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Patriots rule captain out for AFC Championship, list a number of players as questionable
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- Patriots rule captain out for AFC Championship, list a number of players as questionable
The Patriots won’t have one of their defensive captains in Denver on Sunday.
Harold Landry has been ruled out for the AFC Championship Game, according to Mike Vrabel. The edge rusher has been managing a knee injury for an extended period of time and was limited to 11 snaps in last Sunday’s divisional round win over the Texans .
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A standout for Vrabel during their time in Tennessee , Landry was brought to Foxborough this offseason and voted a team captain. Vrabel was asked how tough it was personally to see Landry unable to play in such an important game.
“I am disappointed for people I care about when they are frustrated or don’t feel great,” Vrabel said. “I would always feel for any of our players that put a lot into and aren’t able to perform and do what they want to do to try to help the team.”
New England will also have some key game-time decisions, as wide receiver Mack Hollins , linebacker Marte Mapu , defensive tackle Joshua Farmer and running back Terrell Jennings have all been listed as questionable.
Hollins, Farmer, and Jennings are all on injured reserve, so they’d need to be activated with a corresponding roster move to play in Sunday’s game.
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The Patriots got some good news late Friday afternoon, as Carlton Davis cleared the concussion protocol. The veteran cornerback was out of a red non-contact jersey on Friday and didn’t have post-practice symptoms, so he’s good to go.
As for Mapu, he missed two practices this week with a hip injury, but returned on Friday. An under-the-radar player, Mapu’s impact is felt greatly on special teams, as he appears on four different units and serves as the personal protector on punt team.
“Marte has done an unbelievable job,” special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer said. “Just the communication, you’re the quarterback there (as personal protector). What goes on for that guy back there — you don’t get as much time as maybe the quarterback does throughout the week, but you’re seeing a lot of different things. We punted the ball eight times (against the Texans) and he did a phenomenal job of getting us the right calls.
“I can’t say enough things about how he’s grown throughout the year. I’m very proud of him and how he’s taken command and ownership of that role. It’s proved to be really vital for us throughout the year.”
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