The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins both are dealing with injuries to their No. 1 cornerbacks entering Sunday’s AFC East matchup at Hard Rock Stadium.
After the Dolphins ruled Xavien Howard out with a knee injury, the Patriots added Stephon Gilmore to the injury report with an ankle ailment. Gilmore was limited in practice Friday and officially is listed as questionable for this weekend’s contest.
Gilmore and Howard both have been among the NFL’s best corners this season. The former has allowed 50 or fewer receiving yards in all but one game and ranks second in the league with 15 pass breakups, while the latter leads all defensive players with seven interceptions.
Howard struggled in the first Patriots-Dolphins meeting earlier this season (a 38-7 Pats win in Week 4) but was dominant when New England visited Miami last December, shutting down Brandin Cooks and intercepting two Tom Brady passes.
Patriots tight end Dwayne Allen also is listed as questionable for New England. He’s missed the last two games with a knee injury. Safety Patrick Chung (shoulder) was removed from the injury report after being limited in practice earlier in the week.
The Dolphins also ruled out center Jake Brendel and listed wide receiver Danny Amendola and center Travis Swanson as questionable.
