Chung, Harris will miss game
Pats have 7 of top 100 teams
The Patriots will kick off against the Eagles this afternoon following two weeks of rest and recovery.
Turns out, two Pats could’ve used a little more time.
Safety Patrick Chung and rookie running back Damien Harris were ruled out yesterday before the team flew to Philadelphia. Both were listed as questionable on the Patriots’ injury report Friday, when Harris first popped up with a bad hamstring. Chung has been battling heel and chest injuries.
The veteran safety missed the team’s two practices that preceded Wednesday’s padded session. Chung has already missed two games this season and was limited to 27 defensive snaps in the Pats’ last outing, a 37-20 loss at Baltimore. His absence will affect the team’s ability to defend one of the Eagles’ top weapons.
Chung has traditionally been the point man for the Patriots’ defense of topflight receiving tight ends, and two-time Pro Bowler Zach Ertz leads Philly in receptions and receiving yards this season. During the teams’ last meeting, the Eagles’ upset win in Super Bowl LII, Ertz caught seven passes for 67 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Philadelphia scored by isolating Ertz against safety Devin McCourty, who will likely shoulder some of the responsibility for covering him this weekend.
In addition to McCourty, the Pats will have Duron Harmon and Terrence Brooks
available at safety. Another defensive back who could see time against Ertz is second-year cornerback J.C. Jackson.
Jackson defended Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce for most of the Patriots’ victory in last January’s AFC Championship Game. After locking Kelce down in the first half, Jackson surrendered a touchdown early in the second and ceded his man-to-man assignment to All-Pro Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore blanketed Kelce for the rest of the game and later noted the tight end’s lack of speed made him an easier cover.
At 6-foot-5 and roughly 255 pounds, Kelce and Ertz possess similar physical profiles.
Considering the Eagles’ No. 1 wide receiver, Alshon Jeffery, has been ruled out for Sunday, Gilmore’s usual assignment of shadowing an opponent’s top wideout figures to change. After Ertz and Jeffery, Philadelphia’s next leading receiver is Nelson Agholor, who through nine games has yet to surpass 35 total catches or 300 receiving yards.
All five of the other Patriots listed on Friday’s injury report, defensive end John Simon (elbow), defensive
tackle Danny Shelton (ankle), tight end Matt LaCosse (knee), special teamer Nate Ebner (ankle/back) and wide receiver Gunner Olszewski remain questionable.
Both teams’ inactives will be released 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
NFL’s top 100 teams
On Friday night, the NFL continued its season-long centennial celebration by revealing the top 100 teams in league history. Seven Patriots teams made the list, the most of any franchise in
the Super Bowl era.
The 2007 Patriots ranked highest at No. 7, with the 2004 Patriots following at No. 16. According to the league, the top five teams in NFL history are in order: 1972 Miami Dolphins, 1985 Chicago Bears, 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1984 San Francisco 49ers and 1989 San Francisco 49ers.
The other Patriots squads to make the list checked in at No. 21 (2016), No. 32 (2003), No. 46 (2014), No. 51 (2001) and No. 79 (2018), all Super Bowl-winning teams.
Kap moves workout
In a final-hour switch, free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick moved his scheduled workout yesterday from the Atlanta Falcons’ facility in Flowery Branch, Ga., to a nearby public high school.
According to a statement released by his representatives, the decision was driven by disagreements with the NFL over language in a waiver the league mandated Kaepernick sign and the private nature of the event. The NFL declined to allow media or outside cameras into the workout. At the new location, which was open to the public, several media members in attendance, plus representatives from NFL teams.
The Patriots were one of 25 clubs who planned to be in attendance. It is unknown whether a member of the Patriots’ personnel department made the trip to the new location in Riverdale, Ga., a short drive outside Atlanta.
The NFL handed Kaepernick a take-it-or-leave-it offer on short notice Tuesday, when it informed all 32 teams of its plans to hold a workout for the former starting quarterback. Kaepernick has been out of football since 2017. In October, his representatives claimed in a statement the 32-yearold has been working out five days a week to stay ready in case an opportunity to return to the NFL arose.
In its own statement Saturday afternoon, the NFL said it was disappointed Kaepernick “did not appear” in Flowery Branch. Several Patriots this week offered their support for Kaepernick, and a few were openly skeptical of the legitimacy of the league-planned workout.