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Flowers, Chung Missing From Patriots Practice Again Thursday

BOSTON (CBS) -- It's looking more and more likely that the Patriots will be without a pair of key defenders Sunday night against the Lions.

Defensive end Trey Flowers and safety Patrick Chung were missing from the start of Thursday's practice, both of whom are recovering from concussions they suffered in last weekend's loss in Jacksonville. The pair also missed Wednesday's practice, making it unlikely either will suit up against the Lions in Detroit.

Flowers is perhaps New England's best and most dangerous defensive player, and he currently ranks as the No. 1 edge defender in the NFL on Pro Football Focus. So he will be dearly missed come Sunday night as the Pats try to apply pressure on Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Chung also figured to play an major role in keeping Stafford and Co. out of the end zone. He's an important part of the New England secondary, and last weekend, he even saw time as their punt returner. If Chung can't go Sunday, Duron Harmon, Jason McCourty and even newly re-signed corner Cyrus Jones could see extended time at safety, with Jones likely getting another chance to return punts as well.

The full Patriots' practice report from Thursday is below:

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
S Patrick Chung - Concussion
DL Trey Flowers - Concussion

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
T Marcus Cannon - Calf
DB Keion Crossen - Hamstring
DB Nate Ebner - Hip
TE Rob Gronkowski - Ankle
WR Josh Gordon - Hamstring
CB Eric Rowe - Groin

FULL PARTICIPATION
RB Sony Michel - Knee
DL Deatrich Wise, Jr. - Finger

The Patriots and Lions square off on Sunday night football, but WBZ-TV still has you covered before and after the game. Our pregame coverage begins at 11:30am Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay, and after the game you can catch all the reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!

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