Studs and duds in Patriots’ shocking shutout loss vs Saints at Gillette Stadium

Who were the Patriots’ studs and duds in Week 5?

The hole got even deeper for the New England Patriots on Sunday, as they were served up an embarrassing 34-0 shutout loss on their home field by the New Orleans Saints.

There will be plenty of discussion on who deserves the most blame for the Patriots’ current predicament. They are sitting at 1-4 on the season with hardly a fighting chance left in the AFC East division.

When it comes to Sunday’s game specifically, every Patriots player and coach deserves some blame for what was one of the worst losses in the history of a Bill Belichick-coached team. So don’t be surprised if today’s list is a bit light in the stud department.

Here are the Patriots’ Week 5 studs and duds:

Studs and duds in Patriots’ nail-biting 15-10 win over Jets

Who were the studs and duds in the Patriots’ 15-10 win over the Jets?

A win is a win.

That appears to be the mindset for the New England Patriots after nearly blowing Sunday’s road game against the New York Jets.

The offense failed to close the game on multiple drives, leaving a last-minute opportunity in the hands of Jets quarterback Zach Wilson on a seemingly impossible Hail Mary throw that nearly ended in a touchdown.

Fortunately for the Patriots, the ball narrowly missed the awaiting hands of Randall Cobb, and the clock ticked to zero for a New England 15-10 victory. Patriots Twitter seemed a bit uneasy after the game with another tough matchup against the Dallas Cowboys slated for Week 4.

There were both good and bad moments on the field for the Patriots against the Jets. Let’s take a look at the studs and duds from their first win of the season.

Madden 24 ratings for every Patriots tight end

Here’s how the Patriots’ tight ends rated in the upcoming “Madden NFL 24” video game.

The New England Patriots haven’t given up on their pursuit of reviving the tight end position. So they ditched the Jonnu Smith bandwagon and attached themselves to a new wagon altogether.

“Madden NFL 24” will feature Hunter Henry and newly-signed Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki. The hope is that the two form the sort of one-two punch that Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez created on the field back in 2011.

Gesicki doesn’t provide much in the way of blocking, but he basically acts as another wide receiver on the field, which is exactly what the Patriots need after failing to land a big, elite outside target. The combination of Henry and Gesicki should be able to mask the other issues to some degree.

Here’s a look at the ratings for every Patriots tight end in the upcoming Madden 24 video game:

49 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 49 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 49 jersey number

The New England Patriots are officially 49 days away from their regular season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 10.

That means we’re continuing our countdown series by listing every Patriots player that has ever worn the No. 49.

Long snapper Joe Cardona currently wears the number in New England. The veteran specialist has been one of the core members on the roster ever since he was drafted out of Navy in 2015.

There’s a mixture of former specialists, tight ends, linebackers and wide receivers on this list of 11 players. Here’s every player that has ever worn a No. 49 jersey throughout the Patriots’ franchise history (via Pro Football Reference):

Patriots make Joe Cardona highest-paid long snapper in NFL

Joe Cardona got some massive love from the Patriots in his new contract.

The New England Patriots have made long snapper Joe Cardona the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL.

Former Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty broke the news that the Patriots had agreed to bring back the specialist for a ninth season on Thursday. However, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero followed that report up on Friday with the contract details putting Cardona on a four-year, $6.3 million deal worth up to $6.7 million with incentives.

It’s a hefty deal for a specialist, but Cardona has long been a dependable player for the Patriots. There’s a reason why he’s the second-longest tenured player on the roster behind Matthew Slater.

Cardona’s presence in the locker room must have equally been a factor in this deal coming together. The Patriots felt the need to lock down a difference-maker both on and off the field.

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Report: Patriots agree on four-year deal with LS Joe Cardona

The Patriots are bringing back LS Joe Cardona on a four-year deal.

The New England Patriots and long snapper Joe Cardona have reportedly agreed on a new four-year deal.

Former Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty broke the news on Thursday with ESPN’s Mike Reiss providing the contractual details.

