If the Patriots are going to deliver another Super Bowl appearance by beating the Colts, they’ll have to pull it off without Bryan Stork.
The team’s starting center injured a knee on Saturday against the Ravens. He won’t play on Sunday.
Stork is out, and Ryan Wendell will slide over to handle the duties.
A rookie fourth-round draft pick from Florida State, Stork appeared in 13 regular-season games in 2014, with 11 starts. His first start came in that disastrous Monday night loss to the Chiefs.
Stork’s absence could make it harder to pound the Colts on the ground, and to protect quarterback Tom Brady against pressure up the middle of the line of scrimmage.
The Patriots have no other significant injuries, with five other players listed as probable for the game: cornerback Brandon Browner (knee), quarterback Tom Brady (ankle), linebacker Dont’a Hightower (shoulder), defensive tackle Chris Jones (elbow), and receiver Brandon LaFell (shoulder/toe).
By rule, “probable” means that the player is virtually certain to be available for normal duty.
