Three studs and three duds from the Patriots Week 18 finale

That’s it for the 2023 New England Patriots. The team dropped their regular-season finale to the New York Jets by a score of 17-3. It was a disastrous game for the offense, which struggled to get anything going in the air or on the ground.

The Jets outscored the Patriots 254 to 120 yards, and Bailey Zappe could only manage 88 yards. The second-year quarterback mustered 12 completions and recorded two interceptions. On the flip side, Jalen Reagor made all sorts of plays for the Patriots in Week 18, including hauling a 33-yard reception.

Trevor Siemian and the Jets were more productive in Foxboro. Siemian went 8-for-20, throwing for 70 yards and a touchdown. Breece Hall was arguably the best player on the field for the Jets, registering 178 yards on 37 carries.

Regardless, the Patriots 15-game winning streak against the Jets has come to an end.

Here are three studs and three duds from Week 18:

Studs

RB Ezekiel Elliott

Ezekiel Elliott has been nothing short of dominant for the Patriots this season. With Rhamondre Stevenson suffering a season-ending injury in Week 14, Elliott had to pick up the workload. Since taking over as RB1, he has been one of Bailey Zappe’s most trusted targets. Although the running back didn’t earn his $300k bonus, he totaled 54 yards on 13 carries and added 54 yards in the receiving game. The 28-year-old will now hit free agency for the second time in his career.

DB Alex Austin

Rookie cornerback Alex Austin has been a surprising bright spot for the Patriots this season. The team signed the former seventh-round pick in November. Last week, Austin had a stand-out interception, and this week, he had two pass deflections. Despite only being around with the Patriots for two months, he has given the Patriots a reason why he should be kept around long-term.

LB Anfernee Jennings

Linebacker Anfernee Jennings had a rough start to the season as he was inactive for the first two contests. Ever since then, Jennings has been making massive strides every week. The fourth-year veteran continued his elite run defense against the Jets, recording seven tackles and one QB hit. In the last few weeks, Jennings has been battling injuries, but he’s played through all of them.

“If I can walk, I can play,” Jennings told the media. “I mean, my mentality is, every opportunity I get to take the field, if I feel I can go out there and do my job, then I’m going to do it.”

Duds

QB Bailey Zappe

Starting with the quarterback, Bailey Zappe didn’t accomplish much against the Jets. He admitted earlier in the week that he hasn’t had much experience playing in harsh weather conditions, which showed on Sunday. Too often, Zappe missed an open receiver or couldn’t maneuver through the open pocket. He could have finished with six plus interceptions.

Offensive line

It was a rough performance for the Patriots offensive line. Rookie guard Jake Andrews started at LG in place of Atonio Mafi. The group let up seven sacks, five of which came on third down. The Patriots’ offensive line has struggled and hasn’t seen much success this year. Other than David Andrews, all other starters have had a tough time keeping the quarterback clean in the pocket. There’s no question the team will be looking for a quality tackle in the offseason.

Receiver group

Only one receiver had more than one catch. That receiver – DeMario Douglas who caught two passes for 13 yards. It wasn’t a pretty performance for the group, who totaled 12 receptions. The only Patriots wideout who played well in the snow was Jalen Reagor who had a huge 33-yard catch in the first half. The Patriots will have a lot of questions to answer on the offensive side of the ball this season.