FOXBOROUGH – When it rains, it pours.

While the Patriots offense – particularly Drake Maye – is struggling to find its rhythm, now the defense is going to have to defend a Josh Allen-led Bills team without two of its most important pieces on Sunday.

During his usual media availability after practice on Friday, Mike Vrabel confirmed that both Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore wouldn’t be suiting up in Orchard Park.

Barmore and Gonzalez both missed practice all week after getting injured in Jacksonville.

“Neither Christian will be up this week. Both those guys, [Christian] Barmore and Gonzalez, will be out,” Vrabel said. “That’ll be the only ones that will have an out designation. There will be some others listed as questionable later.”

Barmore’s absence may actually be felt more than Gonzalez in this one, considering how difficult stopping James Cook can be. Buffalo currently has the fourth-best running game in the NFL, averaging 155 yards per game with eight touchdowns on the ground, including six from Allen.

The Bills’ receivers have been hit or miss so far this season, which means guys like Carlton Davis III, Marcus Jones, Charles Woods and maybe even Channing Canada will need to step up. The Bills are ninth in passing yards per game (246.7).

“Well, again, that is just what the situation is. There’s nothing we can do about it,” Vrabel said when asked about a less-than-ideal spot heading into a massive divisional game without two major pieces on defense. “We can make sure that the guys that are playing are ready and that we continue to do the things that we know are going to help us. But that happens every week in the National Football League. I’m looking forward to seeing the guys that are going to play in there.

“I think Charles (Woods) will get some snaps in there. I think we’ll mix around some guys. Marcus [Jones] will play outside, inside a little bit. I think Karon’s [Prunty] done a really nice job on special teams and so if he’s asked to play on defense, he’ll be ready to go.”

Whoever it is, an already difficult task just got that much harder on Sunday for a Patriots team that desperately needs to win, or at the very least not get blown out and embarrassed again.