The New England Patriots began preparations for the AFC Championship Game without two.
Linebackers Harold Landry III and Marte Mapu stayed sidelined during Wednesday’s practice inside the WIN Waste Innovations
Field House. But a handful were limited as sights set on the Denver Broncos, including cornerback Carlton Davis III, who entered the NFL’s concussion protocol late in the divisional round.
Here’s the first injury report ahead of Sunday’s 3 p.m. ET kickoff at Empower Field.
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
Patriots
- LB Harold Landry III (knee)
- LB Marte Mapu (hip)
Broncos
- QB Bo Nix (ankle)
Landry has been managing a knee injury since the midway mark in the regular season. The defensive captain and sack leader began the week of the divisional round with back-to-back limited practices before sitting out on Friday and earning a questionable game status. He saw 11 out of 75 defensive snaps from there against the Houston Texans. As for Mapu, the core linebacker handled 58 percent of the workload on special teams in the 28-16 win at Gillette Stadium.
LIMITED PARTICIPATION
Patriots
- TE Hunter Henry (not injury related — rest)
- OT Morgan Moses (not injury related — rest)
- OT Thayer Munford Jr. (knee)
- LB Christian Elliss (hip)
- CB Carlton Davis III (concussion protocol)
Broncos
- RB J.K. Dobbins (foot — IR return)
- WR Pat Bryant (concussion protocol)
- WR Troy Franklin (hamstring)
- C Alex Forsyth (ankle)
Officially among five partial participants in Foxborough, Davis headed to the locker room and was ruled out in the closing minutes last Sunday. The veteran corner turned in four tackles, including one for loss, along with two interceptions and two pass breakups before then. He is trending in the right direction ahead of the matchup with a new starting quarterback at Mile High.
FULL PARTICIPATION
Patriots
- RB TreVeyon Henderson (shoulder)
- RB Terrell Jennings (concussion protocol — IR return)
- DT Joshua Farmer (hamstring — IR return)
- LB Robert Spillane (hand)
Broncos
- TE Lucas Krull (foot — IR return)
- OT Frank Crum (ankle)
- C Luke Wattenberg (shoulder — IR return)
- LB Drew Sanders (ankle — IR return)
- S JL Skinner (quad)
A week after opening Jennings’ 21-day activation window, the Patriots opened Farmer’s. The rookie defensive tackle sustained a hamstring injury in December and was a full participant in his first practice back. Both find themselves eligible to go from injured reserve to the active roster. For now, the AFC East champions’ 53 stands at capacity as the No. 1 seed awaits.
