The Patriots have ruled out wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back TreVeyon Henderson for Sunday's game at Miami. ESPN reported that Henderson, the team's No. 2 running back, is out because of an illness. Brown's absence is reported as a flat ruling-out, and the summaries we have give no reason for it. Insider Adam Pelissero's report, as posted on r/nfl, said New England downgraded both players to out, so each had carried a lesser designation before this.
The Brown news matters because of how little he has played. He has appeared in three of New England's seven games this season. His game log shows the Sept. 9 opener at Seattle, then Oct. 18 against the Jets and Oct. 22 at Chicago. He has 9 catches for 101 yards on 20 targets, with no touchdowns and one fumble. In the Chicago loss he caught 3 passes for 48 yards on six targets. The season line is a long way from the 78 catches, 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns he had in 15 games in 2025.
Henderson's absence cuts into a rotation that has used him as a change-of-pace back. He has played in six games and has 52 carries for 203 yards, a 3.9 average, and one rushing touchdown, which came against Pittsburgh. His longest run, 39 yards, was in that same game. His workload has shrunk lately. He had three carries for 9 yards and two catches for 14 yards at Chicago. The sources we have do not say who will take his snaps.
New England is 4-3 and second in the AFC East, and it comes in on a one-game losing streak after the 30-24 Thursday-night loss at Chicago on Oct. 22. That followed a 45-17 win over Las Vegas on Oct. 11 and a 26-19 win over the Jets on Oct. 18.
Sun, Nov 1, 4:25 PM ET
The opponent is the weakest team in the division. The Dolphins are 1-5 and last in the AFC East. They are coming off a 28-25 win at the Jets on Oct. 25, their only win so far. Before that they lost 31-24 to Cincinnati and 15-10 at Minnesota. Miami's losses have been close, which is worth remembering with two Patriots skill players out.
Kickoff at Miami is Sunday, Nov. 1. Neither player's status beyond this game has been reported, and the feed summaries we have contain no timeline for either.
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