Patriots get A.J. Brown back at practice but rule out three for Lions game in Munich

A.J. Brown is back on the practice field. The New England Patriots' top receiver was a limited participant Wednesday, his first practice in two weeks, before the team flew to Germany for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions in Munich. New England also ruled out three players before boarding the plane: running back TreVeyon Henderson, cornerback Carlton Davis III and guard/center Ben Brown, as SB Nation's Pats Pulpit reported.

Brown has been dealing with ankle and knee injuries since late October and sat out the last two games. MassLive reported that coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Brown will travel with the team, though whether he plays Sunday is still open. Davis and Ben Brown both hurt their knees in Sunday's loss to Green Bay. Henderson is listed with an illness on the official team report, and MassLive described it as a neurological issue.

The backfield is the bigger worry. With Henderson out, Rhamondre Stevenson also missed practice with a knee injury. He has not been ruled out, but MassLive noted a report that he could miss several weeks. Asked whether Stevenson might go on injured reserve, Vrabel said he would not speculate and showed little patience for more injury questions: "let's get past the injuries here." Fullback Reggie Gilliam was limited in his return to practice.

The rest of the list is long. Tight end Cameron Latu (back), offensive lineman Walter Rouse (concussion protocol) and safety Brenden Schooler (hamstring) did not practice. Safety Kevin Byard III, tight end Hunter Henry, tackle Morgan Moses, lineman Greg Van Roten and cornerback Charles Woods were all limited. Drake Maye practiced fully with a right shoulder listing. Detroit has injury questions of its own: Jared Goff (chest), Amon-Ra St. Brown (rib) and safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch were limited, while center Cade Mays, cornerback DJ Reed and running back Sione Vaki sat out.

What it means in Munich

New England is 5-4 and has alternated wins and losses over the last four games. The latest was a 45-27 loss to the Packers, the most points the defense has allowed all season. The Patriots are 2-3 away from Foxborough, with road wins at Buffalo and Miami and losses at Seattle, Jacksonville and Chicago. Over nine games they have scored 211 points and allowed 207, so this team has been close to even all year. Losing Davis right after a rough day for the secondary, and possibly playing without both of their top running backs, makes Brown's status the main question of the week.

The market lists the Lions as the home team and makes them 2.5-point favorites, the same line CBS Sports reported. Novig has Detroit at -141 on the moneyline and New England at +138. On the spread, Novig prices the Patriots at +2.5 at +113. The best number among the 12 venues on this site's board is Pinnacle's Patriots +3 at -113, so the venues are half a point apart, and that half-point lands on the key number of 3. The total is 51.5 on Novig, with the over at +108, while theScore Bet has 50.5 at -110. Sportsbook hold across the board runs from 3.0% to 5.5%. Full pricing is on the game page, and more coverage is on the Patriots team page.