New England Patriots Week 11 Stock Report

The New England Patriots are undefeated at 9-0.

That does not mean they are perfect.

The Patriots nearly lost to the New York Giants but pulled a rabbit out of their hat with a 27-26 victory at MetLife Stadium. It was the first time the Patriots have defeated the Giants in four meetings, and while the win wasn't vindication for the two losses in the Super Bowl, it did move the Patriots a little closer to their own goals for 2015.

That being said, in such a narrow victory, there are sure to be some players whose stock is up and some others who didn't put their best foot forward and have some work to do if they want to get back to helping the team win football games.

Here's a look at a handful of those players.

Stock Up: Stephen Gostkowski

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The Patriots are no strangers to winning big games on the toe of their clutch kicker, but that role has been synonymous with one Adam Vinatieri. After his game-winning 54-yard field goal against the Giants Sunday, Stephen Gostkowski may have earned that role for himself.

The kick helped him earn AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. 

On the season, Gostkowski has been perfect. He has converted 100 percent of his field-goal tries and 100 percent of his extra points. Dating back to 2014, he has made 30 consecutive regular-season field goals. With seven more successful field goals, he will move to third place all-time in consecutive field goals without a miss. With 13 more, he'll own the NFL record.

That's the kind of automatic consistency that the Patriots have become accustomed to over the past two decades.

Stock Down: Julian Edelman

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Tough break. Literally. 

Julian Edelman has a broken bone in his foot and is now on the shelf for the next six to eight weeks. Meanwhile, the Patriots will have to figure out how to replace his lost production.

It's not going to be easy. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has come to rely on Edelman in the short area over the middle of the field and even on the boundary for his ability to create yards after the catch and his sure hands.

According to Pro Football Focus, Edelman has caught 71.8 percent of the passes thrown his way, and although he has dropped seven of 68 catchable balls (10.3 percent), some of those drops were a result of a dislocated finger he suffered against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6; Edelman dropped two passes that week and two passes the next week.

Edelman has been a huge piece of the Patriots offense, and the team will sorely miss him for the rest of the regular season. 

Stock Up: Malcolm Butler

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It didn't take long for Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to take Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler to the burn ward on an 87-yard touchdown pass, the longest play ever allowed by the Patriots defense in the Bill Belichick era. 

But Butler spent the next 58 minutes of game time rubbing burn cream all over himself and covering Beckham in it, as well. Beckham was targeted 10 times and finished the game with three receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown, which means that Butler held him to just two catches on nine targets for five yards the rest of the way out.

Butler has been up-and-down this season, giving up five or more receptions in four games and three or fewer in the five other games, according to Pro Football Focus. He's yielded completions on 55.9 percent of the throws into his coverage and has allowed five touchdowns on his watch, but Sunday was evidence that there are flashes of a shutdown corner in Butler.

Stock Down: Scott Chandler

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The Patriots had grand visions of the different ways they could use tight end Scott Chandler in their offense. The 12 personnel grouping (one running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers) had been a staple for the Patriots offense from 2010 to 2012 behind the two-headed monster of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. The 6'7" Chandler has the potential to give the Patriots a similar offensive threat.

Fast-forward to Week 10, and the Patriots still have yet to realize the maximum benefit of Chandler in their offense. The veteran tight end has caught just 13 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, and although one of those touchdowns was on Sunday, he also dropped two passes. 

The Patriots will have to tinker with their offensive personnel groupings to find the five skill position players who give them the best look and most versatility on offense. Chandler may well be part of that grouping, but if he wants to stay there, he'll need to start making the most of his opportunities.

Stock Up: Chandler Jones

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With less talent in the secondary this season, the Patriots defense is relying more on a heavy pass rush from the front seven. Defensive end Chandler Jones is rewarding the team's confidence in him with the best season of his career. 

Jones leads the NFL with 10.5 sacks after logging another sack Sunday against the Giants. According to Pro Football Focus, he is the ninth-most productive pass-rushing 4-3 defensive end overall (measuring hurries, hits and sacks together).

With one more sack, Jones will tie a career high for a single season. There are seven games left in the season, so it's safe to say that he will finish this season with the best numbers of his career.

For years, the Patriots have been searching for a pass-rushing force off the edge of their defense. Since 2012, Jones has shown flashes of being that player. In 2015, it's all coming together for the fourth-year Syracuse product.