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Ups & Downs

Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 9 vs Indianapolis

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Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots improved to 5-4 on the year after a sorry Colts team was put out to pasture at the hands of the Pats’ defense and special teams units. Here are the ups & downs from week 9!

Ups ⬆️

Matt Judon

Mr. Sleeves continued his reign of dominance yesterday, securing 3 sacks on poor Sam Ehlinger, taking his season sack total to 11.5, a current league-best! Judon has been incredible this season, and he continues to spearhead the pass-rush attack. Is he on pace to be DPOTY?

Josh Uche

The Patriots recorded 9 sacks in total yesterday, the highest in a game since 2001, equaling the franchise record. Josh Uche played his part in that total, by securing 3 sacks in one game, a career-best for the third-year linebacker. While this was against a lesser Colts offensive front than we’ve seen in recent years, it’s great to see Uche getting some production.

Marcus Jones

The rookie had another solid game on return duty, with 1 kick return for 34 yards and 3 punts averaging 11.3 yards. In a time where the Pats’ offense is struggling to move the ball consistently, getting good field position by any means is a priority, Jones has played his part in that so far this season, and again yesterday.

Jonathan Jones

Wow, what a game for Jon Jones! He blocked a punt which led to the Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown before picking off Sam Ehlinger and returning it for a 15-yard pick-6 touchdown. Jones will be a free agent after the season, he’s certainly making a case for a new deal with the team.

Nick Folk

Whilst I don’t like the reliance the team puts on Folk, he was money again yesterday, 2/2 XP & 4/4 on field goals. The 38-year-old continues to enjoy the twilight of his career in New England.

Downs ⬇️

The Offensive Line

Boy, where to start? The issues with the line continue, and it really isn’t helping out Mac Jones, who’s working through his own adversity at the minute. One note of concern is Cole Strange. He’s in deep space right now without David Andrews, he found himself being rotated out for Isaiah Wynn at guard, which managed to patch the leaks somewhat.

I’m not sure what the answer is to fix the issues completely, but getting David Andrews back would be a start, the team has missed him terribly.

Jakobi Meyers

He makes the list for his uncharacteristic fumble on what was an otherwise ok performance. Meyers caught 5/6 targets for 42 yards.

Jake Bailey

Something is off with Bailey, his punts this year have been all over the place, some good, some bad, some terrible. The team brought in some veteran punters last week which may work to get him back on track, but I’ve been quite disappointed in his performances, especially yesterday.

Kendrick Bourne

Like Meyers, Bourne makes the list for his fumble, which was probably worse than Jakobi’s, but fortunately, Bourne’s blushes were saved by a good J.J. Taylor recovery.

Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 8 vs NY Jets

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Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The Patriots extended their winning streak over the Jets to 13 games yesterday, with it being almost seven years since they last lost to their divisional rivals in December 2015!

The team struggled on offense, but, by hook or by crook, they travelled back to New England with a win to take them to 4-4 on the season.

Ups ⬆️

Rhamondre Stevenson

Stevenson has really been the life of this struggling Patriots offense by literally picking up the team and carrying it on his back. Rhamondre didn’t find the endzone, but he had 143 scrimmage yards, pretty much splitting half on the ground, half in the air. He’s been the team’s best offensive weapon so far, a big up!

Jakobi Meyers

In a close second behind Stevenson as the team’s best weapon, Meyers continued to be the only successful receiving outlet for Mac Jones as he pulled in 9/12 catches – 60 YDS – 1 TD. Meyers is the Pats’ leading receiver with 415 YDS through 8 weeks which is certainly putting up a strong argument for a new deal with the team.

Nick Folk

As he’s done in many games, Nick Folk was both vital and perfect for the Patriots yesterday, converting 1/1 XP & 5/5 FG – It’s easy to under-estimate the value of a good kicker, Folk is 17/17 on extra points for the year, and 15/17 on field goals.

Devin McCourty

What a day for Dmac! He snagged two picks from Zach Wilson to make him the current NFL-active career interception leader with 32. To be honest, both picks were more Wilson being utterly horrible rather than Dmac doing anything special, but, the future Patriots Hall of Famer was there to earn two big turnovers.

