The New England Patriots will play the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City Sunday without four key players. According to the Patriots’ final injury report, right tackle Marcus Cannon, wide receivers Chris Hogan and Matthew Slater and center David Andrews are all out due to different health issues. Cannon has an ankle injury while Hogan, Slater and Andrews have shoulder, hamstring and illness issues, respectively. The four did not join Friday’s practice.
Among the questionable players for their Raiders tiff were wide receiver Danny Amendola, tight end Martellus Bennett, defensive tackle Malcom Brown, defensive lineman Cassius Marsh and cornerback Eric Rowe.
Amendola has a knee injury while Bennett is hounded by shoulder and hamstring issues. Brown, Marsh and Rowe have ankle, shoulder and groin issues. The five were limited participants during practice. However, Amendola said that he’s ready to play in Mexico City, saying he’s been looking forward to this game for a long time. “We’re playing a great team, had a good week of preparation. We’re all looking forward to getting out there,” said Amendola, who caught four passes for 36 yards in their 41-16 win over the Denver Broncos Sunday.
Patriots practiced in Colorado
After their huge win over the Broncos, the Patriots stayed in Colorado to acclimatize themselves to the high altitude in Mexico City. They conducted one more practice session at the Falcon Stadium of the Air Force Academy before traveling to Mexico City Saturday.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said they held a final practice to tighten up some things, adding that they need to get ready for the Raiders, who present a lot of matchup problems for them. With his starting center Andrews out, Belichick said second-year interior lineman Ted Karras will take over the center role against the Raiders.
Karras has no experience playing the center role during games, but he did it during practice in the past two seasons. “I’m ready to go play if needed,” said Karras. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, for his part, said he’s looking forward to the Mexico City game, saying he’s never been to the city.
Brady apologizes to wife
Meanwhile, Brady apologized to his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, for his statement about their stay in Colorado.
In an interview, Brady said one of the perks spending a week in the mountain is there are few distractions. The quarterback said he’s only focused on winning the game as his “family and kids are not here.” Brady quickly apologized to his wife for his statement, saying “I didn’t mean that, babe.”
