The New England Patriots are embarking on a crucial stretch before the trade deadline that will likely determine how far they can go this season. The very favorable four-game schedule that includes the Saints, Titans, Browns, and the Falcons give the Patriots a chance to head to Nov. 4 trade deadline with six or seven wins. If they can take care of business against the league's bottom-feeders, they can start feeling good about their chances of making a postseason run.
For that, they will be relying on their defense more than anything. While the offense has been much improved this season, the Patriots are a defense-first team under Mike Vrabel. The Patriots have one of the best run defenses in the league, ranking in the top five in yards allowed, yards per carry, and rushing TDs allowed.
Unfortunately, their defense may be short-handed against the Panthers and going forward after Friday's injury update as ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that veteran defender Anfernee Jennings was not seen at practice in the portion open to the media.
Patriots News: Anfernee Jennings Set to Miss Week 6 Against the Saints
This is not surprising after Jennings was downgraded from limited participant on Wednesday to DNP on Thursday with an ankle injury. This puts him on the path to missing his second game of the season after missing the season opener.
Jennings have already been an afterthought this season following the offseason additions to the defensive line and the linebacker corps. Falling behind newcomers Harold Landry and K'Lavon Chaisson, the veteran defender has gone from playing 79% of the team's defensive snaps all the way down to 26% this season. He has been more utilized on special teams, averaging a career-high 66% of special teams snaps through four weeks.
Looking at his numbers, it's hard to blame Vrabel for pushing Jennings further down the pecking order. The 28-year-old hasn't made much of an impact, and has a 46.2 defensive grade on Pro Football Focus, including 48.9 pass rush, and 56.9 run defense grades. He has no box score stats other than seven combined tackles.
If Jennings were to miss more time with this ankle ailment, he could lose some of his already limited snaps. Pass rush depth is important, and the Patriots would love to have as many competent bodies there as possible, but if Jennings doesn't return from his injury looking like his self from previous seasons, he could find himself in trouble.