On Friday, the Patriots (14-3) held their final practice before making their trip out to Denver to take on the Broncos (14-3) in this year’s AFC Championship Game.
With a win, New England will advance to their 12th Super Bowl in franchise history, their first since the 2018 season. Currently sitting at 11 conference championship victories, they already hold the NFL record, with the Steelers, 49ers, Cowboys and Broncos all tied for second with 8.
And after head coach Mike Vrabel ran through the game statuses for players dealing with injuries on his roster, the Pats will be in a better position than they were yesterday to extend that record:
QUESTIONABLE:
- Carlton Davis III
- Mack Hollins
- Marte Mapu
OUT:
- Harold Landry III
Mack Hollins’ questionable status is encouraging news for quarterback Drake Maye, who utilized the 32-year-old receiver as a huge part of his intermediate passing game throughout the first 16 games of the regular season. But after an abdominal injury pushed Hollins to the IR, he’s been ineligible to return to the football field until practice on Wednesday.
After sitting out what could have been his first day of action, Hollins was seen at practice on both Thursday and Friday in his regular white practice jersey, eligible for full contact and a good sign for his recovery. Even with the practice report listing Hollins as a limited participant on Thursday, the lack of red jersey was a huge indicator that he was heading in the right direction.
With Vrabel leaving the door open for Hollins’ return on Sunday, the Patriots will potentially be armed with a 6-foot-4 target for their MVP candidate at QB, handing him a weapon that came down with 46 catches for 550 yards and 2 touchdowns this season. His average of 12 yards per reception is among the best on the team.
Carlton Davis III’s questionable status for Sunday could potentially make backup-turned-starter Jarrett Stidham’s life that much more difficult, with New England moving towards being armed with their full stable of cornerbacks heading into the title game.
During Sunday’s divisional round win against the Texans, Davis suffered a concussion early in the fourth quarter that knocked him out of the rest of the game and thrust him into the league’s concussion protocol.
On Wednesday and Thursday at practice, Davis was seen at practice in the red non-contact jersey, and was listed on the practice report each day as a limited participant. During the portion of practice open to the media on Friday, Davis was back in his regular navy practice, making him eligible for full contact. That’s typically a good indicator that a player will be good to go for Sunday.
Vrabel’s press conference on Friday did not fully confirm what we all suspect to be true, as the one-time Super Bowl champion is an “all clear” away from bringing his championship pedigree to Championship Sunday at Mile High.
As of publishing, the Patriots are a 4.5-point favorite at FanDuel, sitting on the moneyline at -230. The total for Sunday is set at 42.5.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.