Patriots Inactives Reaction: Offense Missing Key Pieces Vs. Chiefs

FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots will be shorthanded offensively on Sunday as they try to upset the defending Super Bowl champions.

Left tackle Trent Brown (ankle/hand/illness), wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) and running back Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) all will not play against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, cornerback Shaun Wade and defensive lineman Sam Roberts also were inactive for the Week 15 matchup at Gillette Stadium. They were not listed on New England’s final injury report of the week, though Boutte was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday with a shoulder issue.

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What you need to know about Sunday’s inactive list:

— Brown has been battling injuries all season and did not practice Thursday or Friday. Expect to see Conor McDermott protecting quarterback Bailey Zappe’s blind side.

— Smith-Schuster’s injury came at an inopportune time for the former Chiefs wideout. He was coming off his most productive game as a Patriot, catching four passes for 90 yards in last week’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

— Receivers DeVante Parker and Demario Douglas both are active after missing the last one and two games with injuries, respectively. Douglas, a sixth-round rookie, leads the Patriots with 410 yards on 36 catches despite sitting out three games.

Parker and Tyquan Thornton both were listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest. Jalen Reagor rounds out the Patriots’ receiving corps.

Thornton and Reagor have been nonfactors this season, combining for just 11 catches on 29 targets for 84 yards and no touchdowns.

— Running back JaMycal Hasty will make his Patriots debut after sitting out the last three games as a healthy scratch. Hasty and elevated practice squadder Kevin Harris will back up Ezekiel Elliott, who racked up 140 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown last week with Stevenson sidelined.

— Top running back Isaiah Pacheco headlines Kansas City’s inactive list. The Chiefs also will be without starting left tackle Donovan Smith.

Here are our inactives for today's game against the Patriots: pic.twitter.com/joczNuEtzX

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 17, 2023

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.