The New England Patriots may be more desperate for a Week 2 win than any other NFL team, after getting all the way to the Super Bowl last season.
But the Patriots suffered a dispiriting loss to their Super Bowl opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, in Week 1 and face another tough test when the Pittsburgh Steelers invade Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
On their final day of practice before the Steelers game, the Patriots received some concerning news on cornerback Carlton Davis III.
Davis appears to have sat out his third straight New England Patriots practice Friday, with a neck injury pushing him toward inactive status against Pittsburgh.
Davis was not on the field for the media-access portion of Friday’s practice, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Charles Woods is up next on the depth chart, and Marcus Jones can slide outside when he isn’t working the slot.
“Looks like he won’t be available this weekend,” wrote MassLive‘s Mark Daniels on social media.
“Doesn’t seem like those two will suit up Sunday,” added Patriots reporter Ethan Hurwitz, referring to Davis and offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover, who is also dealing with a knee issue.
New England Patriots’ Carlton Davis III Neck Injury Timeline
The Patriots had not issued Friday’s official game-status designation as of early Friday afternoon. RotoWire lists Davis as questionable with a possible return date of Sept. 20, game day itself, though that’s an optimistic and not an official team ruling.
Davis was briefly checked by trainers during New England’s Week 1 loss to Seattle, missed one defensive snap before returning to finish with 49 of 50 snaps and three tackles. He practiced fully Monday, then went down as a non-participant Wednesday, Thursday and now Friday.
Neck injuries draw extra caution given their proximity to the spine, and teams rarely rush back a player who hasn’t practiced all week.
Historical practice-report data compiled by Footballguys puts the odds of a Friday DNP player suiting up that week at just 29 percent, compared with 86 percent for full participants. Players who miss Thursday and Friday before landing a questionable tag have played in fewer than 40 percent of those games, according to tracking from FantasyNewsAuthority.
Availability issues have followed Davis for years. He averaged 12.7 games per season over his first seven years before playing all 17 regular-season games plus the playoffs in 2025 for the Patriots.
| NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS — 2026 SCHEDULE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WK | Date | Opponent | H/A | Time / Result | TV / W-L |
| 1 | Wed, Sep 9 | @ Seattle Seahawks | Away | L 13-10 | 0-1 |
| 2 | Sun, Sep 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Home | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| 3 | Sun, Sep 27 | @ Jacksonville Jaguars | Away | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| 4 | Sun, Oct 4 | @ Buffalo Bills | Away | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| 5 | Sun, Oct 11 | Las Vegas Raiders | Home | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 | New York Jets | Home | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| 7 | Thu, Oct 22 | @ Chicago Bears | Away | 8:15 p.m. | Prime Video |
| 8 | Sun, Nov 1 | @ Miami Dolphins | Away | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | Green Bay Packers | Home | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 | Detroit Lions * | Home | 9:30 a.m. | FOX |
| WK 11 — BYE WEEK | |||||
| 12 | Sun, Nov 29 | @ Los Angeles Chargers | Away | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
| 13 | Sun, Dec 6 | Buffalo Bills | Home | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| 14 | Thu, Dec 10 | Minnesota Vikings | Home | 8:15 p.m. | Prime Video |
| 15 | Mon, Dec 21 | @ Kansas City Chiefs | Away | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN / ABC |
| 16 | Sun, Dec 27 | @ New York Jets | Away | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| 17 | TBD — Flex Game | Denver Broncos | Home | TBD | TBD |
| 18 | TBD — Flex Game | Miami Dolphins | Home | TBD | TBD |
| All times Eastern. Home games at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA. Bye in Week 11. Weeks 17 and 18 are flex games — dates and broadcasts TBD. * Week 10 game played at a neutral site. | |||||
Patriots Face Steelers Game Without Carlton Davis III
Woods would start opposite Christian Gonzalez if Davis sits, with Jones sliding outside in certain packages and Channing Canada and Karon Prunty next in line behind them.
That drop-off matters against a Pittsburgh offense built around DK Metcalf as its primary outside threat. Michael Pittman Jr. was a Thursday non-participant with a foot injury, which could open more snaps for Roman Wilson and Germie Bernard.
Gonzalez followed Jaxon Smith-Njigba on 65 percent of his routes in Week 1 and figures to shadow Metcalf again Sunday. That would leave Woods or Jones matched up against Pittman, or whoever lines up opposite Metcalf, with New England already leaning heavily on single-high coverage looks.
Davis played 98 percent of the defensive snaps in Week 1. Replacing that workload with a reserve is the secondary’s biggest problem if Friday’s report rules him out.
He signed a three-year, $54 million deal with New England in March 2025, including $34.5 million fully guaranteed at signing. He’s still owed roughly $31 million in cash over 2026 and 2027, with this year’s $13 million base salary already locked in.
New England’s real exit point arrives after this season. Cutting Davis in 2027 would leave only $5.5 million in dead money on the books.
Patriots Get Concerning News on $54 Million CB Before Steelers Game