Saturday’s preseason battle against the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers came to a premature end when rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden took a serious shot to the head. Bolden immediately went to the ground and was quickly transferred to the Aurora Bay Medical Center. Fortunately, in an update released by the Patriots themselves, Isaiah Bolden has been released from the hospital and will travel back to Foxboro with the team.
An update from the Patriots’ on the condition of cornerback Isaiah Bolden: pic.twitter.com/RNzzdfdpuL
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 20, 2023
Isaiah Bolden Injury Update: Rookie Cornerback Released From Hospital, Will Travel With Team
During the fourth quarter, Isaiah Bolden and teammate Calvin Munson collided on a tackle attempt. Munson made direct (and completely accidental) contact with Bolden’s head and the cornerback immediately went down. Following an evaluation by the team’s medical unit, Bolden was placed on a stretcher and was brought to the Aurora Bay Medical Center for further evaluation. Following the injury, both teams agreed not to finish the rest of the game.
The first Isaiah Bolden injury update came at 11:15 PM from the team’s official Twitter account. The report noted that the cornerback had “feeling in all his extremities”, and the team soon followed that up by announcing that they planned to give another update at 8:00 on Sunday morning. While this was obviously a terrifying situation, by all accounts, this update appears to be the best-case scenario for Isaiah Bolden. As of this posting, it’s unclear whether or not Bolden will be cleared to play again this season.
The Isaiah Bolden injury update also included a change to New England’s practice schedule. Originally, the team was supposed to have joint practices with the Tennessee Titans prior to their Friday night preseason game. However, under the circumstances, the Patriots have decided to cancel these practices and head straight to Foxboro. The team will spend the rest of the week practicing on their own turf before flying to Nashville on Thursday.
Game Recap
While it’s obviously not even close to being the most important part of this story, the Patriots technically earned a 21-17 win over the Green Bay Packers. Both teams had their first-team units on the field at the beginning of the game before giving way to the second- and third-team after a few drives. Jordan Love had a particularly impressive night, completing five of his eight passes for 84 yards and one touchdown, including a beautiful pass down the sideline to Romeo Doubs.
It was hard to evaluate either of the Patriots quarterbacks, as the offensive line simply could not hold a block the entire game. Mac Jones competed six of his nine passes for 52 yards, while backup Bailey Zappe connected on just 10 of his 22 attempts for 117 yards and a touchdown. Zappe also showed some decent mobility by scoring a rushing touchdown on 4th and 2.
The play of the game probably belonged to rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. While the rookie only hauled in two passes on the night, he made the most of his opportunities by taking a quick slant route to the house for a 42-yard touchdown, outrunning multiple Packers defenders en route to the endzone.
BOUTTE CALL
pic.twitter.com/3yL8UR7OnI— Jerry Thornton (@jerrythornton1) August 20, 2023
Main Photo: Tork Mason – USA Today Sports
