The New England Patriots face a difficult challenge this weekend in the AFC Wild Card round. They travel to Buffalo to take on the division rival Bills. As ESPN's Field Yates reported, Patriots cornerback Jalen Mills was placed on the league's COVID-19 reserve list. That puts his status for Saturday night's game in jeopardy.
The Patriots have placed starting CB Jalen Mills on the COVID-19 list.
They also activated slot CB Myles Bryant from that list.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 11, 2022
The Patriots have been built on their defense this season. They finished the year 4th in the NFL in total defense, allowing 310 yards per game. New England was 2nd in the NFL against the pass. They only allowed 187 passing yards per game. Ironically, the Bills lead the entire league in both categories.
Mills, alongside fellow cornerback J.C. Jackson, were easily one of the best tandems at corner in the NFL. However, depth has been an issue for New England's secondary. Myles Bryant and Joejuan Williams are the only other cornerbacks listed on the team's depth chart, but neither have played well this season. Bryant was activated from the same COVID-19 list Tuesday.
That prompted the organization to start looking elsewhere. Reportedly, the Patriots have begun looking outside the organization for help in the secondary.
Starting strong safety Kyle Duggar and backup strong safety Adrian Phillips are both questionable to play Saturday.
That is obviously not ideal as the team heads to Buffalo for their AFC Wild Card matchup this weekend
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