Tag: DeVante Parker

National reaction to Patriots fielding worst WR lineup in Bill Belichick era

The Patriots’ four available wideouts on Thursday night only have a combined 237 receiving yards and one touchdown on the season.

Things are impossibly thin for the New England Patriots at receiver.

On Thursday night, the team ruled out veteran wide receiver DeVante Parker, who was quarterback Bailey Zappe’s favorite target last week against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Now, the Patriots are down to JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Reagor as their primary healthy receiving options. Technically, Malik Cunningham could be included in there as well considering he’s taken reps at both quarterback and receiver.

All four players combined have 237 receiving yards and only one touchdown. That doesn’t exactly lead to much optimism for the unit’s chances against a tough Steelers defense on Thursday night.

The social media sentiment echoed the disaster that could potentially come from such a lackluster lineup.

Studs and duds from Patriots’ 6-0 loss to Chargers

Who were the studs and duds from the Patriots’ Week 13 shutout loss?

There was no miracle offensive resurgence with Bailey Zappe starting at quarterback for the New England Patriots in Sunday’s shutout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

But that doesn’t mean it was all bad.

There were big plays and opportunities left on the field by the offense in the second half that ultimately led to drive killers.

It’s hard not to feel bad for the Patriots defense considering the incredible effort the unit puts in every week. But none if it matters if the offense can’t score points. Even a perfect performance by the defense wouldn’t have been enough for the Patriots to beat the Chargers.

Let’s take a look at the studs and duds from the game.

Patriots Week 12 inactives: Trent Brown, Kayshon Boutte IN vs Giants

Key players set to return for the Patriots against the Giants.

The bye week served the New England Patriots well enough to get key playmakers back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

After a week of rest, the Patriots will have Trent Brown, J.C. Jackson, DeVante Parker and Ja’Whaun Bentley all back in the lineup. Rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte also received the nod over Jalen Reagor to play against the Giants.

Brown being back on the field should help boost a Patriots offensive line that struggled against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10. The unit gave up five sacks in a game where quarterback Mac Jones was benched.

Here is the full list of inactives for both teams:

The Patriots will be as healthy as they’ve been in a while when facing the struggling Giants.

A loss would obviously help New England’s positioning in the 2024 NFL draft, but a victory could boost morale for the team and coaches in a season that has disappointed in ways never imagined.

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Studs and duds midway into Patriots’ 2023 season

Here are the 2023 midseason studs and duds for the Patriots.

At the very least, the New England Patriots came into 2023 expecting things to be better than the disastrous 2022 season.

The offensive line wasn’t going to magically improve overnight, and even with the signing of Bill O’Brien as the team’s new offensive coordinator, there clearly wasn’t enough offensive talent for the unit to take flight completely.

But could they hover enough off the ground to matter with the hardest schedule in the league? So far, the answer has been a resounding no with the team sitting at 2-8 and the worst record in the AFC.

It has been a nightmare season filled with more downs than ups for the Patriots. The scariest part is the nightmare isn’t over. There are still plenty of games left to play before closing the curtains on 2023.

Here are the studs and duds for New England at the midway point of the season:

Ranking 8 most disappointing players for Patriots in 2023

Who are the eight most disappointing Patriots players so far in 2023?

An all-around disappointing season for the New England Patriots has led to an endless blame game from outsiders. Who is most responsible for the Patriots’ current predicament—the coaches, quarterback, receivers or offensive line?

The easy answer is there’s no singular individual responsible for the team imploding and falling to 2-8 on the season. It takes a village to create the colossal failure the Patriots have become this year.

With that said, there are certain players that have disappointed more than others. These are the players that were expected to play major roles in helping the Patriots turn things around from last season.

Yet, those expectations have only led to further disappointment for a franchise that’s unrecognizable from the perennial contender that reigned during the Tom Brady era.

Here are the eight most disappointing players for the Patriots this season:

Patriots Week 10 injury report: Veteran WR returned at Wednesday’s practice

The Patriots returned to the practice field on Wednesday with their top outside receiver back in the lineup.

The New England Patriots were back on the field for the first time on Wednesday, since their disappointing loss to the Washington Commanders. It’s still a mostly banged-up football team, but there is hope things could get better in the coming days.

Wide receiver DeVante Parker, who missed last week due to a concussion, was back on the field in a limited capacity.

This season has obviously been a letdown for Parker, but he’s still the Patriots’ best outside receiving target. So having him back on the field will be an instant boost for the unit against a shaky Indianapolis Colts secondary.

Offensive tackle Trent Brown didn’t participate for personal reasons. Once that’s resolves, there’s hope he can return to practice in a limited fashion, while he continues to work his way back from an ankle injury.

