Patriots defense missing sack leader ahead of Broncos’ AFC Championship

The New England Patriots are one win away from reaching the Super Bowl for a record 12th time. Standing in their way is the Denver Broncos, a team that has given the Patriots plenty of problems over the years.

On Wednesday, both teams practiced for the first time in preparation for the AFC Championship. Afterwards, it was revealed that New England’s defense faces some serious questions.

Harold Landry, the veteran linebacker who led the team with 8.5 sacks in 2025, did not participate in practice. Meanwhile, fellow veteran CB Carlton Davis practiced in a limited capacity, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The latter is dealing with a concussion sustained in the Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans. That is at least a good sign that Davis may play vs. the Broncos. But he will still need to clear the league’s concussion protocol.

Landry has been dealing with a knee injury for a few weeks. He managed to play through the injury during the first two playoff games, posting two tackles in each.

During the regular season, Landry was vital to New England’s success on defense. He led the team in sacks, quarterback pressures, and tackles for loss. The veteran edge rusher racked up 49 tackles as well.

The Patriots signed the seven-year veteran during the offseason. He spent the first six years of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Most of that time, his coach was Mike Vrabel. It stands to reason that Vrabel’s arrival as the Patriots’ coach this season brought about Landry’s presence.

Denver, on the other hand, had all 53 members from their active roster at practice on Wednesday. They are likely to get running back J.K. Dobbins off injured reserve as well.

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