners as well. Amendola had a huge question mark hanging over his head coming into the weekend, but he should be ready to play.
Despite already being without his best receiver this year (Julian Edelman to a torn ACL), Tom Brady has still been able to find the end zone quite often for his team.
In fact, Brady might even be on track to win another NFL MVP Award if he can keep up this level of production. Favored to win against the Chargers, this could be another big week for the veteran quarterback, with Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan possibly benefiting a lot.
Patriots back in first place
With a 5-2 record so far, the New England Patriots are currently the AFC East leaders and the No.
3 seed in the AFC playoff standings. The Patriots have the same record as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, but lose out on the tiebreakers with those two teams. That could easily change in the next few weeks, showing how close the Patriots are to possibly be a top seed and securing a first-round playoff bye again.
On Sunday, the Patriots vs. Chargers game is at 1 PM ET at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots come into the game as seven-and-a-half point favorites to win this game, with an over/under prediction of 48 total points. So far this season, the Patriots are just 3-4 against the spread, but many NFL analysts feel that record will improve in Week 8. Beating the Chargers would improve the Patriots to 6-2 on the season and give the team a safer divisional lead.
