FOXBORO, Mass. — This was expected to be a relaxing week for the New England Patriots. Instead, they’re now preparing to play a dangerous Tennessee Titans team on a short week.
With Saturday night’s wild-card round matchup at Gillette Stadium looming, the Patriots were on the practice field Tuesday — typically the team’s day off — for a non-padded walkthrough.
Every member of New England’s 53-man roster was present during the open media portion of practice.
Perfect attendance at the first practice of wild-card week. Non-padded walkthrough today. pic.twitter.com/LKMulfKA3k
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) December 31, 2019
The Patriots listed nine players as questionable ahead of Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins, with cornerback Jason McCourty and safety Terrence Brooks both sitting out with groin injuries. Wide receiver Julian Edelman has appeared on the injury report throughout this season with various ailments and would have benefited from a playoff bye.
Head coach Bill Belichick addressed the team’s overall health Monday during an appearance on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show.”
“I think we’re in decent shape,” Belichick said. “We’ll see. We didn’t practice (Monday), obviously, and we’ll see how much we’re able to do (Tuesday). But by mid-week — Wednesday or Thursday — we’ll probably have a little bit better handle on where some guys are. But hopefully, we’ll be pretty close to full strength. In terms of playing, I don’t think anybody’s at full strength at this time of year, but that’s the National Football League. I think we’re not bad.”
