The New England Patriots have a conundrum on their hands. They are an improved football team from last season, but they’re still sitting at 0-2 on the year ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the New York Jets.
A big reason for those struggles has been the hellacious regular season schedule. The Patriots faced two potential Super Bowl contenders right out of the gates in the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins.
Buy Patriots TicketsThey still lack explosive offensive talent, but other players have stepped up on both sides of the ball to give them a chance to compete and stay in games. Today, we’re taking a look at several players and checking in on their stock with the team heading into the Week 3 matchup with the Jets.
Who’s stock is up and who’s stock is down for the Patriots?
Stock up: CB Christian Gonzalez
There’s no question the Patriots made the right decision to take cornerback Christian Gonzalez at No. 17 in the 2023 NFL draft. The most shocking part is the fact that he was still even on the draft board for them to get in the first place.
Two games into the season, he has already been matched up with the likes of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. And he has held his own against every receiver.
He even received high praise from Hill, who is widely regarded as one of the best receivers in the game. Things won’t get any easier for Gonzalez with a matchup against Jets receiver Garrett Wilson next on the schedule, but given the way he’s played up to this point, it’s becoming harder each week to doubt him.
Stock down: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
The Patriots are still waiting for veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to take flight in the offense, but he has mostly sputtered on the field in two games.
It’s too soon to make this assumption, but it’s starting to seem like the Las Vegas Raiders made off like bandits with Jakobi Meyers, while the Patriots might have made a colossal mistake in thinking the grass would be greener with Smith-Schuster.
So far, Smith-Schuster has nine catches for 61 yards, which is the fifth-best on the team. There was a recent report that claimed he wasn’t even viewed internally as a top receiver for the Patriots at the moment. That doesn’t mean he can’t rise to the occasion and become everything New England hoped he’d be. But it’s obviously a bad sign right out of the gates.
Stock up: QB Mac Jones
Mac Jones is an easy scapegoat for everything wrong with the offense, but the truth is he’s been much-improved under center since Bill O’Brien took over.
Granted, it hasn’t all been perfect, but it isn’t his fault coach Bill Belichick still hasn’t delivered on the offensive weapons. You can’t blame the quarterback for the lingering offensive line issues, and it’s also not on him that the run game has been mostly stagnant since the start of the season.
Jones has given his team a chance to win both games against the Eagles and Dolphins with some incredible fourth quarter performances. Other Patriots players have to step up and make plays to get better results.
Stock down: OL Calvin Anderson
Right tackle always seemed like it would be an issue for the Patriots. Instead of drafting a high-end option at the position, they opted to put a Band-Aid on the problem by going out and signing a 34-year-old Riley Reiff.
Well, with Reiff currently on injured reserve, the team has been forced to turn to veteran Calvin Anderson, who clearly had a hard time holding up in pass protection against the Dolphins last week.
There’s a chance that Vederian Lowe ends up taking Anderson’s spot in Sunday’s game against the Jets. Pass protection will be pivotal in a game of field position with both teams having elite defenses.
Stock up: TE Hunter Henry
Mac Jones doesn’t have a lot of weapons, but he does have a playmaking tight end that continues to show up on the offensive stat sheet.
Hunter Henry has been the go-to target for the third-year quarterback. He currently leads all receivers with 11 receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns. His emergence is a big reason why the Patriots have been more effective in the red zone.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise considering offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien has a history of getting the most out of tight ends. That obviously has continued to be the case in New England with both Henry and Mike Gesicki making plays.
Stock up: LB Ja'Whaun Bentley
Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley doesn’t get the spotlight treatment as much as he deserves, but he always shows up on the stat sheet. He currently leads the Patriots defense with 15 total tackles, including one tackle for a loss.
This is a year where he’s clearly stepping up as more of a vocal leader on the roster. But he’s also leading by example through his play on the field.
The Patriots have prided themselves over the years by consistently having top-end talent at the linebacker position, and that still appears to be the case with a talented playmaker like Bentley on the team.
Stock up: LB Matthew Judon
We’re still waiting on that game-wrecking performance from Matthew Judon this season, but so far, he has remained a constant presence in the offensive backfield. He has a knack for getting to the quarterback and making plays for the Patriots defense.
In two games, he leads the team with two sacks and three tackles for a loss. That number could rise significantly in Sunday’s meeting with the Jets. He has had success against the team in recent years, and the Jets also just downgraded left tackle Duane Brown as out for the game.
That opens the door Judon to take over in ways that we’re used to seeing.
