Patriots Offense Gutted as A.J. Brown and TreVeyon Henderson Ruled Out Against Dolphins

If you were holding out hope for a full-strength New England Patriots offense this weekend, it is time to cancel those plans. The Patriots are rolling into Miami missing three key pieces, turning their Sunday night matchup against the Miami Dolphins into a prime-time survival test.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, New England officially downgraded star receiver A.J. Brown, running back TreVeyon Henderson, and offensive tackle Marcus Bryant to out for tomorrow's game.

"Mike Garafolo reported the downgrades on Twitter."

Losing Brown is the obvious headline grabber. You do not just replace a primary receiver who dictates defensive coverages by committee, and his absence instantly lowers the ceiling on what this offense can do.

Then there is Henderson. The second-year back has been battling an illness this week and is currently sitting on just 203 rushing yards for the season. Patriots legend Troy Brown recently called out his vision and patience after a rough outing against the Chicago Bears, and now Henderson will not even get the chance to bounce back on national television.

Throw in Marcus Bryant, the 6-foot-7 backup tackle who provides crucial depth behind Morgan Moses, and the Patriots are suddenly looking incredibly thin on the offensive side of the ball.

For anyone looking at the lines for this game, this late-week injury report is a massive red flag. The Dolphins are coming off a tight 28-25 win over the New York Jets and will absolutely smell blood in the water against a depleted New England roster. Trying to keep pace with Miami's offense is hard enough when you have all your weapons, but doing it without your top receiver and a rotational back is like trying to win a drag race in a golf cart.

The Patriots now have to figure out how to manufacture points on the fly with a patched-together lineup. If they cannot scheme around these absences by kickoff, Sunday night in Miami is going to get ugly fast.