<\/p>\n
The New England Patriots are not in top shape heading into their upcoming game against the Baltimore Ravens. They already ruled out linebacker Robert Spillane for the contest, and furthermore have four other starting defenders listed as questionable on the injury report.<\/p>\n
At least two of those four, however, are planning to make the trip to Baltimore. Cornerbacks Marcus Jones and Carlton Davis both told reporters in the Gillette Stadium locker room on Friday that they will take the field in Week 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be out there playing,\u201d said Jones following his return to practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be out there with the guys. I\u2019m always trying to get better, so it means a lot. Our thing is always trying to be available. It\u2019s this part in the season that everyone is going through something. We\u2019re always trying to be out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Pro Bowl-caliber contributor this season as both a cornerback and punt returner, Jones was hobbled by a knee injury in last week\u2019s loss to the Buffalo Bills. The issue subsequently forced him to sit out practice on Wednesday and Thursday, before a return in limited capacity on Friday.<\/p>\n
Having him available against a Ravens offense featuring the likes of productive inside receiver Zay Flowers would be good news.<\/p>\n
The same is true for Carlton Davis, who briefly exited Sunday\u2019s game and subsequently was a no-show at practice the last two days as well. Davis claimed that he would be \u201cgood\u201d following his practice debut this week and that the mentality he showed versus Buffalo \u2014 returning to the field even after missing almost a full quarter of play time \u2014 remains intact.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt applies every week, all the time. That\u2019s just the kind of guy I want to be for my team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Patriots\u2019 starting outside cornerback opposite All-Pro Christian Gonzalez, Davis was happy to be able to return to the field even as a partial participant.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt meant a lot for me knowing that it\u2019s a big game,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to win every game just so we can compete for that No. 1 seed. It\u2019s a big game, and it\u2019s going to be big games from here on out. It\u2019s like playoff games until the end of the season because we understand the position we\u2019re in and what we\u2019re trying to do. The road is not going to be easy, so as much as we can win, it will make that road a little bit easier.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Marcus Jones and Carlton Davis are both questionable for Sunday\u2019s game against the Ravens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\n