FOXBOROUGH — Patriots running back Brandon Bolden hasn’t played since Oct. 14, leaving the game at Seattle with a knee injury that has kept him off the practice and game fields ever since.

He won’t be able to return now until Dec. 3 at the earliest, even if his knee improves. Bolden, a rookie from Mississippi, was suspended four games by the NFL on Friday for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.