New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are set to welcome back some offensive reinforcements this Sunday.
Mike Vrabel told reporters on Friday, per WEEI’s Tom Carroll, that Jahlani Tavai is the only Patriots player carrying an injury designation for their Week 12 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The linebacker will miss the AFC matchup due to personal reasons.
Barring a setback, Rhamondre Stevenson and Kayshon Boutte are thus cleared to return this Sunday.
Stevenson has missed the last three games with a toe injury. Vrabel said the running back “responded well” in practice this week and is trending toward playing.
The question is how much work Stevenson will receive upon his return. TreVeyon Henderson broke out for 330 yards and five touchdowns during the 27-year-old’s absence.
Boutte has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury suffered in New England’s Week 9 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The wideout was developing into a potent deep target for Drake Maye, amassing 223 yards and four touchdowns over the previous three games.
Despite missing time, Boutte still brandishes the team’s second-most receiving yards (431) behind Stefon Diggs (659). The 23-year-old has delivered nine plays of 20 yards or more in nine games while averaging an impressive 18.7 yards per catch.
Stevenson and Boutte are slated to return just in time to face Cincinnati’s league-worst defense. The Bengals can make unfortunate history by allowing at least 27 points for the 10th straight time.
Sunday’s contest starts at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
