Patriot Maven Notebook: New England Patriots – Miami Dolphins Injury Reports, Snow Day in Foxboro and More
The New England Patriots continue their preparations for their Week Eighteen matchup with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, January 9, 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The teams are set for battle in a pivotal game which has significant implications for the Patriots postseason aspirations. From Thursday’s practice notes to some weather-related news, here are the latest Pats news and notes, courtesy of the Patriot Maven Notebook.
Patriots-Dolphins Injury Report – Thursday, January 6, 2022
The Patriots and Dolphins once again hit the practice fields for practice on Thursday. While each side avoided major changes to the report, there are still some players on which Patriots fans, and Dolphins fans might want to keep watch heading into Sunday’s matchup.
Here is Thursday’s full report:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10-6)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
DB Kyle Dugger, Hand
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
WR Nelson Agholor, Concussion
C David Andrews, Shoulder
DL Christian Barmore, Knee
RB Brandon Bolden, Knee
DB Cody Davis, Wrist
K Nick Folk, Left Knee
RB Damien Harris, Hamstring
LB Dont’a Hightower, Knee
WR Jakobi Meyers, Thigh
S Adrian Phillips, Knee
T Isaiah Wynn, Hip
FULL AVAILABILITY
No Players Listed.
What It Means: Patriots
For the second straight day, safety Kyle Dugger was absent from practice with a hand injury. While it is still possible that Dugger may be able to suit up on Sunday, missing consecutive days of practice is usually not a good sign. Thus far, in 2021, the Pats have heavily used both big nickel (five defensive backs) and dime (six defensive backs) defensive packages in 2021. Dugger has seen action alongside Adrian Phillips and Devin McCourty when three safeties are deployed in the secondary. He has been most effective when used against tight ends and receiving backs out of the backfield. If Dugger is unable to go on Sunday, it may make things a bit easier for Miami to make things happen in the middle of the field.
Wide receiver Nelson Agholor was once again limited in action, as he continues to recover from a concussion, which he suffered in Week Fifteen against the Indianapolis Colts.
Offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste, cornerback Myles Bryant and practice squad rookie lineman Will Sherman remain absent from the practice fields, indicating that they have yet to be activated from COVID-19/Reserve.
MIAMI DOLPHINS (8-8)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
No Players Listed.
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
No Players Listed.
FULL AVAILABILITY
G/T Jesse Davis, Knee / Elbow
WR Isaiah Ford, Knee
DT John Jenkins, Illness
RB Phillip Lindsay, Ankle
DE Emmanuel Ogbah, Quad
WR Preston Williams, Illness
What It Means: Dolphins
In comparison to the Patriots, Miami appears to be entering Week Eighteen relatively healthy. Defensive tackle John Jenkins (illness), defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah (quad) and wide receiver Preston Williams (illness) all returned to full availability for Thursday’s practice, after being limited on Wednesday.
Miami had neither any non-participants, nor limited participants during practice on Thursday.
Snow Days Off
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been known to be a stickler for being on-time. On Thursday, he dedicated a portion of the team’s morning meeting to that very subject.
With a winter storm expected to dump several inches of snow in the Foxboro area from late Thursday night and into Friday, Belichick once again delivered his “snow speech,”
Belichick reminded his players, both seasoned veterans, and those who are new to New England, that weather conditions (including icy roads, unplowed driveways and parking spaces, etc.) are not considered valid excuses for tardiness.
“You must have been in our meeting this morning,” defensive tackle Davon Godchaux told reporters on Thursday. “Just talking about getting ready for the snow…I plan on waking up like an hour ahead and defrosting my windows and leaving early. I’ve never been on a snow drive on the way to the practice facility, so I look forward to seeing that. I’ve got to get up early and make sure I’m not late to meetings and on-time.”
“Coach (Belichick) already gave us the snow speech, so I don’t want to be that guy,” Godchaux said.
Linebacker Matt Judon, who played his college football at Grand Valley State in Michigan, is no stranger to inclement weather. Still, the 29-year-old is not taking any chances.
“I’ve just got to get in my car and drive and make sure I’m there,” Judon said. “Just set an alarm clock 30 minutes earlier so that you can warm your car up or whatever that is. The people from the southern states, they’ve got it lucky. They don’t get any snow. But I’ve been kind of dealing with snow my whole life, so I think I’ll be alright.”
While Friday may be a snow day for many in the New England region, it will be just another day at the office for the Patriots. After all, there are no days off in Foxboro.
Another Potential Milestone for Slater
Special teams captain Matthew Slater has played in 205 regular season games for the Patriots. When he suits up for this Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, Slater will tie defensive lineman Julius Adams at third place for the most games played for the New England Patriots franchise.
MOST REGULAR SEASON GAMES PLAYED
285 Tom Brady
212 Bruce Armstrong
206 Julius Adams
205 Matthew Slater
