With Brown, Hogan and Cannon out, who will be asked to step up for Patriots?

Defensive tackle Malcom Brown (ankle), offensive tackle Marcus Cannon (ankle) and wide receiver Chris Hogan were all ruled out by the Patriots on Friday for this weekend’s game against the Broncos in Denver.


As we said earlier in the week, New England will have to rely on depth at some key positions going into this one, with individuals like wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. In addition, as it has been all year long, the backs will be heavily involved in the passing game. And given the Broncos' inability to deal with tight ends, expect Rob Gronkowski to factor heavily into the outcome of this one.


When it comes to Cannon and Brown, offensive tackle La Adrian Waddle and defensive linemen Adam Butler and Deatrich Wise will likely seeing an uptick in playing time as a result.

In addition, the Patriots announced the following players were “questionable” for Sunday’s action: tight end Martellus Bennett (shoulder), wide receiver Danny Amendola (knee), cornerback Stephon Gilmore (concussion/ankle), defensive end Cassius Marsh (shoulder) and cornerback Eric Rowe (groin). Bennett, who struggled with a shoulder issue earlier in the season with Green Bay, made his first appearance of the season at practice Friday after being picked up off waivers on Thursday.