FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A look at who's up and who's down from the Patriots' 20-10 victory over the Panthers:
Up
1. Wes Welker -- Receiver finishes with 10 receptions for 105 yards, and the way he bounces up after taking a big third-quarter hit energizes the crowd and sparks the Patriots on a 96-yard scoring drive.
2. Laurence Maroney -- Running back continues to impress, totaling 94 yards on 22 carries (4.3-yard average), adding two catches for 17 yards, while also stepping up as the primary kickoff returner.
3. Ty Warren -- Defensive end battles through an ankle injury and finishes with six solo tackles before leaving the game in the fourth quarter.
4. Stephen Gostkowski -- Kicker delivers with field goals of 48 and 47 yards in the fourth quarter.
Down
1. Randy Moss -- Receiver finishes with one catch for 16 yards, loses a fumble, has one drop, commits a false start penalty and appears to run a poor route on Tom Brady's first-quarter interception.
2. Brandon Meriweather/Shawn Springs -- A breakdown leads to Steve Smith's 41-yard touchdown reception, as Springs was the closest player in coverage but it appeared he should have had help from Meriweather.
3. Nick Kaczur -- Right tackle seems to have a rough day, as on one play Julius Peppers races right past him as a runaway rusher.
Up
1. Wes Welker -- Receiver finishes with 10 receptions for 105 yards, and the way he bounces up after taking a big third-quarter hit energizes the crowd and sparks the Patriots on a 96-yard scoring drive.
2. Laurence Maroney -- Running back continues to impress, totaling 94 yards on 22 carries (4.3-yard average), adding two catches for 17 yards, while also stepping up as the primary kickoff returner.
3. Ty Warren -- Defensive end battles through an ankle injury and finishes with six solo tackles before leaving the game in the fourth quarter.
4. Stephen Gostkowski -- Kicker delivers with field goals of 48 and 47 yards in the fourth quarter.
Down
1. Randy Moss -- Receiver finishes with one catch for 16 yards, loses a fumble, has one drop, commits a false start penalty and appears to run a poor route on Tom Brady's first-quarter interception.
2. Brandon Meriweather/Shawn Springs -- A breakdown leads to Steve Smith's 41-yard touchdown reception, as Springs was the closest player in coverage but it appeared he should have had help from Meriweather.
3. Nick Kaczur -- Right tackle seems to have a rough day, as on one play Julius Peppers races right past him as a runaway rusher.
Mike Reiss
Patriots reporter, ESPNBoston.com- Covered Patriots since 1997
- Blogging on Pats since 2004
- Joined ESPNBoston.com in 2009
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss first started covering the Patriots in 1997 with the team's official newspaper, Patriots Football Weekly, before moving on to the MetroWest Daily News in his hometown of Framingham. From 2005 to 2009, he covered the Patriots for The Boston Globe, while also writing on the NFL. He started his popular Patriots blog in 2004. Send any questions or comments for Mike to his mailbag. Follow him on Twitter here.
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Chris Forsberg has been reporting on the Boston sports scene since 1999. With his video camera in tow, Forsberg covered everything from Massachusetts high school sports to Boston's pro sports teams. Follow him on Twitter.
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