David Andrews Among Four Patriots Missing From Practice
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots had some familiar faces missing from Thursday's practice once again, but there was a surprise addition to the list.
Center David Andrews was among the four players missing from the Patriots' walkthrough on Thursday at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He was not listed on Wednesday's injury report when he practiced in full, so more information about his injury won't be known until later on Thursday when the Patriots release their next injury report.
UPDATE: The Patriots' Thursday injury report reveals that Andrews missed practice due to an undisclosed illness.
Chris Hogan (shoulder), Marcus Cannon (ankle), and Matthew Slater (hamstring) were all absent again and are unlikely to play on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City. If Andrews is out on Sunday, second-year center Ted Karras would likely take his spot.
If Andrews is out due to injury, it would come at an unfortunate juncture for the Patriots offensive line, who had really started to hit their stride in recent weeks. Andrews is currently the second-ranked center in the NFL behind only the Eagles' Jason Kelce, according to Pro Football Focus. His 86.5 grade denotes a "high-quality" player.
The sacks and hits on Tom Brady have drastically declined recently, culminating with a zero-sack performance by the offensive line against Von Miller and the Broncos last Sunday night. Andrews has been a huge part of that protection and could be a glaring absence against the Raiders.
