Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots turned the page to the Cleveland Browns without two rookies.
Outside linebacker Elijah Ponder and safety Craig Woodson did not participate in Wednesday’s practice due to knee and ankle injuries, respectively.
Here’s the first injury report leading up to Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
Ponder has played 38 downs off the edges and 80 downs in the kicking game for the Patriots. The undrafted free agent by way of the Cal Poly Mustangs outlasted the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline in August. As for Woodson, the California Golden Bears product has started every game for the safety depth chart since September began. Pick No. 106 overall stands with 34 tackles, one pass deflection and one fumble recovery. He has handled a team-high 98.1 percent of the defensive snaps over that span.
A handful of Patriots practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday. A pair of whom had carried questionable game statuses into what became a 31-13 win last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Out wide, Diggs caught a team-high seven passes on as many targets for 69 yards at Nissan Stadium despite a chest injury. And at outside linebacker, Landry continued to hit home and got himself to a team-best 5.5 sacks on the season. That was the case for the defensive captain despite practicing only once last week due to an ankle injury.
Three Patriots began Browns prep in full. While Gonzalez continued to reside in that tier, the reigning All-Pro was joined by defensive backs who have spent time on the sidelines this October. Woods went from questionable to inactive 90 minutes prior to kickoff in Nashville because of a knee injury. The same went for Hawkins. The veteran safety missed his second consecutive start due to a hamstring injury.
