Patterson will have the unenviable task of facing Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning and his bevy of receivers in his first career start.
"I'm a competitor, and I'm going to feel like I can cover anybody," Patterson said. "So Kenny Britt was no exception, and this week will be no exception, and the rest of my career will be no exception. My mind-set week in and week out is that I feel confident that I can cover anybody."
What remained unclear is whether the change was permanent and whether it had anything to do with an unspecified injury to Hobbs, who did not practice. According to a team spokesman, Hobbs "went to see a doctor" on Monday. He was seen returning to the team's practice facility at midafternoon.
Although Eagles coach Andy Reid did not list Hobbs on his injury report the day following the loss to the Titans, some players and coaches said that Hobbs may have been playing through an injury as Britt continued to get open.
Hobbs never mentioned that he was injured when he spoke with reporters after the game. Reid and Hobbs were unavailable for comment on Monday.
Hobbs, acquired in an April 2009 draft-day deal, suffered a neck injury last November that ended his season. He had corrective surgery the following month and made a full return by the start of training camp.
Patterson, meanwhile, has played sparingly on defense this season and did fill in at cornerback the few times Sheldon Brown got injured last season. But this will be the first career start for the 27-year-old journeyman, who has been waived five times by three NFL teams.
