The New England Patriots will be without three impact players in Week 10 on Sunday.

Ahead of New England’s pivotal road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel ruled out three players with injuries.

“Statuses would be, Rhamondre (Stevenson) will be out, Kayshoun (Boutte) will be out, and (Christian) Elliss will be out,” Vrabel said to the media, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.

Stevenson is dealing with a toe injury and will miss his second-straight game due to the injury. With the running back out, TreVeyon Henderson figures to be the starter with Terrell Jennings serving...

New England Patriots legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski said recently that he believes his former team is a real Super Bowl contender this season.

While the Patriots enter their Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tied for the second-best record in the NFL at 7-2 (the Denver Broncos moved to 8-2 on Thursday night), not everyone is ready to put New England into the elite group of teams.

Chad Graff of The Athletic answered fans’ questions in his “mailbag” on Friday morning, including topics such as the team’s quiet trade deadline and their chances in the playoffs.

Though...

The Patriots will be without their top boundary receiver for this Sunday’s road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kayshon Boutte, who suffered a hamstring injury last week, was ruled out in New England’s final Week 10 injury report. Boutte missed all three practices this week, so Friday’s update wasn’t surprising.

Additionally, running back Rhamondre Stevenson and linebacker Christian Elliss were ruled out due to toe and hip injuries, respectively.

Stevenson hasn’t practiced since the Week 8 win over the Tennessee Titans; Elliss, like Boutte, suffered his injury during last Sunday’s home win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Boutte, now in...

Drake Maye has played like one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL this season, and his teammate, wide receiver DeMario Douglas, believes Maye has a real chance at winning MVP.

Douglas appeared on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Friday morning, where the hosts posed the question of whether Maye is the MVP so far this season.

“Yes,” Douglas said. “That’s my quarterback, definitely, yes, it feels like it’s our job to help him get there. I would be excited if he wins the MVP in his second year.”

Maye is definitely on track to be a legitimate MVP...

The New England Patriots had a lackluster trade deadline, as they made no significant additions to their roster.

New England surprised many by not adding any players, especially since it is currently in first place in the AFC East with a 7-2 record and holds a strong position to secure a playoff spot. However, Greg Bedard from Boston Sports Journal supported New England’s decision to avoid making any big moves.

“It’s not about this year, it’s about five years competing with those teams and winning AFC titles and winning Super Bowls,” Bedard said on Thursday, via Patriots on CLNS.

The...

The New England Patriots let the trade deadline pass without adding any reinforcements for a playoff push. One assistant coach from an area of reported interest doesn’t mind maintaining his current group.

Trade chatter frequently linked the Patriots to edge rushers before Tuesday’s deadline. New England traded linebacker Keion White but didn’t acquire any extra depth at the position.

Outside linebackers coach Mike Smith addressed the deadline outcome, per MassLive’s Mark Daniels. He’s confident in the current group led by Harold Landry II and K’Lavon Chaisson, and he also believes Anfernee Jennings and undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder can contribute down...

The New England Patriots couldn’t have asked for a better start to Mike Vrabel’s head coaching tenure.

After two straight four-win seasons, Vrabel has the 7-2 Patriots sitting atop the AFC East. They can match their combined victory total over the last two years with a Week 10 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Another big road win could also put Vrabel in the driver’s seat to capture a significant award. ESPN’s Matt Miller predicted that the former Patriots linebacker will win Coach of the Year.

“In his first season as head coach of the team that made him a...

TEAM TALK

• Patriots-Buccaneers updated Injury Report.
• Evan Lazar‘s Patriots Gameplan: 3 keys to victory in Sunday’s game vs. the Bucs in Tampa Bay. Patriots offense key: Prep for Bucs HC Todd Bowles’ exotic blitz package; More.
• Mike Dussault gives us Three to Watch Sunday against the Buccs in Tampa Bay. 1. Don’t let Baker bake.
• Game Preview: Mike Dussault & Evan Lazar scout the matchups between the Pats and Bucs. (7 min. video)
• All Access Interview: DeMario Douglas and Terrell Jennings. (5 min. video)
• One-on-One with Khyiris Tonga. (3 min. video)
• Patriots Unfiltered:...

The New England Patriots will look to keep their winning streak alive as they travel to Tampa Bay for a matchup with the Buccaneers. Despite the Bucs dealing with injuries even coming off the bye, the matchup will provide New England their toughest task since Buffalo.

So before the action continues, let’s get right into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.

Does Drake Maye hold the ball too long? Does this account for many of his too-many sacks? – Jack Usage

“A lot of the sacks I have taken have been my fault, me holding the football,” Maye said himself on Wednesday....

All signs point toward Rhamondre Stevenson missing his second straight game.

The Patriots running back, who’s nursing a toe injury, missed every practice last week ahead of New England’s home win over the Atlanta Falcons. Stevenson also sat out Wednesday’s practice as the Patriots began preparations for their Week 10 road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And Thursday saw more of the same, as New England’s injury report listed Stevenson as a non-participant.

Here’s the full report:

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
WR Kayshon Boutte (hamstring)
LB Christian Elliss (hip)
RB Rhamondre Stevenson (toe)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
C Garrett Bradbury (hip)
DT...

The New England Patriots deploy a top-ten offense in both passing yards per game and total points per game. Despite putting up 26.3 points on average every Sunday, fans are still left wondering where rookie third-rounder Kyle Williams has been this season.

The Washington State alum recorded one catch for 12 yards in the season opener. He hauled in a pass in Week 3 as well, but hasn’t recorded a single reception since then.

He has finished many games without a single target, but this isn’t for lack of playing time.

Just last week, Williams played [46% of the offensive...

The New England Patriots defense has played some good football under interim defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr. Surrendering an average of 18 points per game, the unit is ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring.

However, it’s success is not evenly distributed across the board. While the run defense has looked good, and New England is among the best teams in football on both third and fourth downs, Kuhr’s group has struggled mightily in the red zone: opposing defenses have turned 15 of 20 red zone trips this season into touchdowns.

The 75% conversion rate given up is currently ranked last...