FOXBORO – The Patriots picked a good time to get healthy.
The Patriots had perfect practice attendance on Thursday. In their final session of the week, the team had Malcolm Mitchell, Mike Gillislee and Marquis Flowers all return. This is the Patriots first day with perfect practice attendance since Sept. 29.
Mitchell is the biggest wildcard. He missed the first two practices of the week after returning two weeks ago. The Patriots can technically activate him by Friday at 4 p.m. and he would be eligible to play on Saturday against the Tennessee Titans. If he’s not activated by next week, he won’t return until next season.
When asked if he anticipates having Mitchell back this season, Bill Belichick wasn’t forthcoming.
“I don’t know,” Belichick said. “I’ll certainly let you know as soon as – if that happens, we’ll let you know as soon as possible. There won’t be a second of delay.”
Thursday marked Gillislee’s first practice since suffering a knee injury in Week 16 against Buffalo. He missed the last two weeks of practice and the first two days of this playoff week. It’d be a surprise if he played this weekend.
Flowers returns after missing Wednesday’s practice with an illness. He’s expected to play on Saturday.
Gillislee and Flowers ere limited on Thursday along with Alan Branch (knee), Rex Burkhead (knee), Eric Lee (ankle/finger) and James White (ankle). All six players are listed as questionable and no one has been ruled out for Saturday's playoff game.
To make matters better, Chris Hogan and Kyle Van Noy have been removed from the injury report. When it comes to team health, things are looking up for the Patriots.