Patriots defensive line faces injury concerns ahead of Giants matchup

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Patriots defensive line faces injury concerns ahead of Giants matchup

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Sat, Nov 29, 2025 ·

3 min read

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FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots know what’s coming when the New York Giants come to Gillette Stadium on Monday night. That’s why the team needs its defensive line to step up.

The Patriots will be shorthanded when they take on the Giants. On Saturday, Mike Vrabel ruled out left guard Jared Wilson (ankle) and core special teamer Brenden Schooler (ankle). The team is also dealing with a series of injuries to their defensive line as Khyiris Tonga (chest) and edge rusher Harold Landy (knee) are questionable for Monday’s matchup .

The Patriots have known that they would take on the Giants without left tackle Will Campbell , who’s on the injured reserve, and Wilson. However, their health concerns on the defensive line are coming at a bad time.

With Milton Williams (ankle) on the injured reserve, the Patriots will need all hands on deck when they face a run-heavy Giants offense. New York came into this week leading the NFL in rushing attempts.

“It’s volume. That’s the biggest thing. We’re fully expecting 40 runs. That’s what they’ve done the last couple of weeks,” Patriots defensive line coach Clint McMillan said. “They’re good up front. The backs are really good, and then the quarterback presents issues, obviously, with his ability to carry the ball as well. We’re going to have to do a great job up front, setting edges, building that wall, and making sure we’re swarming around the ball carrier.”

This week, Tonga started as a limited practice participant but missed Friday’s session. The run-stuffing nose tackle suffered a chest injury last weekend in Cincinnati . With Williams out, Tonga started next to Christian Barmore . Since he’s not fully healthy, the Patriots will likely call upon several backup defensive tackles to fill the void.

The team has Corey Durden, Eric Gregory, and Jeremiah Pharms on the practice squad.

New York lost leading rusher Cam Skattebo , but they’ve been efficient running the ball thanks to quarterback Jaxson Dart . The rookie has seven rushing touchdowns to go with 317 rushing yards this season. The Giants also have veteran running backs Tyrone Tracy Jr. (398 rushing yards, one touchdown) and Devin Singletary (238 rushing yards and two touchdowns).

The Patriots lost Williams early in their win over the New York Jets . That game saw New York run for 140 yards against the Patriots’ defense, which is a season high. Last weekend, the team struggled against the Bengals , allowing 120 rushing yards.

“The biggest thing is the guys that step up, they have to take advantage of those opportunities,” McMillan said. “It happened in the middle of a game (when Williams went down), and we’re going to ask the same thing of them until we get him back.”

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