The New England Patriots are 0-1 to start the 2023 regular season after a 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. Here are six players we graded “UP” or “DOWN” based on their performance in the game…
UP: QB Mac Jones
FOXBOROUGH, MA: Mac Jones of the New England Patriots attempts a pass during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 10, 2023. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Overall, probably not quite good enough by Jones to get the Patriots a win. Darius Slay’s pick-six was at least partially his fault, and he went 2-of-6 for 26 yards and two sacks on the team’s final two drives of the fourth quarter, with a chance to put the team ahead. But Jones did throw three touchdown passes, all in the red zone, to get them back in a game that was slipping away, and they were all pinpoint throws.
All-in-all, a good game by Jones, and better than most of what we saw in 2022.
DOWN: RB Ezekiel Elliott
FOXBOROUGH, MA: Mac Jones of the New England Patriots hands the ball off to Ezekiel Elliott during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 10, 2023. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Elliott’s first-quarter fumble, which came on literally the first offensive play after the pick-six, was a real back-breaker. The Eagles got the ball at the Pats’ 26-yard line and promptly scored a touchdown with a pass from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith, making it 16-0 at the time. New England essentially never fully recovered from that sequence.
The newcomer played reasonably well from there on out, totaling 29 rushing yards on seven carries and adding five catches for 14 yards. But he simply needs to protect the ball better. Ball security is job security, and Elliott won’t be getting the ball so much if he can’t keep it away from the other team.
UP: WR Kendrick Bourne
FOXBOROUGH, MA: Kendrick Bourne of the New England Patriots catches a touchdown pass in front of Justin Evans of the Philadelphia Eagles during a game at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 10, 2023. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Bourne had to work his way up to this point, because the pick-six was partially on him. The ball’s in your hands? As an NFL receiver, you’ve got to catch it. But Bourne was able to more than make up for the pick-six in his own right, catching two touchdowns and re-establishing himself as a go-to guy for Jones. Not a perfect game for Bourne by any means – he also needs to hold onto the ball better – but the positives outweighed the negatives.
DOWN: WR Kayshon Boutte
New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte rolls out of bounds with Eagles defender Josh Jobe on a fourth-quarter pass that was ruled incomplete after replay showed his foot out of bounds on what turned out to be the last play for the Patriots. (Syndication: The Providence Journal)
Boutte was targeted four times and ended up without a catch. But he was able to reel in two of those targets; problem is, he couldn’t get both his feet in bounds either time. The tougher one to swallow was on the Patriots’ last gasp in the fourth quarter, when he caught a well-placed ball by Jones but wasn’t even close to getting his second foot down. The rookie will have to learn the hard way from that and get his details down for next time.
UP: S Jabrill Peppers
FOXBOROUGH, MA: Jabrill Peppers of the New England Patriots and Jonathan Jones of the New England Patriots break up a pass intended for DeVonta Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles during a game at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 10, 2023. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Peppers made a potentially game-breaking play when he hit Hurts hard enough to knock the ball loose, which resulted in a fumble recovery by Marcus Jones. He quite literally gave Mac Jones and the offense a chance to win the game. He was having a good game up to that point, too. Peppers finished with a pass breakup, which was a near-interception that he ran across the entire field to make, and six total tackles.
DOWN: DE Deatrich Wise Jr.
FOXBOROUGH, MA: Deatrich Wise Jr. of the New England Patriots reacts after a defensive stop against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 1, 2023. (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
Wise committed two penalties, the first of which proved costly. He lined up offside when the Eagles botched a snap, turning third-and-long into a fresh set of downs. It set a bad tone for the game.
That’s it for Week 1. Next Patriots Ups & Downs come after the Pats play the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 at Gillette Stadium.
