FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — As the New England Patriots begin their preparations in earnest for a face-off against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, the game day status for two of their top defenders remains in question.
Patriots linebackers Robert Spillane and Harold Landry each missed their second straight practice of pre-Super Bowl week due to ankle and knee injuries, respectively. With the team set to travel to Santa Clara, Calif. in less than 48 hours, head coach Mike Vrabel was asked if he expected the pair of Patriots captains to play in the game on Feb 8 at Levi’s Stadium.
“I can’t tell you. All I can tell you is that they didn’t practice today,” Vrabel told reporters during his press conference broadcast on Patriots.com. “I don’t know what’s going to happen nine days from now or however many days that is.”
Despite battling a knee injury since Week 13, Landry has been a productive fit within Vrabel’s defensive scheme in New England. The former Tennessee Titan fit the mold of a smaller, athletic linebacker, capable of relentlessly pursuing the quarterback. Combined with his history of playing within Vrabel’s defensive system, it came as little surprise when Landry signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Pats this past offseason.
Landry, Spillane are Key Cogs in the Patriots Defensive Machine
Through 15 games played in the regular season, Landry compiled 27 solo tackles, one forced fumble and a team-leading 8.5 sacks. He earned two total tackles in the Pats’ wild card round victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. He added two tackles against the Houston Texans in the divisional round. Landry did not play in the conference championship game against the Denver Broncos.
Spillane was listed as a non-participant with an ankle injury. With just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter of last week’s Broncos game, Spillane walked to the blue medical tent for evaluation after apparently injuring his ankle. Shortly thereafter, he was spotted heading for the locker room. Though he was originally listed as questionable, Spillane eventually rejoined his teammates on the sidelines with just over five minutes remaining in the half. Still, he did not return to action for the remainder of the game.
Having signed a three-year, $33 million contract in the offseason, Spillane led the team with 97 tackles in the regular season. He also compiled five passes-defensed, two interceptions, one sack and a forced fumble. He has also logged 14 total tackles and two pass-breakups, to date, in the playoffs.
Both Landry and Spillane were listed as non-participants in both of the week’s practice sessions and are presently considered questionable for Super Bowl LX. Reserve linebacker Jack Gibbens has acted as Spillane’s proxy at linebacker, as well as the defensive on-field communicator. Veteran Anfernee Jennings, rookie Elijah Ponder and inside linebacker Jahlani Tavai have worked together to fill Landry’s void in New England’s defensive front.
