New England Patriots rule Bryan Stork out

New England Patriots rookie center Bryan Stork earned his first start in Week 4, but he struggled along with most of his teammates in a drubbing at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs that set off a chain of reactions and hot takes. Yeah, we all know how that went. The Patriots bounced back a week later on another nationally televised game against another playoff team from last year, and they did it in blowout fashion themselves. Aside from Wallace Gilberry, who once played for the Chiefs, the Cincinnati Bengals touted defensive line couldn’t get to Tom Brady, and Stork did a nice job at center in his second career start, as he didn’t get beaten in pass pro by the likes of Geno Atkins.

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This week against the Buffalo Bills elite DT duo of Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus (as well as former MLB Brandon Spikes bearing down the middle), the Patriots won’t have the promising Stork. According to the NFL Network’s Albert Breer, he was unable to make the trip to Buffalo with the rest of the team, meaning that he has been officially ruled out of tomorrow’s rivalry contest.

It’s a tough blow for the Patriots, but they can get through it despite being less prepared to deal with the Bills biggest strength. Stork, a fourth-rounder out of Florida State, was unable to pass through the league’s mandatory concussion protocol, so his status is worth watching until he receives official clearance. Sadly, his absence means that the Pats will be forced to play Jordan Devey (he’ll likely start) in some capacity, and that’s a shame; Devey looked terrible when he was thrust onto the field as a starter.