Downs ⬇️

The Offensive Line

The line really struggled yesterday, Marcus Cannon had a torrid time at right tackle, Cole Strange was benched, and the gap left by David Andrews at center was evident. If the team wants to give Mac Jones every chance of succeeding as the franchise QB, they have to show more in the blocking game.

Mac Jones

Mac wasn’t horrendous, and maybe he’s settling back in to his first full game since Week 3, but, he has to be better. He looked indecisive at times yesterday and was bailed out on a few occasions by some interesting penalties. Jones was also left out to dry by his line which didn’t make things any easier for him.

Mac has had a whirlwind last few weeks, but Bill came to his defense post game with some supportive comments, I just hope #10 can kick on and find some of the form he had in his rookie year.

Big game against the Colts on Sunday! LFG!

Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 6 vs Cleveland

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Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots are officially 3-3 after a great road win in Cleveland! Here are the Ups & Downs from yesterday’s win!

Ups ⬆️

Bailey Zappe

Wow! Are we seeing the emergence of a serious contender for Mac’s position as starting QB for the Patriots? Alright, maybe not quite yet, but the kid has seriously asked some questions for Bill Belichick to answer over the next week or so.

Zappe had a perfect game yesterday, completing 24/34 passes for 309 YDS and 2 TDs, and some of the throws were excellent. Now, I won’t lie about the fact that I am a big Mac Jones fan, and I still honestly think that Mac is the clear starter for this team, but, I think he is on a shorter leash when he returns from injury and I now think Bill knows he has a valid option at backup and potentially a future starter.

Kyle Dugger

Another solid game for Dugger yesterday, I saw him blowing up the backfield with some big hits, and he also secured an early interception which put the Browns on the backfoot from the off. A huge up for him!

Tyquan Thornton

The rookie scored his first receiving and rushing touchdowns in the same game, and boy did he look good out there. I don’t think we’ve really seen the express speed that Thornton has, but I think that is coming, both scores were totally different but confirmed my thoughts that he can be used in a variety of ways.

Let’s just try not to get him killed! Great game for the kid.

Rhamondre Stevenson

19 carries for 76 YDS and 2 TDs in a strong day once more for Stevenson on the ground. With no Damien Harris, Rhamondre really took on the responsibility in what was a difficult game for him at times to get the run game moving. He continues to impress.

Deatrich Wise Jr.

After a couple of quiet weeks, Wise was back on form, being a huge disruption for the Cleveland offensive line, he recorded his fifth sack of the season, en route to limiting Nick Chubb on the ground and forcing Jacoby Brissett into mistakes.

Downs ⬇️

I’ll defer again on downs as I thought this was a really solid win, but, there are for sure some honorable mentions, including Isaiah Wynn and the overall penalties given up by the team. But, for today, I’ll let them lie following a good victory.

LFG NEXT MONDAY!

Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 5 vs Detroit

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Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images

Wow, those throwback red jerseys are something, right? The Patriots brushed aside the Detroit Lions at Gillette Stadium in a convincing 29-0 victory, improving their record to 2-3 on the season. Here are the Ups & Downs from yesterday’s win!

Ups ⬆️

Rhamondre Stevenson

A career day for Stevenson, who had to carry the load after Damien Harris was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

He finished with 25 touches for 165 yards on the ground, a stunning, wrecking ball game from the second year player, who I think is really beginning to grow into a star on this team.

Jakobi Meyers

Extend this man, please! Jakobi Meyers once again played the star role of safety blanket for the Patriots QB, hauling in countless must have it conversions on his way to 7 catches for 111 YDS and 1 TD.

The touchdown was particularly pleasing, as it was his first of the season, and only third of his entire career. I really hope the team priorities a new contract for Meyers, as boy, he’s earned it.

Bailey Zappe

The kid done good! Zappe did what he was asked, his stats were nothing of note, but, he took care of the ball, barring the interception that was totally on Nelson Agholor.

With another week of uncertainty regarding Mac Jones’ injury, I’m a bit more comfortable with what I’ve seen out of the rookie, I’d much prefer the starter out there, but only when he’s healthy. A good first start in the NFL for ZAP ATTACK!

