The New England Patriots will be down a defensive captain against the Denver Broncos.
Outside linebacker Harold Landry III has been ruled out for the AFC Championship Game after staying sidelined for three consecutive practices due to a lingering knee injury, head coach Mike Vrabel announced Friday.
But running back Terrell Jennings, wide receiver Mack Hollins, defensive tackle Joshua Farmer and inside linebacker Marte Mapu will head from Foxborough to Mile High with questionable game statuses.
Here’s the final injury report leading up to Sunday’s 3 p.m. ET kickoff at Empower Field.
In 15 games, Landry finished the regular season atop the Patriots with 8.5 sacks and 19 quarterback hits. His 10 tackles for loss also tied for the team lead. Even so, a knee injury has kept the veteran outside linebacker on the injury report since fall met winter. And in the divisional round, after being a non-participant last Friday, he played 11 out of 75 defensive snaps while carrying a questionable game designation.
The AFC’s No. 1 seed will keep a trio of recent returnees on injured reserve for the title bout.
After staying sidelined for consecutive sessions with a hip issue, Mapu was back for New England’s in-stadium practice in a limited capacity. The core linebacker has handled 32 snaps in the kicking game since the start of the postseason.
As for the others listed as questionable, the Patriots opened Hollins’ 21-day practice window midway through Broncos prep. The starting receiver, who went on injured reserve due to an abdomen injury in December, missed four games before going from partial to full participation. Leading the depth chart in offensive snaps at the time of his injury, he finds himself with 46 receptions for 550 yards and two touchdowns on the campaign. Along with Hollins, Jennings at running back and Farmer at defensive tackle also await potential activations from injured reserve.
The Patriots currently stand with a full 53-man roster, but with a cleared member of the secondary.
Cornerback Carlton Davis III will get the green light. The veteran intercepted the initial two passes of his stay last weekend before entering the NFL’s concussion protocol in the closing minutes. He shed the red non-contact jersey on Friday after being a limited participant for back-to-back practices.
Saturday at 4 p.m. ET marks the deadline for AFC Championship Game transactions.