FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots will be without starting guards Alijah Vera-Tucker and Ben Brown for Thursday's road game against the Chicago Bears due to injuries, coach Mike Vrabel said.
Vera-Tucker played every snap this season at left guard before injuring his hamstring in the second quarter of Sunday's win over the visiting New York Jets, his former team. Brown, meanwhile, was the third right guard to start -- after Mike Onwenu and Greg Van Roten both landed on injured reserve -- and he hobbled off in the second half of Sunday's game with a knee injury.
Vrabel said Walter Rouse, a three-year veteran acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Vikings on Aug. 30, will start at left guard. It will be his first career NFL start.
Vrabel said nine-year veteran Matt Pryor, whom the Patriots signed off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad Oct. 1, will start at right guard. He has started 40 career games, with 15 of them coming in the 2024 season with the Bears.
Quarterback Drake Maye wasn't sacked in Sunday's win, and he credited the offensive line -- which also played without veteran right tackle Morgan Moses (foot) for two-plus quarters -- for exemplary work.
"I feel like it's been every week somebody stepping up," Maye said. "On the flip side of it, it's unfortunate seeing so many of our guys go down. I'm impressed with how the coaches have been handling it, of kind of moving personnel around and fixing things on the sideline and adjusting."
Moses was limited in practice in recent days, but Vrabel said he has a chance to play against the Bears.
The Patriots (4-2), who also placed starting receiver Romeo Doubs (shoulder) on injured reserve Monday and will be without starting cornerback Carlton Davis III (neck) for the third game in a row, have won three straight games.
