Three Studs and five Duds From Patriots’ Gross Loss To the Giants

The Patriots came off the bye week to a similar product they’ve been delivering. A loss. This time, it was to undrafted quarterback Tommy DeVito and the 3-8 New York Giants this time. The Patriots have minimal room for error, and three turnovers won’t cut it.

Four times. The Patriots have benched former first-round pick Mac Jones four times this season, and today might have been the end of the road for the quarterback. After a miserable first half full of erratic throws and shoddy decisions, the Patriots decided to pull the plug on Jones, benching him at halftime.

The former Alabama quarterback wasn’t guaranteed to start on Sunday, and it was only reported Saturday night that Jones would remain the starter. Now, the Patriots have another decision to make leading into the Chargers game on Sunday. 

Before we dive deep into the Patriots’ roster, let’s look at the three studs and five duds from the Patriots’ 10-7 defeat in East Rutherford. 

Studs

RB Rhamondre Stevenson

Rhamondre Stevenson has continued his strong development and is consistently one of the Patriots top performers every week. Stevenson recorded 21 carries for 98 yards, a touchdown, and five catches for nine yards on Sunday. It’s hard to imagine where the Patriot’s offense would be without the third-year back. The broadcast said the Patriots should’ve run the ball more often, and they have a point; between Stevenson and Elliot, they ran for 144 yards on 30 combined carries. 

DL Christian Barmore

Moving on to the defensive side of the ball, Christian Barmore tallied one sack, two tackles, and a deflected pass. Barmore heavily influenced the pass rush success and racked up multiple pressures. Barmore has been injured for a portion of his career, but the third-year defensive tackle is on track to have the best five-game stretch of his NFL career.

S Jabrill Peppers

The hot streak continues. Jabrill Peppers has been arguably the strongest Patriots defender this season and recorded another fumble recovery against the Giants. Peppers also totaled a sack and three tackles. The veteran will be a free agent in the offseason, and it’ll be wise for the Patriots to re-sign the safety for another season. 

Honorable mentions: NA, NA, P Bryce Baringer 

Duds

QB Mac Jones

Patriots fans thought it was rock bottom when they fell to 1-7 on the season, then they thought it was rock bottom when the Patriots lost to Commanders, and finally, they thought it was rock bottom after the Patriots lost 10-6 to the Colts. Yet, on Sunday, Mac Jones threw multiple interceptions and questionable passes against the 28th-ranked defense in the league. The young quarterback’s confidence is gone, and he continues to botch the fundamentals when throwing the football. Jones struggled immensely, registering 82 yards while throwing zero touchdowns and two interceptions with a 57% (12/21) completion rate.

QB Bailey Zappe

Throughout the season, backup quarterback Bailey Zappe has had several chances to overtake Mac Jones as QB1, but the second-year quarterback has come up short every time. Against the Giants, Zappe led one efficient drive where he drove the Patriots down the field for their only game score. Zappe went 6-6 on the drive with passes to three pass catchers. However, like Jones, Zappe threw an interception of his own on a terrible throw. We’ll see what happens at practice this week, but Bailey Zappe is trending toward becoming the Patriot’s full-time quarterback. What. A. Mess.

K Chad Ryland

Ryland finds himself on the dud list after missing a game-tying field goal. It’s important to recognize his demeanor in the locker room after the game, as he didn’t make any excuses. After the game, Ryland spoke to the media, taking full responsibility for the missed field goal, which would have sent the game to overtime. The snap and hold were both good, but Ryland shanked the ball left. The former fourth-rounder has had a rollercoaster-type season. In the preseason, Ryland barely had any action, which translated to a rough start. 

The former Maryland kicker has only made 66.7% (12/18) of his field goals this season. The Patriots made a questionable decision to move on from veteran Nick Folk during the summer. Folk has been near perfect in Tennessee as the decision to move on from the veteran backfired for the Patriots.

The Hunter Henry

On paper, Hunter Henry is one of the most talented skill players on the offensive side of the ball. But similar to Mac Jones, since 2021, Henry has regressed. It’s impossible to just blame Henry for his lack of production, but it begs the question, why was 2021 the anomaly? Again, the veteran tight end is a tight end on the offense, but he’s struggled in recent weeks. In East Rutherford, Henry didn’t have any catches or targets. 

Bill Belichick 

The week leading up to the game was surrounded by questions about the quarterback’s room situation, which Belichick declined to answer. Not telling the fans or media who the starting quarterback is is one thing, but not telling the team who you plan on starting is different. Now, let’s talk about the actual game. The Patriots decided to punt from the Giant’s 37-yard line in the first half AND punt on a fourth-and-one around midfield. Against the 32nd-ranked offense in the NFL? Really? The discipline and lack of talent are poor, and Bill Belichick is at its helm.

Honorable mentions: CB Jonathan Jones, CB J.C. Jackson, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR Tyquan Thornton Three Studs, Three Duds From Patriots’ Gross Loss To Commanders