Patriots Week 6 Inactives vs. Jets: Offense Gets Boost, Defense Remains Hurt

FOXBORO — Injuries continue to mount for the New England Patriots. Their secondary will be shorthanded for yet another week. But at the end of the day, some big names on the offensive side of the ball will be suiting up as they take on the 2-3 New York Jets.

The major storyline this week is the return of wide receiver A.J. Brown, who was activated off of injured reserve this weekend. He's in line to make his season debut against a team that's looking for their first win in Gillette Stadium since 2023.

Both sides won't be at full strength. Here are all the Patriots and Jets who won't be playing this week at Gillette Stadium:

Brown suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Patriots' Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and has been on the sideline ever since. He returned to the practice field this week in a limited capacity, but his activation to the roster highlights that the Patriots offense has another layer of ability outside the numbers.

"I think he's stayed engaged. I think it's difficult sometimes to stay engage," Mike Vrabel said Wednesday. "I think his routine was really good, his ability to be around guys in the meetings and then also focus on his rehab. He's just treating everything as a pro, being where he's supposed to be and working hard to get back."

After ruling Carlton Davis and Karon Prunty out on Friday, the Patriots are also downgrading Channing Canada (who was questionable) to out. He missed last week with a hamstring injury, and his role on special teams has been replaced by safeties Mike Brown and Elliott Davison.

Behren Morton will dress, but will only be allowed to step on the field if Drake Maye and Tommy DeVito both get banged up. Tanner Arkin, who was active in recent weeks as the fourth tight end, won't dress.

Pats RB Up, Jets RB Down

After TreVeyon Henderson went down with a high-ankle sprain last week, it didn't seem like he'd be available for this one. But after participating in practices and moving well on the field, he's ready to go.

"Honestly, yeah. I was surprised. I felt a little bit different than what they diagnosed it as and what the MRI showed," Henderson said this week. "I'm hoping that I'm able to be out there with the guys and try to help this team continue in games."

The Jets will be without their top back, losing Breece Hall with a quad injury for the second-straight week. That means third-year back Braelon Allen will be carrying the load out of New York's backfield. They also have Kene Nwangwu and Isaiah Davis behind him.

"(He's) a big back. Usually, the first guy doesn't tackle him, doesn't bring him down," Vrabel said. "A lot of his X play runs have been after contact where somebody's like, 'Oh yeah, they've got him,' and no, they don't. So again, he breaks a lot of tackles. He runs hard. I think he's a smooth runner and doesn't look very rigid. I’ve always liked him from even coming out of college."

Will Campbell Lines Up At Left Tackle

Campbell also got banged up last week with a knee injury that looked similar to his torn MCL suffered a season ago. He was limited in practice this week, but was cleared to play this week.

The second-year tackle has had a strong season this year protecting his quarterback's blindside and his return to the lineup will let Caleb Lomu sit instead of starting. Against the Raiders, replacing Campbell, Lomu shined. He allowed just one pressure on 47 snaps at left tackle.

It was an inspiring showing from the rookie, who'll likely slot back in as a swing tackle. But he's shown that if Campbell gets banged up again, or struggles playing on his right knee, Lomu is more than capable.

"It was awesome to see Caleb get in there. I think it was tough," Maye said. "It may be a guy over there with a couple All-Pros and talking smack. But at the same time, it's what we do. In offense, we dictate it. I feel like he owned that and did a good job of anchoring. He's athletic and he's big."

The 3-2 Patriots and 2-3 Jets will do battle for the first time this season at 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium. It's a chance for the Patriots to string together wins, and gain some breathing room above the bottom-half of the AFC East. A few things to watch out for stat-wise: Hunter Henry is one touchdown away from tying Russ Francis (28) for third-most in franchise history, and Maye is 102 yards to become the eighth Patriots quarterback to surpass 8,000 passing yards.

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