By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
Follow along for all the updates as the Patriots take on the Dolphins on Monday Night Football!
Pregame 7:00pm: Chris Hogan is a go tonight.
The receiver will return, as will Matthew Slater and LaAdrian Waddle, as the team has announced their final two inactives for Monday night’s game. Deatrich Wise Jr. is also active, and will be New England’s main sack threat on defense tonight.
David Harris and Cole Croston were New England’s final two inactives for this week:
Linebacker/Special teamerTrevor Reilly, who suffered a nasty concussion on a special teams collision against the Raiders in Mexico City, is also active and returning tonight.
Pregame 6:30pm: The 10-2 Patriots are in Miami for a Monday Night Football showdown with the 5-7 Dolphins, aiming for their ninth straight win. If they get the W tonight, they’ll also clinch their ninth straight AFC East crown and 15th in the last 17 seasons.
These two teams just played each other two weeks ago in Foxboro, a 35-17 Patriots win that saw Tom Brady throw four touchdowns. Brady is 21-9 in his career against the Dolphins, but just 7-8 in Miami. While he had little trouble with the Miami defense two weeks ago, Brady was hit eight times and pestered throughout much of the contest, and that was with Rob Gronkowski in the lineup. Brady will be without his giant tight end this time around, as Gronkowski is serving his one-game suspension for last weekend’s dirty hit on Tre’Davious White in Buffalo.
But Brady is expected to have Chris Hogan back in the mix, as the receiver will reportedly return from a shoulder injury he suffered back on October 29. We’ll know for sure when the Patriots release their full list of inactives around 7pm.
The Patriots have already ruled out right tackle Marcus Cannon (ankle), Kyle Van Noy (calf), Trey Flowers (ribs), Brandon King (hamstring) and Mike Gillislee (illness), and the absence of both Flowers and Van Noy will leave the New England defense without their two best players at getting to the opposing quarterback. Deatrich Wise Jr. is third on the team in sacks, and questionable with a foot injury. We’ll know for sure whether or not Wise will be in the mix come 7pm.
Stick with CBSBoston.com throughout the night for all the updates before, during and after Monday night’s big game down in Miami, and after the game, catch Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s postgame press conferences and full reaction and analysis of the game on Patriots 5th Quarter over on myTV38!