Patriots RB Tandem Among ‘3 to Watch’ vs. Eagles

As the New England Patriots prepare to host the Philadelphia Eagles in their 2023 season-opener, Patriots Country highlights three players on whom Pats fans might want to keep watch.

FOXBORO — As the old saying goes: “Let the games begin.”

The New England Patriots will open the regular season on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium.

Led by third-year quarterback (and two-time team captain) Mac Jones, the Patriots are hoping to show marked improvement from an 8-9 finish to their 2022 campaign. The task at hand is a tall one, as the Pats welcome the defending NFL Champion-Eagles to Foxboro. Behind quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Eagles boast one of the most versatile offenses in the NFL. They also employ a stifling defense, which led the league with 69.5 sacks last season.

Though many Patriots players are expected to garner some attention during Sunday’s matchup — a day in which legendary quarterback Tom Brady will be honored with pregame and halftime ceremonies — here are three players that might raise an eyebrow when the Pats take the field against the Eagles.

Rhamondre Stevenson/ Ezekiel Elliott

While Philadelphia’s defense was arguably the best in the NFL last season, one area in which its mortality could be questioned was in defending the run. The Eagles allowed 121.6 yards per game (ranking 16th in the NFL) and 4.64 yards per rush (24th) in 2022. As such, the Patriots will clearly look to establish the run with both Stevenson and Elliott leading the pack. However, With the former still recovering from an illness (though he is expected to play,) Elliott may see an increased workload — primarily in the red zone.

Throughout his seven seasons with Dallas, Elliott remained one of the NFL's top red zone / goal-line options. Last season, he led the league in red zone rushing attempts with 59 — 31 of which came inside the ten-yard line, and 12 of them came inside the five. He had 11 touchdowns inside the 20, while leading all running backs with 162 rushing yards deep in enemy territory. For a team which has had its share of red zone futility in the past two seasons, Elliott could be the new beginning for which the Pats have been searching.

Kendrick Bourne

With DeVante Parker sidelined due to a knee injury, the Pats will be relying on veteran leadership at receiver to help guide rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. Bourne fits the bill nicely, and should be able to challenge the Eagles secondary. In fact, his versatility should allow him to wear multiple hats for the Pats. Though his technical prowess allows him to win from either alignment, he has looked most comfortable in the Z-receiver role, while occasionally assisting in the slot. However, Bourne has also been called upon to line up at the ‘X’ at times, with a respectable level of success. Lastly, Bourne has been known to carry the ball out of the backfield on occasion; both on the jet sweep and on designed runs. Despite having few weaknesses, the Eagles defensive front has had their struggles with defending motion. As such, expect Bourne to be active near the line of scrimmage on Sunday.

Jalen Mills

Following the retirement of longtime team captain and safety Devin McCourty, Mills has been heavily rumored to be returning to a role which yielded his best statistical season. As a member of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020, he accounted for 74 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception while aligning mostly at box or free safety. Throughout training camp and the preseason, the ‘Green Goblin’ has been deployed in the same fashion by New England.

Still, the Pats may need to rely on Mills’ versatility a bit more in the coming weeks. With second-year cornerback Jack Jones having been placed on injured reserve, he will miss at least the next four weeks. Despite his ability to align in multiple positions within the Pats secondary, he played a majority of his time at perimeter corner for the past two seasons. Playing predominately on the outside in 2022, Mills logged 31 tackles, five pass break-ups and intercepted two passes. In the process, he held opposing quarterbacks to completing only 27-of-45 for 333 yards when targeting him. Accordingly, it would not be a surprise to see mills align on the perimeter to give rest to expected starters Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones.