When the New England Patriots take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 10, the injury reports for both teams may have better players on it than the on the field.
As of Thursday, a total of nine prominent players from both teams didn’t practice. A slew of others were limited participants. One of those players was Browns defensive lineman Jadaveon Clowney.
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According to the injury report, Clowney is nursing an injured ankle and knee. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has a ton of respect for Clowney as a player. During a presser this week, Belichick described Clowney as “a hard guy to deal with,” per a tweet from NFL.com’s Mike Giardi, so if Clowney needs a week to prepare before rejoining the team, you wouldn’t get any gripes from Belichick and the Patriots.
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Clowney has had some success during his career against the Patriots–at least individually. While Clowney’s teams are 0-4 against the Patriots, the former No. 1 overall pick has recorded 4 sacks and a fumble recovery for a TD against New England.
If Clowney plays, the Patriots will be looking to extend his losing streak against them to 5 games, while hopefully keeping rookie quarterback Mac Jones upright.
The Complete Look at the Patriots-Brown Injury Report
As mentioned, the list of Patriots and Browns who may not be available, or at least at full strength for the Week 10 matchup is a long one.
Here is a look at the full list.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (5-4)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
- LB Jamie Collins, Ankle
- RB Damien Harris, Concussion
- WR Gunner Olszewski, Concussion
- RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Concussion
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
- P Jake Bailey, Right Knee
- LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, Ribs
- K Nick Folk, Left Knee
- WR N’Keal Harry, Knee
- LB Dont’a Hightower, Ankle
- G Shaq Mason, Abdomen
- CB Jalen Mills, Thigh
- TE Jonnu Smith, Shoulder
- LB Kyle Van Noy, Groin
CLEVELAND BROWNS (5-4)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
- DE Myles Garrett, Foot
- WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Not Injury Related – Personal
- DE Takkarist McKinley, Groin
- C JC Tretter, Knee
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
- TE Harrison Bryant, Thigh
- DE Jadeveon Clowney, Ankle / Knee
- DT Malik Jackson, Ankle
- WR Jarvis Landry, Knee
- CB Greedy Williams, Shoulder
FULL AVAILABILITY
- QB Baker Mayfield, Left Shoulder / Foot
The injury report doesn’t include the names of Browns running backs Kareem Hunt, who is also out with a calf injury, or Nick Chubb who tested positive for COVID-19, so both teams are likely going to be shorthanded in the offensive backfield.
Who Wins the Walking Wounded Game?
Based on the way the Patriots have been playing, even if they are without their top running backs, New England appears to have an edge. Cleveland’s pass rush will be seriously impacted by the absence of Myles Garrett.
If the Browns cannot put pressure on Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones, it will be too much to ask of the unit to slow New England’s running game. While the Patriots have a number of players with limited participation from their defense, there is still a solid chance most of them are in action.
This looks like another week where the Patriots ride their defense to victory.
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