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| New England G Logan Mankins was ruled out of Sunday’s game against Buffalo. (US Presswire) |
If the Patriots are going to find a way to shut down the Buffalo Bills' revamped pass rush, they're going to have to do so without Logan Mankins.
The All-Pro guard, still nursing a hip injury that kept him out of practice this week, stayed behind in Foxborough and has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Buffalo.
Defensive linemen Brandon Deaderick and Justin Francis and CB Alfonzo Dennard also stayed behind.
New England is coming up against a strong Buffalo pass rush that has already accumulated nine sacks. The Patriots offensive line was already considered vulnerable after surrendering seven sacks, and will be further weakened by the absence of Mankins.
The most likely candidate to take his place is Donald Thomas, who has 15 career starts, including one during a Week 2 loss to Arizona.
The Patriots re-signed offensive lineman Matt Tennant earlier Saturday. Tennant had a brief stint with New England this year before being released in early September.
Nick Underhill covers the Patriots for MassLive.com. Follow him on Twitter@CBSPats or @Nick_Underhill.
