DENVER -- The Patriots have just announced that the only player on the injury report that has been downgraded for tomorrow's game against the Denver Broncos is safety James Sanders, who has been switched from questionable to out because of a shoulder injury.

An out designation the night before a game is usually an indication that the player did not make the trip with the team.

That means that linebacker Jerod Mayo, who was listed as questionable, made the trip with the team to Denver and could potentially play tomorrow against the Broncos.

Mayo has not played since he suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee during the first quarter of the Patriots' season-opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 14.

The return of Mayo, one of the team's two defensive captains, and the 2008 Defensive Rookie of the Year would be a big boost for the Patriots defense.

Sanders injured his shoulder last week in the Patriots' 27-21 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Brandon McGowan has started the last three games at safety, supplanting Sanders as the safety opposite Brandon Meriweather. However, Sanders had been used a lot in sub-packages. That role could now fall to rookie Patrick Chung.