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AFC Championship Game 2014: New England Patriots don’t work out any new punters

By Josh Hill

Dec 29, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots helmets sit on the bench before their game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots helmets sit on the bench before their game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 29, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots helmets sit on the bench before their game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots helmets sit on the bench before their game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

The New England Patriots are preparing for their third AFC Championship game in as many years, but while they study film on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, there’s another question floating around Patriots practice that hasn’t yet been addressed.

Despite winning by a sizable margin against the Indianapolis Colts last week, the Patriots lost their punter Ryan Allen to a shoulder injury. This meant that kicker Stephen Gostkowski had to come in and punt the ball for the rest of the game.

Bill Belichick failed to elaborate on the status of Allen for Sunday’s AFC Championship game, but either Allen is getting better or the Patriots aren’t planning on punting a lot against the Broncos because New England did not work out any punters on Tuesday, There is still the possibility of some punters visiting practice later in the week, but the Patriots are clearly in no rush.

Either way, the New England will want to have a great punter on board for Sunday’s game, as Peyton Manning working with a short field is not a winning strategy. The Patriots already beat the Broncos once this season, but heading to Denver could prove to have a different outcome, especially if there’s not a punter to pin the Broncos as deep in their own territory as possible.