FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots will be without three key starters for Sunday's road game against the New York Jets, as receiver Danny Amendola and safeties Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty have been ruled out by the club.
Amendola left last Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans with a knee injury and was limited in practice all week. He had initially hurt his left knee Nov. 23 against the Buffalo Bills and missed the next game, a 30-23 loss to the Broncos.
The Pats are still without Julian Edelman, who is working his way back from breaking a bone in his left foot Nov. 15 against the New York Giants. He returned to practice Dec. 11 and has been limited since.
With both receivers sidelined, and fellow pass-catcher Brandon LaFell limited in practice all week with a foot injury, the team promoted receiver Chris Harper from the practice squad earlier Saturday. Harper joins LaFell and Keshawn Martin as the top receivers on the depth chart.
Chung, who injured his hip in last Sunday's win over Tennessee and has also been dealing with a nagging foot injury, will miss his first game of the season.
McCourty will miss his second straight game after sustaining a high ankle sprain Dec. 13 against the Houston Texans.
Third-year player Duron Harmon is expected to start in place of McCourty, while rookie Jordan Richards or four-year veteran Tavon Wilson are top options to fill in for Chung.
The Patriots have already clinched a first-round playoff bye. If they beat the Jets on Sunday, they will earn the AFC's top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.