The New England Patriots are limping their way into Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers. Not only has their roster been banged up, but they’re also coming off back-to-back losses to the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks.
Suddenly, the narrative surrounding the team has shifted from gleeful, new beginnings under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo to the same doom and gloom that befell them in Bill Belichick’s final season.
The good news is the defense has continued to fight despite being gutted with injuries, and rookie quarterback Drake Maye took his first regular-season snaps late in the fourth quarter against the Jets.
Hope isn’t dead for the rebuilding Patriots.
With that said, they have a giant task ahead of them in Sunday’s road game against the 49ers. Let’s take a look at who’s stock is up and who’s stock is down ahead of the matchup.
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The Patriots finally made more of an effort to get wide receiver DeMario Douglas involved on offense. He’s one of the few receivers on the roster capable of creating consistent separation, but he’s also one of the best playmakers with the ball in his hands. He can get yards after the catch and turn small chunk plays into huge gains.
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Bryce Baringer deserves his flowers for the incredible season he’s having so far. The Patriots’ punter has consistently flipped the field position in their favor. Even with the offense struggling, he’s giving the team a fighting chance by forcing opponents to go the length of the field to score points.
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The pass protection was atrocious for the Patriots in last Thursday’s loss to the Jets. Jacoby Brissett looked like a crash test dummy under center after being sacked five times in total. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye even ate two sacks on his one and only drive late in the fourth quarter. With seven sacks and 15 total quarterback hits, the Jets’ defense was slamming bodies around like an episode of WWE’s “Monday Night Raw.”
Injuries were clearly an issue for the Patriots in the game, but the problem for New England runs much deeper than that. Their personnel isn’t talented enough up front, and there’s no clear or certain fix for that issue at this juncture.
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With Marco Wilson on the inactive list, Alex Austin had a chance to prove…
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