Greg Bedard of BostonSportsJournal.com joined Felger and Mazz on Tuesday! Bedard gave his Three up and Three down for the New England Patriots following their 15-10 win over the New York Jets on Sunday in New York!
3 UP
Christian Barmore
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: Zach Wilson of the New York Jets is pressured by Christian Barmore of the New England Patriots during the game at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 24, 2023. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: Defensive tackle Christian Barmore. I thought he was outstanding in this game. Controlled the middle. He had six impactful plays. His first extended playing time in a long time. I want to see more of Barmore. He took a real big step in this game.
Ja’Whaun Bentley
Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, AZ: New England Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Greg Bedard: Ja’Whaun Bentley. The Patriots had to make the Patriots the Jets one dimensional. And while the Patriots were certainly aggressive because they could be against Wilson, I thought Bentley was excellent with his run fits and you know was a real pain in the ass for the running game.
David Andrews
Dec. 6, 2020; Inglewood, CA: New England Patriots center David Andrews points to the Los Angeles Chargers defense during a game at SoFi Stadium. (Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports)
Greg Bedard: David Andrews. Clean sheet again. He’s been outstanding to start the season.
Bonus: Grading the performance of Mac Jones
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 24: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots calls out orders during the first half of a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 24, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Felger: Give me a grade for Mac Jones.
Greg Bedard: I would say B-minus. I thought he was really good in the first half but for whatever reason, it didn’t work in the second half. I had him for five plus play and two minus plays in the first half. One plus play and two minus plays in the second half. I didn’t like the Demario Douglas pass. First of all, that should have been a touchdown. Demario had to step on him. I don’t know whether he ran the right route or not, but Mac’s footwork was terrible on that play. He was basically pointing at the sideline, threw it off his back foot, like if he’s ready to throw there, you know, he snaps it in there and it’s a touchdown.
3 Down
Joe Cardona
Sep 18, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona (49) takes the field to warm up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Bedard: Joe Cardona. Second highest rated long snapper. He blew six points with two bad snaps.
Cole Strange
Jul 26, 2023; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots guard Cole Strange (69) makes his way to the practice fields for training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Bedard: Cole Strange. Two and a half hits. Three and a half pressures. Two run stuffs in 44 snaps. I know it’s a tough matchup, but they need better out of him.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 24: JuJu Smith-Schuster #7 of the New England Patriots runs for a first down in the second quarter of a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 24, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: JuJu Smith-Schuster. I thought he was terrible in this game. He had a penalty, a dumb penalty. He had a route earlier in the game where he gave questionable effort coming off the line. He doesn’t know who he is. He’s not in sync with his quarterback. They have got to figure something out.
Bonus: What’s up with the running backs?
Sept. 24, 2023; East Rutherford, NJ: New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson runs against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. (Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)
Felger: Greg, give me a second on Ezekiel Elliott and Rhamondre Stevenson. What’s wrong with Rhamondre Stevenson?
Greg Bedard: So to me, I don’t like the rotation. I don’t like the every other series. I think that Stevenson is a guy who at least right now going into the season, probably because he got so much volume last year once Damien Harris went down, he needs more action to get into the game to get his rhythm. I would be a proponent of playing Stevenson in the first two series and then getting Zeke into the game, and then you’re sort of going with the hot hand. But I think that Stephenson needs more carries to get going.
