Tonga (foot) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Jets, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
The BYU product sustained a foot injury in the Week 16 win over the Ravens and logged consecutive DNPs to open the Patriots' week of practice, so it's no surprise that he won't play Sunday. Tonga has appeared in 14 games this season, recording 24 total tackles and two passes defensed. Expect Eric Gregory to operate as New England's top nose tackle while Tonga is out Week 17.