Here is the full injury report for both teams ahead of Sunday’s showdown in Germany:

New England Patriots

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game Status
OT Trent Brown Not injury-related (personal)/Ankle DNP
CB J.C.Jackson Not injury-related DNP
DL Christian Barmore Knee LP
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley Hamstring LP
CB Myles Bryant Chest LP
WR Demario Douglas Ankle LP
CB Jonathan Jones Knee LP
OL Vederian Lowe Ankle LP
WR DeVante Parker Concussion LP
DL Deatrich Wise Shoulder LP

DNP: Did not practice; LP: Limited participation ; FP: Full participation

Indianapolis Colts

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game Status
CB JuJu Brents Quadricep DNP
WR Josh Downs Knee DNP
LB Zaire Franklin Knee DNP
TE Drew Ogletree Foot DNP
CB Tony Brown Concussion LP
T Braden Smith Hip/Wrist FP

DNP: Did not practice; LP: Limited participation ; FP: Full participation

The Patriots are a bit too far gone to right the ship in 2023. At this point, it’s all about staying as healthy as possible and playing well enough in games to keep things from sinking entirely.

They’ll have a legitimate shot at doing that in Sunday’s meeting with a Colts team with less than .500 win percentage and enough flaws to make quarterback Mac Jones and the sputtering Patriots offense look decent enough to steal an upset.

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Dolphins DB fined for multiple penalty hits vs Patriots that weren’t called by officials

Dolphins DB receives fines for multiple penalty hits on Patriots players that weren’t called by officials.

There’s no question it was a rough afternoon for the referees in the New England Patriots’ Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins at South Beach.

There were multiple penalties that went uncalled in the game, including an ugly helmet-to-helmet hit from Dolphins defensive back DeShon Elliott that put Patriots wideout DeVante Parker in concussion protocol.

Elliott was also involved in a questionable hit against running back Rhamondre Stevenson as well, where he led with his helmet on the play.

After taking a look at both hits, the NFL handed down a $9,833 fine for the play on Parker and $43,709 for the play on Stevenson. The huge price jump is due to Elliott being a repeat offender, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

The fines won’t do much to quell the anger from Patriots fans considering they lost opportunities in a game that was deemed a must-win against the Dolphins.

They also lost Parker, who is one of their best receivers, for the Week 9 matchup against the Washington Commanders.

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Patriots Wire Podcast: Why did Patriots stand pat at trade deadline?

This week on the Patriots Wire Podcast, we discuss the Patriots standing pat at the trade deadline, who steps up at wide receiver and preview the Patriots-Commanders game on Sunday.

The disappointment from a seemingly lost season continued for the New England Patriots in Week 8 with the team getting trampled at South Beach by the Miami Dolphins.

Those feelings were exacerbated by coach Bill Belichick opting not to sell the team before the trade deadline. Hope for a turnaround season quickly devolved into fans wanting to sell tradeable pieces for future draft picks to rebuild the roster.

But the trade deadline came and went without so much as a whisper from Belichick and the Patriots.

This week on the Patriots Wire Podcast, Ryan O’Leary and I discuss the fallout from Bill Belichick standing pat at the deadline, and we also preview the upcoming Week 9 matchup between the Patriots and Washington Commanders.

There’s some delving into the wide receiver situation as well with Kendrick Bourne out for the season with a torn ACL and DeVante Parker in concussion protocol.

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Did the Patriots make a mistake by not selling at the trade deadline? Who needs to step up the most at receiver? Will the team bounce back on Sunday against the Commanders?

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Patriots injuries stacking up at key positions at Wednesday’s practice

The New England Patriots were missing several key players on Wednesday.

The New England Patriots were missing several key contributors at practice on Wednesday. Wide receiver DeVante Parker, offensive tackle Trent Brown, offensive tackle Calvin Anderson and tight end Pharaoh Brown were all missing, per NESN’s Zack Cox.

Parker left Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins with a head injury, and Trent Brown has been playing through multiple injuries, including knee and ankle issues.

Parker’s absence is notable in particular, and it could pave the way for more snaps for players like rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. On top of that, Kendrick Bourne is out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury. Depth at wide receiver is becoming thin. So Parker’s absence will be worth monitoring in particular.

Trent Brown has also been one of the most productive players on the Patriots’ offensive line this season. He has been playing at a high level in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Pharaoh Brown’s injury is notable, given that he has become a key cog in the New England offense. Brown caught two catches for 33 yards against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

New England’s season has been an uphill climb. These injuries will be worth monitoring, as they could potentially further complicate things for a 2-6 team that has already hit rock bottom eight games into the season.

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10 highest-graded players for Patriots offense vs Dolphins, per PFF

PFF’s top-10 offensive players for the Patriots in loss to the Dolphins

It was back to reality for the New England Patriots’ sputtering offense in their Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The pass protection up front was iffy at best, the run game never got going, receivers couldn’t get open and quarterback Mac Jones turned the ball over.

Rinse, wash and repeat.

No offensive player outside of tight end Pharaoh Brown was given over a 70.0 grade by Pro Football Focus. It didn’t help matters that two of the team’s top receivers, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne, both went down with injuries.

Bourne, who led the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, while Parker is in concussion protocol. Those injuries create even bigger questions for the Patriots moving forward this season.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 highest-graded offensive players for New England, per PFF, in the loss to the Dolphins.