The Patriots came into Super Bowl LIII without any significant injury issues on the 53-man roster, so their seven-man inactive list is made up entirely of healthy scratches.
The team announced the list a couple of hours ahead of kickoff in Atlanta. Tight end Stephen Anderson, offensive lineman James Ferentz, safety Obi Melifonwu, defensive lineman Ufomba Kamalu, defensive lineman Keionta Davis, defensive end Derek Rivers and defensive back Duke Dawson.
Melifonwu and Rivers were both active for the AFC Championship Game. Defensive tackle Danny Shelton and defensive end Deatrich Wise are active for the Super Bowl after sitting out that game.
There weren’t any surprise Patriots inactives announced prior to Super Bowl LII either, but head coach Bill Belichick did make the unexpected decision to keep cornerback Malcolm Butler off the field for all but one special teams snap in the 41-33 loss to the Eagles. We’ll find out in a little while if the team has made another late change to their usual lineup for this year’s final game.
