FOXBORO (CBS) – Wide Receiver Chad Ochocinco and rookie running back Stevan Ridley were among the seven Patriots inactive for the AFC Championship against the Baltimore Ravens.

Quarterback Ryan Mallett, running back Shane Vereen, linebacker Gary Guyton, and offensive linemen Daniel Thomas and Sebastian Vollmer round out the list of inactives for New England.

Ochocinco was in Florida for the funeral of his father on Saturday. I don’t think the Pats expected him to be ready to play.  Not sure if he would have been a big part of this offense anyway.

Read: 5 Patriots, 5 Ravens To Watch

Ridley comes as a bit of a surprise, but his two fumbles in the last two games are the reason he is on the bench. Ball security is a big thing in any game but even more important against the Ravens in the AFC Championship game.  They go after the ball.

Read: AFC Championship Predictions

BenJarvis Green-Ellis will get the bulk of the carries for the Patriots  and expect Kevin Faulk to step in as well.  The Ravens will also blitz and Faulk is great at the blitz pick up.

Tune in to the Patriots-Ravens AFC Championship game on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub. After the game, stay tuned for the Patriots Postgame Show on the Hub, and Patriots Fifth Quarter over on MyTV38.