Patriots Rule Out Two Key Starters For Cowboys Matchup

The New England Patriots have yet to enter a game this season with all of their starters healthy, and the trend will continue Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Patriots will be without a pair of key starters at AT&T Stadium, ruling out starting cornerback Jonathan Jones due to his nagging ankle injury and starting guard Cole Strange due to a knee injury.

It will be the third consecutive game Jones misses due to injury, leaving all three of New England’s Jones cornerbacks on the shelf. Marcus Jones was placed on injured reserve prior to Week 3 while Jack Jones is not eligible to return from IR until Week 5.

The Patriots will continue to roll with Christian Gonzalez as their top corner, which had gone as well as anyone could have predicted through three weeks. He’ll lead a unit that includes Myles Bryant, Shaun Wade, Ameer Speed and — possibly — Jalen Mills.

The absence of Strange will force the Patriots to continue shuffling things up on the offensive line. New England will likely rely on Atonio Mafi or the returning Sidy Sow to fill in at left guard, with Vederian Lowe in line to make another start at right tackle.

If the Patriots roll with that lineup, it will be the fourth different offensive line combination they use through four weeks.

The Patriots and Cowboys will kick things off at 4:25 p.m. ET.