Patriots Hit With Surprise Injury Before Bengals Game

The New England Patriots may surprisingly be without a key player against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers (5) warms up before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots have made a surprise addition to their injury report, as safety Jabrill Peppers is now listed as questionable against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday due to a hip injury, via Ian Rapoport of NFL media.

Peppers has developed into a critical piece of a Patriots' defense that was actually among the NFL's best last season.

In 2023, Peppers played in 15 games and registered 78 tackles, a sack, a couple of interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and eight passes defended.

The 28-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Michigan, was originally selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 25th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Peppers spent the first two seasons of his career with the Browns, with his more productive campaign coming in 2018 when he finished with 79 tackles, a sack, a pick, three fumble recoveries and five passes defended.

The East Orange, N.J. native was then traded to the New York Giants in a deal that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland in March 2018.

Peppers proceeded to spend the next three seasons with the Giants and posted solid results. His best season in New York came in 2020 when he racked up 91 stops, 2.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and 11 passes defended.

The Patriots signed Peppers in March 2022, and after a decent debut campaign in Foxborough, New New England re-signed him the following offseason.

The Pats ranked seventh in the league in yards allowed in 2023, representing one of the lone bright spots in what was an otherwise disastrous season for the Patriots.

Peppers played a big role in New England's impressive defensive showing last season and was once again expected to represent a key cog in 2024.

But now, his status for the Pats' season opener is in question, and it comes against a high-powered Bengals offense. That being said, Cincinnati may also be missing its top two receivers in Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase.

We'll see if the Patriots can start the season with a resounding road victory, even if Peppers is absent.

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