HUGE BLOW: New England Patriots has been hit with Surprise injury before Bengals game

HUGE BLOW: New England Patriots has been hit with Surprise injury before Bengals game

The New England Patriots may be without a crucial player when they face the Cincinnati Bengals.

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

Peppers has emerged as a key member of the Patriots’ defense, which was among the best in the NFL last season.

In 2023, Peppers appeared in 15 games and recorded 78 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and eight passes defensed.

The 28-year-old, who played NCAA football at the University of Michigan, was taken by the Cleveland Browns with the 25th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

Peppers spent the first two seasons of his career with the Browns, with his most prolific season coming in 2018 when he recorded 79 tackles, a sack, a pick, three fumble recoveries, and five passes defensed.

The East Orange, New Jersey native was then moved to the New York Giants in a transaction that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland in March 2018.

Peppers went on to have a successful three seasons with the Giants. His greatest season in New York was in 2020, when he recorded 91 stops, 2.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and 11 passes defensed.

The Patriots signed Peppers in March 2022, and after a solid rookie season in Foxborough, the team re-signed him the following year.

The Patriots finished ninth in the league in yards allowed in 2023, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dreadful season.

Peppers had a significant role in New England’s excellent defensive performance last season and is anticipated to be a vital component in 2024.

However, his availability for the Patriots’ season opener against the powerful Bengals offense is in doubt. That being said, Cincinnati may be missing its top two receivers, 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.