Both secondaries are banged up walking into this one. Charvarius Ward still has no return timeline for his back injury and Sauce Gardner was out sick at Tuesday's practice, while across the ball Christian Gonzalez sat out Tuesday and Carlton Davis is only back as a limited participant on a hamstring. None of that stopped the Patriots from opening as home underdogs on the moneyline even with a 4-1 stretch in their last 5 — a number that hasn't moved much since it went up.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM ET at Gillette Stadium, and for as little as it means on paper, there's real stuff to watch. Richardson needs a clean half to quiet the noise around his camp, and Seth McGowan turned heads with a handful of long runs against this same Patriots front in Tuesday's joint practice — the kind of thing that matters more for roster spots than the final score.
- QuestionableCameron Mitchell (CB) — Mitchell (undisclosed) reverted to the Colts' reserve/injured list Tuesday after clearing waivers, per the NFL's transaction log.08/04
- QuestionableSauce Gardner (CB) — Gardner (calf) missed practice Tuesday due to an illness, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.08/04
- OutAlec Pierce (WR) — Pierce (ankle) was present for Tuesday's practice and took part in individual work off to the side under the supervision of a trainer, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.08/11
- QuestionableCarlton Davis III (CB) — Davis (hamstring) returned to practice as a limited participant Monday, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports08/10
- QuestionableQuintayvious Hutchins (LB) — Hutchins (undisclosed) left Thursday's training camp session early, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.08/07
- OutBrenden Schooler (S) — Schooler (undisclosed) was placed on the active Non-Football Injury list Friday, Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston reports.07/24
- Injured ReserveJimmy Kibble (WR) — Kibble (undisclosed) reverted to New England's injured reserve Friday.07/26
- Injured ReserveJeremiah Webb (WR) — The Patriots placed Webb (arm) on injured reserve Sunday, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.07/26
New England's receiver room is deep enough to survive Maye's absence for a night — A.J. Brown has stayed the clear top target through camp, Hunter Henry just signed a 2-year extension to stick around, and Romeo Doubs is back after missing time for personal reasons. Indianapolis, meanwhile, is still waiting on Alec Pierce (ankle) and only just got Josh Downs back from a groin issue, which is part of why Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and newly signed D.J. Montgomery have been getting extra run at WR3.
None of that changes what this is: a preseason opener where both rosters empty the bench by the fourth quarter. But for Richardson, Leonard, McGowan and a crowded Patriots receiver room fighting for jobs, Thursday still carries stakes the scoreboard won't show.