When the flu bug comes around, it rarely leaves. In New England, the Patriots are witnessing that. In preparation for their Week 13 Sunday Night Football bout with the Houston Texans, the New England Patriots witnessed eight players not practice due to “illness.”
Included in the eight players not practicing due to illness (among others):
- Safety Patrick Chung (also dealing with heel and chest injuries)
- Cornerback Stephon Gilmore
- Linebacker D'Onta Hightower
- Linebacker Jamie Collins
- Offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor
- Tight end Ryan Izzo
- Offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn
- Cornerback Joejuan Williams
The Patriots also saw offensive tackle Marcus Cannon suffer from illness. However, he was a limited participant in practice — the only sick player to do so.
Luckily, for New England, their Week 13 game will be a few hours later than they usually play. The 8:20 p.m. ET start will afford them a few more hours of rest to get themselves over the hump from the dog days of the flu.
In all likelihood, the eight aforementioned should be good to go by Sunday. There is still considerable time until they play. The flu tends not to last longer than five days, which is the amount of time the Patriots have until they play. However, the long flight down to Houston won't do them any favors.
In addition to the sickly not practicing, linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley (knee), wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (concussion), defensive back Nate Ebner (ankle/back), wide receiver Julian Edelman (shoulder), cornerback Jason McCourty (groin), wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (ankle), defensive end John Simon (elbow), and wide receiver Matthew Slater (hamstring) were limited.
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