Saturday, October 12, 2013

Injury report: Patriots' D-line gets even thinner

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Things were looking bleak for the New England Patriots' defensive line after the loss of veteran captain Vince Wilfork. Things now look worse, as linemate Tommy Kelly has been ruled a no-go for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints.

The team acquired Andre Neblett earlier this week to fill help in the blanks, and it'll rely on a heavy workload from Chris Jones and Joe Vellano to stifle the Saints' duo of Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles.

The status of tight end Rob Gronkowski still remains unclear, though things seem to have trended downward as the week has progressed. Adam Schefter reported Thursday the playmaker has yet to be cleared by the doctor, the same doctor that Gronk handpicked to assess his lingering injury. Here's the full injury report:

PATRIOTS

Out
Tommy Kelly (knee), Leon Washington (ankle).

Questionable
Danny Amendola (groin), Brandon Bolden (knee), Rob Gronkowski (back/forearm), Dont'a Hightower (knee), Stevan Ridley (knee), Matthew Slater (wrist), Ryan Wendell (concussion), Tavon Wilson (hamstring).

Probable 
Aaron Dobson (neck), Jerod Mayo (ankle), Rob Ninkovich (groin).

SAINTS 

Out
Roman Harper (knee), Tyrunn Walker (knee).

Questionable 
Broderick Bubkley (calf), Ramon Humber (calf), Mark Ingram (toe), Malcolm Jenkins (neck), Kennan Lewis (knee), Lance Moore (hand), Zach Strief (ankle).

Probable 
Chris Carr (back), Glenn Foster (ankle), Tom Johnson (hamstring), Tim Lelito (calf), Isa Abdul Quddus (ankle), Martez Wilson (ankle).

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