Cardona, a former fifth-round draft pick, has been with the Patriots since 2015. There was hope that a deal would get done at some point. Specialists aren’t easily replaced, especially those that have played as well as Cardona has over the years for New England.

So it made sense for the team to go ahead and lock him down for another four years. As McCourty pointed out, Cardona is the second longest-tenured player in the Patriots locker room behind legendary special teamer Matthew Slater.

Aside from losing Jakobi Meyers, New England has done a tremendous job of keeping their 2022 roster intact so far in free agency. Cardona can now be counted as one of the players on that growing list of returning Patriots.

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Patriots make four late roster moves ahead of Bengals game

The Patriots made four late roster moves on Friday.

The New England Patriots were busy on the eve of their Week 16 showdown with the visiting Cincinnati Bengals.

After revealing long snapper Joe Cardona was done for the season with a torn tendon in his foot, the team officially placed the veteran specialist on injured reserve on Friday.

In a corresponding move, the Patriots announced the signing of backup long snapper Tucker Addington from the practice squad to the main roster to serve as Cardona’s replacement. Along with resetting the long snapper position, kicker Tristan Vizcaino and tight end Scotty Washington were both elevated to the active roster.

Washington could be an interesting fit offensively with the team already playing without receiver DeVante Parker. Jakobi Meyers and rookie Tyquan Thornton are also questionable for the game.

So Washington gives quarterback Mac Jones another possible receiving target if the Patriots are shorthanded in this matchup. Meanwhile, Vizcaino will likely assume kick-off duties for the team.

There could be plenty more shuffling for the Patriots when the final injury report comes out before game time.

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Season-ending injury claims Joe Cardona and his incredible NFL streak

Joe Cordona is done for the season and so is his incredible NFL streak.

The season is officially over for New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona, who reportedly has a torn tendon in his foot.

It’s a tough loss for the team this late in the season. The long snapper is a specialty position that takes a lot of trust, and Cardona spent years building that trust with coach Bill Belichick and his teammates in New England.

He has appeared in 140 consecutive games for the Patriots. So not only is his season ending, but his incredible NFL streak will also come to an end in the Week 16 home game against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals.

The Patriots are expected to turn to Tucker Addington on their practice squad to replace Cardona. It’ll be a tall task for the former Sam Houston State standout, who has yet to take an NFL snap.

He’ll have to do so with the Patriots on the brink of playoff elimination against what will easily be one of their toughest opponents of the season on Saturday.

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Banged-up Patriots could be incredibly short-handed vs Bengals

The Patriots could once against be shorthanded in Week 16.

The New England Patriots are heading into a make-or-break game against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals on Christmas Eve, and they could once again be shorthanded.

On Thursday, the team ruled out wide receiver DeVante Parker, cornerback Jalen Mills and long snapper Joe Cardona, while listing six other players as questionable.

The running back position remains a major concern for the Patriots with both Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris listed as questionable to play on Saturday. It would be a bit of surprise to see Stevenson miss the game considering he suited up and ran for 172 yards and one touchdown in the Week 15 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

However, the biggest concern is the Patriots possibly being thin at cornerback with Jonathan Jones and Jack Jones listed as questionable. Cincinnati has one of the best receiving corps in football, and they could present a real problem for the Patriots in this game if key defensive players are missing.

There’s still a realistic path to the playoffs for the Patriots, but they’re going to need to pull off a couple of upsets down the stretch to at least give themselves a fighting chance.

And they might have to do so shorthanded.

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Winners and losers from Patriots’ shocking defeat in Las Vegas

Who were the winners and losers for the Patriots in Sunday’s 30-24 loss to the Raiders?

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The New England Patriots couldn’t have written an uglier ending to Sunday’s road game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

After overcoming a 17-3 deficit at halftime, the team completely imploded in the second-half with one of the most embarrassing fourth-quarter performances in franchise history.

Despite having the game tied and headed into overtime, the Patriots drew up an offensive play with three seconds left on the clock, which led to a lateral pass attempt from wideout Jakobi Meyers being picked off and taken into the end zone for a walk-off touchdown by Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones.

Here are the winners and losers from the game.