The New England Patriots have a protection problem in Houston.
Despite some lingering optimism to the contrary, the Patriots will enter their Week Five matchup with only one regular starter (center David Andrews) in the lineup. With right tackle Trent Brown (calf) and right guard Shaq Mason (abdomen) already declared ‘out’ for Sunday’s matchup with the Houston Texans, the Pats failed to activate left guard Michael Onwenu or left tackle Isaiah Wynn from COVID/reserve. As a result, both players are officially out of action for Week Five.
In addition, New England has placed Brown on injured reserve, meaning that he will miss a minimum of three games.