LANDOVER, Md. — Patriots safety Patrick Chung will miss his fifth consecutive game with a foot injury, and the Patriots' depth at safety will be tested once again.
The Patriots ruled out Chung, linebacker Brandon Spikes (knee), center Dan Connolly (groin) and running back Shane Vereen (hamstring) on Saturday night, which means they didn't travel with the team to Washington. New England previously ruled out right tackle Sebastian Vollmer (foot, back) for Sunday's game against the Redskins.
Chung's downgrade was surprising because he appeared to be making progress with the injury. The third-year safety was a game-time decision last week against the Colts, and he completed a quick, four-minute workout about two hours prior to that game, when he looked much better on the foot than he had in previous weeks. Plus, in the two weeks prior to the Colts game, Chung was ruled out the day before, so the workouts before the Colts game was a sign of improvement. Chung had participated in every practice on a limited basis for the last four weeks.
The Patriots also released Sterling Moore on Saturday, which leaves them with James Ihedigbo, Nate Jones, Matthew Slater and Sergio Brown on the depth chart at safety.
Spikes will also miss his fifth consecutive game, while Connolly will be out for the third game in a row. Nick McDonald made his first career start last week and received high compliments from Bill Belichick, so it looks like he'll be in there again.
Vereen's hamstring was a big issue during training camp, and it has resurfaced in recent weeks. He'll miss his second straight game.
Without Vollmer, rookie Nate Solder will make his seventh start of the season.
Rookie offensive lineman Marcus Cannon, who missed Friday's practice for non-injury reasons, was not ruled out, which means he made the trip to Washington. Cannon figures to be the backup tackle.
