Tannehill, Amendola, Jones ruled out for Patriots at Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins will host the New England Patriots for the regular season-finale as both teams look to solidify their seeding in the AFC Playoffs. Both teams have plenty for which to play in this game, with New England locking in their top seed in the conference, which brings with it home-field advantage throughout the tournament, with a win, while the Dolphins could move from the sixth seed into the fifth position with a win and a Kansas City Chiefs loss.

Both the Patriots and the Dolphins come into this game with injury concerns. Miami will again be without quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is still recovering from sprained ligaments in his knee, while the Patriots have likewise ruled out wide receiver Danny Amendola, who has an ankle injury, and cornerback Cyrus Jones, with a knee issue.

The Dolphins listed linebacker Jelani Jenkins and cornerback Byron Maxwell as doubtful as they deal with respective knee and ankle injuries. Neither player is expected to play, though the team has left the door open a crack in case they suddenly recover before Sunday’s kickoff. Similarly, with New England, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell is listed as doubtful with a knee injury, but he is not likely to play either.

The questionable list for Miami includes running back Jay Ajayi, who injured his shoulder last week against the Buffalo Bills but is expected to be ready for this Sunday’s game. Joining him as questionable are linebacker Spencer Paysinger, with a knee injury, and defensive end Mario Williams, with an ankle problem.

The Patriots listed tight end Martellus Bennett, with ankle and shoulder problems, quarterback Tom Brady, with a thigh issue, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, with a knee injury, and wide receiver/special teams player Matthew Slater, with a foot injury, all as questionable.

The Dolphins injury list does not include safety Isa Abdul-Quddus, who was placed on injured reserve this week. Miami will likely move Michael Thomas back into the starting lineup along side Bacarri Rambo, who has been starting as the replacement for Reshad Jones in recent weeks. Add in the doubtful status for Maxwell, and the Miami secondary depth will be tested this week against Brady.