After falling to the Washington Commanders at home in Week 9, the New England Patriots head across the pond in Week 10 to face the Indianapolis Colts in Germany. This will be the Patriots' last game before their bye week and potentially the last chance for Bill Belichick to save his job.
Unfortunately, not everyone on the active roster will be able to suit up for New England in this pivotal matchup due to sickness, injuries, bad performance and other reasons.
With that in mind, here are the 3 Patriots players who are most likely to be inactive in this weekend's AFC clash.
1. J.C. Jackson
This one is fairly obvious, as it's already been reported that Jackson won't be traveling with the team to Frankfurt. Bill Belichick has done some crazy stuff in his career, but wasting an active roster spot on a player who's on a different continent would certainly be the craziest.
In any case, Jackson is a lock to be inactive this week. He wasn't spotted at practice on Wednesday and is getting some time off after getting benched last Sunday. The Patriots are saying it's to help him reset and give him extra rest before the bye, which is probably just a roundabout way of saying that he's being punished and is in Belichick's doghouse right now.
Jackson's performance has been a major disappointment since New England traded for him last month, re-acquiring him from the Los Angeles Chargers to replace injured cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Jackson's issues in LA have apparently followed him to Foxborough, where his attitude, reliability and commitment have all been called into question.
Cornerback is one of the most important positions in the NFL, and you need those guys locked in at all times. Jackson hasn't been doing that lately, and now he's paying the price.
2. Trent Brown
Brown didn't play last week due to an ankle/knee injury, but the injury still appears to be affecting him. He was also absent from practice on Wednesday, which doesn't bode well for his Week 10 status.
Even in a normal week, recovering in just a few days before a game is challenging enough. It will be even harder this week, however, with the team's transatlantic trip to Germany
The Patriots are flying out on Thursday night after practice, and won't arrive in Frankfurt until Friday morning. So if Brown doesn't return to practice on Thursday, there's a pretty good chance he won't play on Sunday. There simply won't be enough time to get him ready for the game.
New England doesn't seem to be in a major hurry to rush the 30-year-old tackle back. His performance has slipped over the past year and with the bye week coming up, it probably makes more sense to hold him out this week and let him get fully rested for Week 12.
Knee/ankle injuries can be tricky, especially for big dudes like Brown (6'8, 370 pounds). Expect the Patriots to be cautious with him and keep him on the sidelines this week.
3. Kayshon Boutte
Last week, the stage was set for Boutte to appear in his second career game and first since Week 1. With top receivers Kendrick Bourne (knee) and DeVante Parker (concussion) both sidelined, there was an obvious opportunity for the 21-year-old rookie wideout to at least dress for the game, if not play in it.
Instead Belichick shockingly made Boutte inactive for Week 9, as he still apparently hasn't seen enough growth from the sixth-rounder in practice. Boutte probably wouldn't have made a difference in the 20-17 loss, but it was still surprising that he wasn't out there.
If Boutte wasn't active last week, there's no way he's going to be active this week. Parker returned to practice on Wednesday and appears to be on track to return this week, making Boutte's window of opportunity even smaller.
Boutte didn't catch any of his 4 targets in Week 1, but it's weird that we haven't seen him since. Look for him to get more playing time after the bye week/once the Patriots are officially out of it, especially if they lose again on Sunday. They need to give him some chances eventually and see if he's worth keeping around.
Just don't expect that to happen this week.
Think the Pats can still win without these guys in Week 10? Make sure to back them at DraftKings Sportsbook. Betting $5 will instantly get you $200 in bonus bets guaranteed, regardless of whether their first wager wins or loses. This offer is only here for a limited time, though, so don't miss out!
More New England Patriots news and analysis: