Tomorrow, the New England Patriots will fly to the Bay Area, where the team will face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Today, the team held another practice session in preparation of the game. The session on the lower practice fields behind Gillette Stadium was held in full pads – and without two offensive starters.
Via the Patriots’ injury report, Nate Solder joins Rob Gronkowski on the list of absentees:
TE Rob Gronkowski (Chest): Did not participate
OT Nate Solder (Not injury related): Did not participate
TE Martellus Bennett (Ankle): Limited participation
DT Alan Branch (Back): Limited participation
WR Julian Edelman (Foot): Limited participation
WR Chris Hogan (Back): Limited participation
For the second straight day, Gronkowski, who injured his chest during Sunday’s loss against the Seattle Seahawks, was a no-show at practice. While he has not yet officially been ruled out for the upcoming game in San Francisco, the chances of him making the trip do not look good. After all, Gronkowski is too valuable of a player to risk anything.
The same would also be true for Nate Solder, who has arguably been the Patriots’ best offensive lineman this season. However, since his absence is not injury related, he should be good to travel with the team and play on Sunday.
Other than the addition of Solder, the Patriots’ injury report did not change. Defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton, who was not present at the media portion of practice, is not listed on the report. Presumably, he joined the team at a later point.
The 49ers’ injury report looks as follows:
DT Quinton Dial (Knee/Neck): Limited participation
DT Glenn Dorsey (Knee): Limited participation
LB Eli Harold (Toe): Limited participation
LB Aaron Lynch (Ankle): Limited participation
CB Rashard Robinson (Knee): Limited participation
WR Torrey Smith (Shoulder): Limited participation
OG Zane Beadles (Ankle/Knee): Full participation
CB Tramaine Brock (Hamstring): Full participation
RB Carlos Hyde (Shoulder): Full participation
OC Daniel Kilgore (Hamstring/Calf): Full participation
FS Eric Reid (Knee): Full participation
San Francisco changed the status of three of its players. Wide receiver Torrey Smith returned to practice, while cornerback Tramaine Brock and center Daniel Kilgore participated fully after being limited yesterday.