Three Studs, Three Duds From Patriots’ Preseason Game Vs. Packers

The New England Patriots earned a 21-17 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, but much of the attention postgame and the days afterward will be on Isaiah Bolden.

The game was suspended with just over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter after the rookie cornerback was carted off due to an apparent head injury. Bolden’s helmet made contact with teammate Calvin Munson.

Cameras caught Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, special teamer Matthew Slater and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur conversing as Bolden was being loaded onto a stretcher. Shortly afterward the game was called.

Mac Jones got the start for New England and made it through three plays in the second quarter. His night ended with a strip-sack by Kingsley Enagbare, who blew by left tackle Andrew Stueber. Jones played well, completing six of nine passes for 52 yards, but he should’ve had more. DeVante Parker failed to haul in a deep pass that was perfectly thrown by the third-year quarterback.

On the other side, Jordan Love started for the Packers and completed five of eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Jones and Love also rushed for 4 and 11 yards, respectively.

The Patriots now will turn their focus to next week then they’ll visit the Tennessee Titans for more joint practices and a preseason matchup. After that, New England will begin preparation for its Sept. 10 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Here are three studs and three studs from the Patriots’ game in Green Bay:

STUDS
WR Kendrick Bourne
Bourne was very impressive during his limited playing time. He caught three passes for 34 yards, including a great leaping grab for 17 yards, and delivered multiple impressive blocks in the running game. The Patriots offense is so much more dangerous when he’s involved and engaged.

RB Rhamondre Stevenson
We thought about giving this spot to J.J. Taylor, who looked great in the second half and finished with 56 total yards. Taylor might be the shiftiest player on the roster, and he always seems to impress when given extended opportunities. Nevertheless, we went with Stevenson, who showed good power on his touchdown run and high-end ability on his 23-yard scamper in the first quarter. He looks primed for a huge season.

QB Mac Jones
Jones had a bad miss throw to Hunter Henry but otherwise looked good despite dealing with a patchwork offensive line. He made a few nice throws, showed good command of the offense and stood tall in the pocket. New England’s lucky he didn’t suffer an injury on the strip-sack that ended his night.

Honorable mentions: Bryce Baringer, J.J. Taylor, Jalen Mills, Kayshon Boutte, Demario Douglas, Christian Gonzalez

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DUDS
Young tackles
It’s not necessarily their fault, as neither Stueber nor Sidy Sow is ready to be playing tackle in front of an NFL franchise quarterback. Still, both gave up bad sacks that put Jones in danger, with Stueber giving up the sack that resulted in a fumble recovery for the Packers. Sow made a nice block on the previous drive, so we don’t want to be too harsh. But it’s looking more and more like he’s in line to be the Week 1 starter at right tackle, and he needs to be better.

DL Sam Roberts
Roberts lands on this list for a couple of inexcusable penalties, particularly the unnecessary roughness he committed on Love. Roberts, the 200th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has all the physical traits to be an impact defensive lineman, but he’s not going to make this team if he keeps committing mental errors.

WR/QB Malik Cunningham
After excelling in the preseason opener, Cunningham was a non-story in Green Bay. He didn’t see any reps at quarterback and failed to register a catch on his five targets. The undrafted Louisville product looked raw at receiver, and it’s hard to imagine he’d make the roster at receiver over someone like Kayshon Boutte, who continues to trend upward. With Tyquan Thornton reportedly “week-to-week” due to a shoulder injury, Cunningham needs to start making the most of his opportunities.

Honorable mentions: Bailey Zappe, Josh Uche, Joshuah Bledsoe, Shaun Wade, Isaiah Bolden