The New England Patriots returned home after their disappointing Week 3 loss in Pittsburgh. This time, things went much differently. Behind a dominant defense, Drake Maye’s led the Patriots to their second victory of a the season. They demolished the Carolina Panthers, 42–13, at Gillette Stadium.
Mike Vrabel earned his first home win as head coach, and the Patriots rattled off 42 unanswered points after allowing an early touchdown. Marcus Jones was electric in the return game, Drake Maye spread the ball around with ease, and the defense kept Bryce Young off balance all afternoon.
This was the type of complete team performance New England has been searching for. Instead of turnovers and sloppy mistakes, the Patriots capitalized on every opportunity.
Here are my Studs and Duds from the Patriots’ Week 4 win over the Panthers:
Studs
QB Drake Maye
Maye was nearly flawless, tossing multiple touchdowns and even running one in himself on a bootleg. He distributed the ball to Stefon Diggs, Hunter Henry, Mack Hollins, and Kayshon Boutte while showing poise in the pocket. Maye finished with over 250 passing yards, three total touchdowns, and zero turnovers, easily one of the best games of his young career.
CB/PR Marcus Jones
Marcus Jones completely flipped the game’s momentum with his special-teams dominance. His 87-yard punt return touchdown got New England on the board after Carolina’s opening drive. Later, he added a 61-yard return that set up another Patriots score. His vision and speed made life miserable for Carolina’s coverage unit, and he reminded everyone why he’s one of the NFL’s most dangerous returners.
RB TreVeyon Henderson
The rookie running back continues to impress. Henderson punched in a rushing touchdown and added a handful of explosive gains to move the chains. He showed toughness between the tackles and speed on the edge, giving the offense a reliable complement to Antonio Gibson and Rhamondre Stevenson.
TE Hunter Henry
Henry was Maye’s safety blanket once again. His highlight was a 31-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter where he broke free on the move. Henry continues to climb the Patriots’ all-time tight end leaderboards and is quickly becoming Maye’s most trusted red-zone target.
WR Stefon Diggs
Diggs had his first 100-yard game in a Patriots uniform. His back-shoulder 30-yard grab on fourth down in the fourth quarter was vintage Diggs. He set the tone with multiple third-down conversions and drew plenty of attention that opened up opportunities for others.
Duds
RB Rhamondre Stevenson
Even in a blowout win, Stevenson’s struggles stood out. After two costly fumbles in Week 3, he got the start but was rotated heavily with Henderson and Gibson. While he ran hard, his workload and impact remain reduced, and it’s clear the coaching staff still doesn’t fully trust him.
LB Christian Elliss
Elliss lost his starting spot to Jack Gibbens early, and for good reason. Missed tackles and poor positioning have been a recurring problem. While the defense overall dominated, Elliss saw his snap count drop again. If his tackling doesn’t improve, he could continue to slide further down the depth chart.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 19-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Ben.BelfordPeltzman@gmail.com with any inquires.
