The Patriots are banged up in the secondary at the wrong time.
According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, cornerback Alfonzo Dennard is not expected to play this week against the Broncos, and his absence could go beyond that.
Dennard turned up on the injury report last Saturday, and didn’t play last night against the Panthers.
The Patriots got Aqib Talib back in time to fight with Steve Smith last night, after he had missed three games with a hip injury. But he was struggling late, apparently aggravating it. Cornerback Kyle Arrington also aggravated a groin injury, and they’re still without safety Steve Gregory (broken thumb).
That’s not the situation you need when going against the league’s top offense, which is operating at record levels.