Matthew Judon

Judon’s storming start to the season just rolls on as he had another exceptional game yesterday. Mr red sleeves (who punked us all with blue sleeves pre-game, before changing into his traditionals) almost single-handidly dismantled Jarrod Goff.

Judon recorded 2 sacks, one of which was a strip, which led to Kyle Dugger returning it to the house. Another excellent solo game, he’s been the best defensive player so far.

Jack Jones

Another promising game for the rookie, topped with a great interception to double his tally for the season. Jones has shown ballhawk similarities early on to a certain Mr INT (J.C. Jackson), and boy am I excited to see how the rest of his season pans out. A big up!

Nick Folk

Big kick Nick, back again with a 100% game – 2/2 XP and 5/5 FGs.

As if I expected any less, he’s as steady as they come, and scored 17 points himself. Legend.

Kyle Dugger

Aside from his huge 59-yard scoop and score touchdown, I thought Dugger had a solid game in coverage, particularly on Hockenson, who wasn’t able to do anything. Dugger is a key player for the Pats on defense these days, and it’s certainly felt when he’s not on the field.

Downs ⬇️

No downs today, sure I could probably scrape a few together, but I was really impressed by the entire team yesterday. For this week, we’ll be ups alone.

Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 4 vs Green Bay

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AP Photo/Mike Roemer

The Patriots came out of Green Bay 1-3 on the season following another defeat, but they sure didn’t go down without a fight. Here are the Ups & Downs from yesterday’s loss to the Packers.

Ups ⬆️

Jack Jones

The player of the game, without a doubt. What a debut start for Jones, he forced and recovered a fumble, then shocked Aaron Rodgers with a pick-6!

Not without allowing a few plays, but a fantastic performance by the rookie, showing that he certainly has a nose for the ball. I can’t wait to see how he progresses from here.

Bailey Zappe

What a debut game for the young kid, a week ago he was preparing to be the backup following the injury to Mac Jones, then, late in the first quarter Brian Hoyer leaves the game with a concussion, and in came the rookie.

Zappe looked calm in the pocket and finished his first-ever game 10/15, 99 YDS -1 TD.

The rookie didn’t play like a future Hall Of Famer, but he also didn’t get in the way of the Patriots winning, he did everything he could to try and get a result and earned a lot of well-deserved props for doing so.

He might get his first career start next week.

Damien Harris & Rhamondre Stevenson

The tandem backs had another solid outing, combing for 152 yards and a touchdown on the ground (Harris 86 YDS – 1 TD / Stevenson 66 YDS).

You could make an argument that Stevenson was the stronger runner on the day, but both were key to the success on the ground which really supplemented the team’s lack of experience at QB.

Matthew Judon

Another strong game for Mr Red Sleeves, Matt Judon. He was a troubling presence for Elgton Jenkins at RT for the Packers and picked up his 4th sack of the season as the defense really helped stall the Green Bay passing attack for large portions of the game.

A well-deserved place on the up list.

Marcus Jones

FINALLY, MARCUS JONES IS RETURNING KICKS. Our prayers were answered and you can see the rewards already with how Jones carries the ball and the threat he poses on return duty.

On his 4 kickoff returns, he averaged 27.2 yards per return with a long of 37, and 24.5 yards on the 2 punts he brought back, with a long of 29.

Downs ⬇️

Isaiah Wynn

This may well be it for Isaiah Wynn, he was benched for Marcus Cannon following missed blocks and more inexcusable penalties. One of the missed blocks was the hit that forced Hoyer out of the game with a concussion.

I hate to pile on a guy, but it’s been a slow decline of disappointment and this may be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back for his future in New England.

Jonathan Jones

I felt it was a rough day in coverage for Jones yesterday on the few plays the Packers made in the passing game. Jones is the Pats’ starting corner, but against Allen Lazard, who is not an NFL star player, he gave up 6/116 YDS. He has to be better.

Run Defense

The defensive front let the Packers rush for just shy of 200 yards alone on the ground yesterday. Aaron Jones rushed for 110 yards himself at a little over 7 yards a carry.

The success on the run game really allowed a Packers team to keep within winning distance in a game they quite frankly deserved to lose. The defense as a whole wasn’t bad, but as a unit, these were.

Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 3 vs Baltimore

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Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

A fun game to watch yesterday, unfortunately, ended in crushing fashion. Concerns now turn to Mac Jones following his serious injury late in the game. Until we know more, here are the Ups & Downs from yesterday’s loss to the Ravens.

Ups ⬆️

DeVante Parker

With Jakobi Meyers missing through injury, this game was a chance for Parker to break out and show off what many were excited about during Training Camp. And boy did he do just that.

Mac targeted #1 a game-high 10 times, with Parker bringing in 5 of them for a rousing 156 yards, certainly an inspiring performance, especially the play below where he showed off some superior skill.

Deatrich Wise Jr.

This was a storming game for Wise, he recorded 3 sacks and 4 TFL, almost single-handily keeping the Patriots in the game. Alongside Matt Judon, who’s been playing really well in his own right, Wise has really transformed into a big playmaker so far this season.

The newly-elected captain led from the front. A big UP!

Jonathan Jones

A solid game for Jones as he continues his tenure as CB1, a pick and a forced fumble place him firmly on the UP list.

Running Backs

I thought both Harris and Stevenson played really well yesterday, both bagged touchdowns and were productive on the ground throughout. We really need to see this partnership blossom even more, especially if the passing game lessens even further.

Downs ⬇️

Mac Jones

Any time your QB throws 3 picks and 0 TDs, they’re going to be on the down list. Mac looked improved in some areas, and worse in others, namely, his decision-making. On all of the interceptions, it seemed he was forcing the ball to Parker every time.

Then came his injury at the end of the game which is really troublesome, reports confirm it’s likely a severe high ankle sprain, with all options of recovery still on the table.

Nelson Agholor

The cardinal sin as a Patriots player, committing a turnover. Agholor fumbled for the second time this season and it completely deflated what was left in the offensive attack.

Myles Bryant

Another close miss for Bryant in punt duty, I just don’t get why the rookie Marcus Jones isn’t getting a go back there. Although it didn’t cost them, the error and Bryant’s below-par day in coverage lands him on my down list.

Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 2 vs Pittsburgh

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Joe Sargent/Getty Images

A massive win in Pittsburgh brought the Patriots’ record on the season to .500 at 1-1. Let’s take a look at the ups & downs from week 2!

Ups ⬆️

Nelson Agholor

A much better week for Agholor who was on the down list following his late-game fumble against Miami last Sunday. He finished with 6 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, of which was a brilliant grab high up above the Steelers defender, before running it in.

Something which most of us thought Parker would be doing, Agholor decided to do instead, a great contest catch and score which was a huge point in the game.

Jakobi Meyers

Safety blanket Jakobi Meyers was at it again this week, hauling in 9 catches for 95 yards. For me, he’s been the most important cog in the offense so far this season, without him out there, I worry how the team will move the chains, another good week for #16.

Matthew Judon

Judon had a solid time out there on Sunday, he recorded a sack and also made a big play in coverage, breaking up a pass that was intended for Najee Harris. Judon’s performances tapered off last year down the stretch, but if he can keep a consistent level going this season, it will be huge for the Pats.

Brenden Schooler

The UDFA special teamer made a play against former-Patriots All-Pro Gunner Olszewski muffed a punt, allowing Schooler to recover for an important takeaway.

The Offensive Line

A much better week from the line, who seemed more on the same page, allowing the offense to get some drives together. More noticeably, Cole Strange was making so big blocks against Cam Hayward which stuck out to me, I wanna see more of that! Not the finished article by any stretch, but a note of improvement for the unit.

Downs ⬇️

Mac Jones

It was better, but still not good enough for our starting QB. Mac looked at times indecisive and then too decisive to the point of choosing a player to throw to prior to snapping the ball it seemed. The pre-snap penalties were killers, for which he must shoulder some blame.

The interception was a poorly thrown ball and right now he just doesn’t look as comfortable as he did last year. I have faith that he’ll turn things around and I think he has the ability to do so, but not good enough again.

Myles Bryant

A very weird scenario on his punt return, nearly costing the Patriots a possession. What an ugly play. I think we’ll see someone else fielding punts next week, perhaps rookie Marcus Jones?

Big game coming up this weekend against Baltimore, LFG!