FOXBORO, Mass. — For the first time in seven weeks, the New England Patriots had perfect attendance at practice Thursday ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings at Gillette Stadium.
The last time every active Patriots player participated in a practice session was Oct. 10, ahead of the team’s Week 6 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tight end Dwayne Allen, the only player absent from Wednesday’s session, practice for the first time since suffering a knee injury during the Patriots’ Week 10 loss to the Tennessee Titans. That injury kept Allen out of New England’s 27-13 win over the New York Jets this past Sunday.
Dwayne Allen (seen here behind calves-out Bill Belichick) returned to practice today. Perfect attendance for the Patriots. pic.twitter.com/rK94QqoQGR
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) November 29, 2018
Quarterback Tom Brady (knee) and special teamer Nate Ebner (knee) were the only players limited Wednesday. Both were present at the start of Thursday’s practice.
Though they’ve dealt with injuries to several key players this season (Sony Michel, Rob Gronkowski, Shaq Mason, etc.), the Patriots currently are remarkably healthy. In their Thursday practice during Week 13 last season, two players were absent with injuries and nine more were limited.