Danny Amendola cleared to play

New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola (80) catches a pass against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Patriots beat the Bills 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots No. 1 wide receiver Danny Amendola was able to practice all week, and he reportedly passed all of his concussion tests. On Friday, Amendola declared himself “ready to go”, so if there was any doubt that he would play today, then this report should put all doubts to rest. According to a source close to the NFL Network’s Albert Breer, Danny Amendola has been cleared to play and will play today against the rival Miami Dolphins.

Amendola is a big key to the game, because he has the ability to work a favorable matchup and have a big day moving the chains for this offense. Getting both Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola on the field for a key division matchup is huge for the Patriots, especially given how poor their offense was last week in Gronk’s debut. They have to be able to throw the football well, because that’s honestly how they are going to beat the Dolphins. While the Dolphins have a pair of All-Pro talents in the secondary in Reshad Jones and Brent Grimes, they also lack depth.

Tom Brady needs to be about as sharp as he was in Week 4 or 6, and the Patriots need steady contributions from a few receivers to win. Ryan Tannehill is clicking on the other side, so the Patriots need to be able to keep up  the pace on offense. It’s great to hear that Amendola is back in the fold, but the obvious worry is that he’ll just go down again anyway.

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