Patterson (ankle) remains questionable for Thursday's game against the Patriots and is being viewed as a game-time decision, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network relays that Atlanta's top running back appears unlikely to play. "It sounds like he was very, very limited in practice [this week]. ... It seems like an uphill battle [to play]," Rapoport said during a radio appearance on Sportsradio 93.7 WEEI-FM's Gresh & Keefe program.
Though Patterson was listed as a limited participant on each of Atlanta's three injury reports this week, he only got on the field Tuesday and Wednesday, as Monday's practice report was an estimate. According to Rapoport, the activity Patterson was able to do the past two days wasn't extensive, so the Falcons could be inclined to err on the side of caution and hold the 30-year-old out on a short week. A final word on Patterson's status should arrive when Atlanta releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to Thursday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff. If Patterson ultimately is sidelined, the Falcons likely would turn to Mike Davis and Wayne Gallman to share reps out of the backfield.