Three Studs, Three Duds From Patriots’ Deflating Loss To Raiders

LAS VEGAS — The Patriots showed incremental signs of life Sunday, but ultimately suffered an uninspiring 21-17 loss to Josh McDaniels and the Raiders.

Mac Jones played the entire game, aside from ceding a few snaps to Malik Cunningham, and played reasonably well. However, he threw a bad interception in the first half and took a game-clinching safety in the closing moments.

Overall, Jones completed 24 of 33 passes for 200 yards and zero touchdowns to go along with the one pick. His job status for Week 7 remains unclear.

The Patriots probably should’ve won this game, especially when you consider Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t return for the second half due to a back injury. In his place, old friend Brian Hoyer completed 6 of 10 passes for 102 yards.

Rhamondre Stevenson led the way on the ground with 46 yards and a touchdown, while Kendrick Bourne finished with a team-high 89 receiving yards.

For the Raiders, Josh Jacobs ran for 77 yards while tight end Michael Mayer caught five balls for 75 yards. Former Patriot Jakobi Meyers hauled five of seven targets for 61 yards and a score.

Vegas posted 348 yards of total offense compared to 259 yards for New England. The first downs were 19-17 in favor of the Raiders.

The Patriots dropped to 1-5 with the loss. They also lost several more key players to injuries, with edge rushers Keion White and Josh Uche, tight end Hunter Henry, cornerback Jonathan Jones and Stevenson all going down. (Stevenson and Jones later returned.)

Here are three studs and three duds from a deflating loss in Sin City:

STUDS
S Jabrill Peppers
Had a solid game overall, especially against the run, but earned a spot on this list solely due to his bone-crunching hit on Davante Adams.

The @JabrillPeppers force, the Tavai INT.

📺: #NEvsLV on CBS pic.twitter.com/sX1leAzkSm

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 15, 2023

WR Kendrick Bourne
Was by far the Patriots’ best pass-catching weapon. Bourne finished the game with 10 catches on 11 targets for 89 yards while basically being the only receiver capable of getting open on a consistent basis. Bourne has been inconsistent this season, but this was his best game yet.

LB Jahlani Tavai
Finished with seven tackles and was one of the Patriots’ best defenders. Tavai might not be a great linebacker, but he’s rock-solid and now has played very well in three straight games. Sure, his unnecessary roughness penalty in the first half was a boneheaded play, but he made up for it by coming up with the interception after Peppers’ huge hit.

Honorable mentions: Ezekiel Elliott, Anfernee Jennings, Christian Barmore, Lawrence Guy

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DUDS
WR DeVante Parker
Only caught one ball for seven yards and gave the Patriots essentially nothing on a day that saw them down two of their top receivers. Most egregiously, Parker dropped a beautiful deep pass from Jones on the final drive. A catch would’ve put New England within striking distance of a victory.

OT Vederian Lowe
We could’ve put the entire offensive line here, but Lowe deserves a spot to himself. In the last three weeks, Lowe has played some of the worst right tackle we’ve seen in the Belichick era. He got absolutely worked by Maxx Crosby in this game and also committed a false start penalty. Do the Patriots really not have a better option?

Bill Belichick
In a must-win game, his team wasn’t ready to go. New England in the first 11 minutes committed five penalties, including two on offense, two on defense and one on special teams. There also was a drop and a sack. Overall, the Patriots were called for 10 penalties, four of which came over the final two drives. At the end of the day, Belichick is responsible for how bad this team looks in all three phases.

Honorable mentions: Special teams, Jonathan Jones, DeVante Parker, Hunter Henry