Illness continues to keep Patriots starters out of practice

Each of the last three weeks, the New England Patriots have had at least one player miss a game due to an illness. It looks like that stretch could continue into their Week 16 matchup with the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

On Thursday, the Patriots added to players to the injury report with illnesses - edge defender Anfernee Jennings and special teamer Cody Davis. Neither player took part in practice. Jennings and Davis both were not on the injury report on Wednesday.

READ MORE:

--Week 16 Patriots Mailbag
--J.C. Jackson's season "likely" over
--Former Tom Brady teammate joins Patriots practice squad

Jennings would be a big loss for the Patriots if he can't go on Sunday. A 2020 third-round pick, Jennings is having a career year and has emerged as the Patriots' top early-down edge setter. He's a big part of the reason the Patriots have had one of the top run defenses in the NFL this year (their 3.1 yards per carry allowed is the lowest in the NFL).

In addition, running back Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle), tight end Hunter Henry (knee), tackle Conor McDermott (concussion), and safety Jabrill Peppers (hamstring) all missed practice for the second day in a row. Although Henry was listed as a non-participant, he was spotted standing on the sideline during the stretching portion at the start of practice open to the media.

The Patriots also had seven players limited for the second day in a row. That group includes wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) and tackle Trent Brown (ankle/hand), who both missed last week's game.

Denver was without three players for Thursday's practice. That includes linebacker Nik Bonitto (knee), who leads the team in sacks this season with seven through 13 games. Bonitto missed last week's game against the Detroit Lions.

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If reading that headline made your eye twitch as a Patriots fan, that's understandable. But it does appear there is another issue with underinflated footballs at Gillette Stadium.

On Wednesday evening, MassLive's Mark Daniels reported that the kicking balls used by both teams in the first half of Sunday's New England Patriots-Kansas City Chiefs matchup were underinflated by as much as two PSI (pounds per square inch). He added that the Patriots informed the referee crew at halftime, who ultimately tested and corrected the air pressure in the balls.

READ MORE:

--Week 16 Patriots Mailbag
--Four Patriots players missed Wednesday's practice
--Former Tom Brady teammate joins Patriots practice squad

According to Daniels, the Patriots "noticed that the trajectory and hang time of kickoffs and punts were lower than usual," and that "the kicking balls were unusually soft to the touch." This is not something that could have been identified pregame, as neither team has access to the league-provided (and therefore inflated) kicking balls during warm-ups.

There were some kicking oddities in the first half that were apparent even to those not on the field. Both kickers missed field goals, with Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker missing his first field goal of the season. According to Daniels, the teams combined for 64.4 yards per kickoff in the first half and 66.6 yards per kickoff in the second half. The punting average also increased, from 45.3 yards in the first half, to 51.8 yards in the second half.

Of course, this incident will have many football fans flashing back to the 2014 AFC Championship Game, when the Patriots were investigated for using underinflated football against the Indianapolis Colts. An early report about '11 of 12' game balls being underinflated later proved to be erroneous, yet despite never compiling sufficient evidence the league fined the Patriots and suspended quarterback Tom Brady for four games after a drawn-out legal battle. Last year, Pro Football Talk reported that data collected by the league that would have absolved the Patriots was "expunged" by the league.

When the original Deflategate story broke in January of 2015, many were quick to point out the lack of air pressure in the footballs was likely due to the ideal gas law. With the balls being inflated in a warm room indoors, then brought outside into the cold the air pressure would naturally drop - like with car tires on a winter day.

Knowing that, it's worth noting how similar the conditions were this past Sunday to that AFC Championship Game almost a decade ago. This past Sunday the temperature at kickoff was 53 degrees, with 74 percent humidity. The AFC Championship Game against the Colts? 51 degrees with 71 percent humidity.

Again, in this case the league was solely responsible for the footballs, which were underinflated for both teams. With that, it wouldn't be surprising if this incident gets a little less attention from the NFL head office.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.