The New England Patriots have placed two key players on the suspended list ahead of their Week 18 game against the Buffalo Bills.
Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Patriots head coach announced that punter Jake Bailey would miss the remainder of the season after going on the injured reserve. Rookie corner Jack Jones was also previously placed on the IR and ruled out for the year.
But in an update, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that both Bailey and Jones were suspended due to a violation of team rules. Rapoport’s colleague, Mike Garafolo, shared a statement from Jamal Tooson, Jones’ agent:
Belichick himself isn’t usually one to give away much when it comes to things such as player discipline, so we’ll just have to wait and see what the details are regarding the suspensions of both players.
The Patriots need a win in Buffalo to lock down a playoff berth for the second straight year. If New England loses, the Miami Dolphins would get in with a victory over the rival New York Jets. If both the Patriots and Dolphins lose, and if Pittsburgh defeats the Cleveland Browns at home on Sunday, the Steelers would sneak into the postseason.
