The New England Patriots will return to action on Sunday for a crucial Week 9 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Both teams have recovered after slow starts to the season and are entering this game with 5-3 records, so you can bet the Pats and Packers will be highly motivated to pick up a win against a fellow playoff contender.
New England has been hit hard by the injury bug frequently throughout the season, and it is once again quite banged up heading into this contest. While a couple of key offensive playmakers have already been ruled out for this game, the Patriots received some encouraging injury news on tight end Hunter Henry and offensive lineman Morgan Moses just hours before kickoff.
Hunter Henry, Morgan Moses Both Tracking Towards Playing for Patriots
New England will be without wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back TreVeyon Henderson for the second straight week, so the offense is going to have to find other ways to support star quarterback Drake Maye. The team appears set to get Mack Hollins back from a calf injury, but against a talented Green Bay team, that may not be enough.
Both Henry and Moses are questionable to play on Sunday with foot injuries. Henry has been one of Maye’s most reliable targets in the passing game this year (29 REC, 326 YDS, 2 TD), and with Brown out, he becomes even more important for the Patriots. Moses, meanwhile, is the team’s starting right tackle, and while he has been laboring through injuries for much of the year, the offense is at its best when he is on the field.
Of this duo, Moses has seemed to have a better shot at playing throughout the week, as Henry only managed to log one practice during the week. According to a new report that emerged on Sunday morning, Moses will play on Sunday, and while Henry isn’t a guarantee to suit up, it seems like he is trending in the right direction.
For the Patriots OT Morgan Moses (foot) is good to go. Meanwhile, TE Hunter Henry (foot) also has a realistic chance to play, despite practicing just once this week,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in a post on X.
UPDATE: Both Moses and Henry are officially “active” for Week 9.
Patriots Offense Could Be Set for Pair of Big Boosts in Week 9
It’s all hands on deck for New England, and while it has gotten used to its next-man-up mentality, having its best players on the field is obviously the goal. Henry and Moses are two of the most consistent players the Patriots have at their disposal, so if they could play in this game, that would go a long way towards helping their team win.
If Henry can’t play, that would mean more action for rookie tight end Eli Raridon, who has had a strong start to his NFL career. Moses’ status doesn’t appear to be as up in the air as Henry’s, but if he can’t play, that would force another rookie, Caleb Lomu, into a spot start. A final update on both Henry and Moses’ status will come out 90 minutes before the team’s 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.
Patriots Get Important Injury News on Pair of Key Offensive Contributors