Report: Patriots Ruled Out Seven For Super Bowl LIII Final Vs. Rams

The big Super Bowl 53 game between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams is about to begin. However, there is still one matter left to be determined on their rosters before kickoff. Both sides enter this game relatively with full strength, so they will have to name seven inactive players based only on predictions. With no games remaining in the season, this choice serves essentially as a final roster cutdown. The teams brought 53 players with them to Atlanta and only 46 will take the field tonight. So, potentially the season’s champion will depend largely on the choices both sides make.

NFL rules dictate that these decisions must be made 90 minutes before kickoff, and that time has come. The Patriots made their choices a bit early, so here are their seven:

1. Obi Melifonwu joined the Patriots in the middle of the season, but he was seen as a long-term project and someone who would need a bit more time to adjust.
2. Derek Rivers has had a disappointing year and was a frequent healthy scratch, which is the case once again. While he missed last year’s Super Bowl due to injury, this year it is because of ineffective play.
3. Duke Dawson has been injured all year, including today. The rookie cornerback is another long-term investment, but he has not been able to give the Patriots anything yet this year.
4. James Ferentz has been at the bottom of the Patriots depth chart on the offensive line all season, and today, he is the one who will be missing out.
5. With Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister both dealing with injuries all year, the Patriots added Stephen Anderson as depth. However, given that both of those tight ends are playing today, Anderson won’t be needed.
6. Ufomba Kamalu is just depth on the defensive line and was left out as a healthy scratch given the Patriots’ lineup elsewhere.
7. Keionta Davis was not listed on the injury report this week, so he is probably a healthy scratch. He is just extra depth at this point and won’t majorly factor into the rotation.

What do you think of these decisions?