Patriots safety Patrick Chung will return to the field Sunday in Oakland after missing last week's game against the Bills with a thumb injury, and wide receiver Taylor Price will make his 2011 debut after missing three weeks with a hamstring injury.
Defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth (back), tight end Aaron Hernandez (knee), cornerback Leigh Bodden (groin), tackle Sebastian Vollmer (back), cornerback Ras-I Dowling (hip), defensive lineman Mike Wright (concussion) and quarterback Ryan Mallett (not on injury report) are the Patriots' seven inactives for Sunday's game against the Raiders.
It's the third straight game that Wright has missed. Haynesworth, Hernandez, Vollmer and Dowlign are out of the lineup for the second week in a row. It's the third overall game that Vollmer and Mallett have missed this season.
The Patriots' secondary struggled badly against the Bills, and communication was certainly an issue. Chung's return will solidify that aspect in a big way, but they'll still face a tough challenge without Bodden and Dowling.
It will be noteworthy to see how the Patriots use Price, who played well in limited action during the preseason. If he takes more snaps than Chad Ochocinco, it could be a bad sign for the star wide receiver who has struggled through the first three games of his New England career.
Defensive lineman Gerard Warren will play in his first regular-season game of the season after getting signed by the Patriots earlier in the week.
