New England Patriots Stock Watch: Chandler Jones Up, Danny Amendola Down

The New England Patriots bounced back nicely from their week one loss yesterday, as they cruised to an easy 30-7 win over Minnesota. Today’s edition of the stock watch is much more positive than last week’s version, so let’s get right to it.

Up

Chandler Jones

This guy was playing out of his mind yesterday, stuffing the stat sheet from the beginning of the game to the end. He amassed eight total tackles, brought Matt Cassel down for two sacks, had three quarterback hits, blocked a field-goal, and returned that same blocked kick for a touchdown. Chandler Jones is going to have a monster season.

Darrelle Revis

Revis truly put Greg Jennings on ‘Revis Island’ in this one, as he nearly shut out the former Packers star. When throwing towards Revis, Cassel was 1-for-5, for four yards, and an interception. This further proved that Revis is the best shutdown cornerback in the entire league, and his presence on the field was one of the biggest reasons why the Pats dominated the Vikings.

Stevan Ridley

I have maintained for quite some time that Ridley is far and away the best running back on this Patriots roster, and he proved it in this game. The Patriots’ offensive line didn’t do a good job run blocking for Ridley, but he still managed to pick up over 100 yards on the day. If New England can keep running the ball like that, they will be a tough offense to slow down.

Julian Edelman

Edelman was the only wideout that played well for quarterback Tom Brady, particularly in the first half. The former Kent State quarterback followed up his nine catch performance last week in Miami with an equally as impressive six catch performance against Minnesota, including a big first half touchdown. He also returned a big 34-yard punt return later in the second half.

Down

Deontae Skinner

The only time the Vikings moved the ball through the air in this game was when Skinner was on the field. He got absolutely torched by Kyle Rudolph twice on the first drive, and over-pursued the run game a few times as well. I think Skinner will be back on the practice squad in no time.

Danny Amendola/Brandon LaFell

Through two games, these two have combined to catch three balls, for a grand total of 16 yards. And all three receptions have come from Amendola. LaFell was targeted six times in week one, and didn’t haul a single one in, which is probably why Brady didn’t look his way yesterday. The Patriots are paying a lot of money for these two guys’ services, and they are not getting their money’s worth right now.