Patriots Demolish Chargers 45-0

The Patriots destroyed the LA Chargers yesterday 45-0, their biggest road win since 2007. (Trivia question: Can you name the team they beat and/or the score of the game? Answer below.) The win brings them to 6-6, still 2.5 games back of the division leading Bills (who play tomorrow night) and 2 games out of the playoffs. Next up is the other Los Angeles team, the Rams, on a short week this Thursday.

This game was a clinic of complimentary football. Special teams made four huge plays, scoring twice, the offense used an innovative running game to keep the ball in their hands, and the defense smothered rookie Justin Herbert, intercepting him twice -- his first NFL two-INT game. And all along the coaching was ahead of the Chargers' staff, pouncing on mistakes and letting LA shoot itself in the foot time after time after time.

There isn't as much to pore over in a win this lopsided. But here are five quick observations:

1. Redemption For McDaniels

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has taken some heat this year, and rightfully so. But his game plan was outstanding on Sunday. He used a mix of slant-runs, quick-hit runs, QB option plays, and even some Wildcat (with quarterback Cam Newton in motion) to confuse and wear out the Chargers defense. However, most important was that those plays were productive.

The first drive was over 7:00 long and ended with points. And no matter how many players LA committed to stop the run, they couldn't do it effectively enough to force the Pats to abandon their game plan. 43 carries for 165 yards and 2 TDs on the ground speaks for itself.

Nicely done, Josh.

2. Spectacular Special Teams

Gunner Olszewski returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown and another one 61 yards (which led to a field goal). Cody Davis blocked a field goal and Devin McCourty returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. Punter Jake Bailey kicked four times, three of which were downed inside the 20 yard-line. Justin Bethel had three tackles on special teams and saved a punt from the end zone (which was downed at the 5 yard-line by Davis).

Additionally, the kicking units drew penalties against the Chargers, including a 12-man penalty on a quick-snap that got the Pats a first down. This wasn't by accident; LA is known to have bad special teams. No doubt the Patriots spent extra time on them this week, knowing they could spell the difference in the game.

They did.

3. Bill Belichick Versus Young QBs

Most young quarterbacks are confused the first time they play a Belichick-led defense. I haven't updated this stat in a while, but he has something like 90% wins against quarterbacks in their 8th - 15th starts in the NFL, which is right where the Chargers' Justin Herbert was. It also explains how the Patriots held back Kyler Murray and Arizona last week -- he was making his 27th NFL start and facing a BB defense for the first time.

This won't help much this Thursday; Jared Goff is in his fifth season and has played the Patriots before.

All of which is to say please don't overreact to the last two weeks. Those wins were predictable; the real season begins now!

4. Youth Being Served

Rookies making an impact:

• Linebacker Josh Uche has a motor that won't stop and hits hard
• Safety Kyle Dugger has 29 tackles on the year and is seeing increased playing time
• Tackle Mike Onwenu is solidly a starter and well-rated by Pro Football Focus

Second-year players making an impact:

• Running back Damien Harris is the team's leading rusher with 641 yards on 126 carries (5.1ypc) and 2 touchdowns
• Receiver Jakobi Meyers leads the team with 38 catches and is a solid route-runner and blocker downfield
• Defensive End Chase Winovich gets better every week and made two impact plays yesterday
• Receiver/returner Olszewski not only had three great returns in the last two games, he had a long touchdown catch-and-run
• Fullback Jakob Johnson's blocking is excellent and he is now working into the occasional short-passing game
• Linebacker Terez Hall is helping shore up the thin linebacking corps

For a team with so many holes, they are filling many of them with younger players this year. If 2020 is a bridge year, then the future across that bridge looks bright -- if they can get the QB situation settled.

5. Blueprint For The Playoffs?!?!

I know, Jim Mora would have torn my head off for saying the P-word. But if the Pats do somehow make the playoffs, they will likely face a gauntlet of road games against teams like Kansas City and/or Pittsburgh.

The advantage they have is that crowd noise won't be as big a factor with smaller crowds (or no crowds) at stadiums because of COVID-19. Also, teams that play sound fundamentals, are good on defense, and can get a few plays on special teams -- those teams often do well on the road, even in the playoffs.

Earlier this year the Patriots likely would have beaten Kansas City in KC if their quarterback hadn't contracted the coronavirus. And the Steelers in Pittsburgh has never scared the Patriots; they've won two Super Bowls after beating the Steelers on the road in the playoffs.

They'll likely need more from the passing game if they expect to even make the playoffs. And they have the next six games to figure that out. One note of optimism; supposedly Julian Edelman could be back in a week or two, which could only help the offense.

Where does that leave us? The needle is pointing up at the right time. Newton has shown a good rapport with both Damiere Byrd and Meyers, as well as James White out of the backfield. McDaniels' challenge now is figuring out how to incorporate more passing without risking the run game or a loss (the Patriots can't afford one).

Biggest on-going concern: Lack of explosive plays on offense. The creative game plan from Sunday shows they can win without chunk plays in the passing game. But as they head down the stretch their margin for error is as small as their biggest plays.

It's great to get huge returns or blocked kicks for touchdowns. That doesn't mean the Patriots want to count on that every week.

Non-QB MVP: the toughest call of the year, but the award goes to special teams ace Justin Bethel, who was integral to the blocked field goal, had big blocks on both of Olszewski's long returns, had three special teams tackles, and made a play to down a punt inside the five yard-line.

Could have been a lot of people (Olszewski himself, for example), but Bethel gets the nod.

Statistical oddity: I've never seen a team be so horrific on fourth down in my life. Here is the astonishing futility of LA on fourth downs:

• Missed field goal
• Punt returned for touchdown
• False start penalty from punt formation
• Blocked field goal returned for touchdown
• Interception
• 61-yard punt return
• Sacked for 9 yards
• Incomplete pass
• Incomplete pass

Add in that they had 12 men on the field on a Patriots fourth-down punt, which gave the Pats a first down, and their failures on fourth down become legendary. Just awful!

Water-cooler wisdom: "Belichick is so awful at talent evaluation that he has nine major contributors from the last two drafts."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 6-6!

PPS. Trivia Answer: the Patriots beat the Bills 56-10 in November of 2007, a 46-point win that eclipses the 45-pointer from yesterday.

Patriots Squeeze Past Cardinals 20-17

The Patriots held on for a 20-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at Gillette Stadium. The win put them at 5-6, still a full three-games behind the victorious Bills. Next up is a multi-day trip to Los Angeles, to take on the Chargers this weekend and the Rams the following Thursday night.

New England dominated special teams and played excellent situational defense. Most years that would have been enough for a blowout win. But with the sputtering offense, the Pats had to hold on in a game they normally would have dominated. It was a good win, but doesn't really give one a lot of hope for the season.

Special teams had four important plays:

1. Punter Jake Bailey booted a perfect punt that landed at the one yard-line and was downed at the three.
2. Donte Moncrief returned a kickoff 53 yards to setup a short field on the Patriots first touchdown.
3. Gunner Olszewski returned a punt 58 yards to setup the Patriots game-tying field goal in the third quarter. (Note: it should have been a touchdown return, but for a bogus penalty call.)
4. Nick Folk kicked a 50-yard field goal to win the game as time expired.

In addition, gunner Justin Bethel stopped a guy cold on a punt that outkicked its coverage, and Bailey's kickoffs consistently came down at the one-yard line, forcing AZ to return the ball. (Not that I love that strategy, but apparently the Patriots coaches do -- so, well-executed, young man!)

Conversely, Arizona didn't get much out of their special teams. In fact, their kicker missed a potential game-winning field goal with 1:47 left in the game. This phase of the game was a complete mismatch from start to finish.

On defense, the Patriots played mostly five-man fronts to keep AZ quarterback Kyler Murray in the pocket. The plan wasn't without its bad moments, but they bottled up Murray for most of the game, hitting him four times, sacking him twice, and allowing him just 31 yards on the ground.

The team gave up yards, especially on intermediate passes against the linebackers. But as has been the case most of the year, they played their best when their opponents moved inside the 20 yard line. Their goal-line stand to end the half was one of the most impressive defensive sequences I've seen all year.

Lineman Adam Butler had a great game: 5 tackles, 1 sack (9 yards), 3 QB hits, and a pass deflected at the line. And the linebackers actually did their job, at least against the run. Ja'Whaun Bentley led the team with 13 tackles, and his running make Terez Hall had seven of his own.

The problem in this game, and for most of the year, is that the Patriots offense simply can't put together sustained drives. On Sunday, their scoring drives covered 41, 35, 31, and 18 total yards. Without a short field, they couldn't string first downs together to maintain possession and make progress down the field.  They had two eight-play drives against Arizona: one for 20 yards and one for 35 yards. That doesn't cut it in the NFL.

Quarterback Cam Newton completed just nine passes, was sacked three times, and threw two interceptions. His QB rating of 23.3 would usually earn one a trip to the bench. But apparently the Patriots believe even less in Jarrett Stidham and/or Brian Hoyer, otherwise Cam would be riding the pine already.

Newton did run the ball more effectively: 9 rushes for 46 yards (5.1 ypc). But overall the running game was mostly contained, notching just 110 total yards, including Newton's total. They benched their left tackle in favor of a guy off the scrap heap, and Newton wasn't exactly protected like the Crown Jewels either.

The receivers? Gimme a break! The only two receivers who caught anything were Jakobi Meyers (5 catches for 52 yards) and Damiere Byrd (3 for 33). N'Keal Harry looks like as big a bust as any first-round pick Belichick has made. And maybe it's time to play the young tight ends; Ryan Izzo certainly isn't giving you anything.

The only big coaching whiff is offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' inability to design an offense that works. IMO he has to commit to the run and stick with it. Once teams cheat up to stop the run, call play-action passes and hit Meyers or Byrd on mid-level outs or crosses.

TB12 isn't walking through that door, and neither is Gronk or Randy Moss. McDaniels has to find a way to put together sustained drives or the team is going absolutely nowhere.

One other coaching quibble; can we please clean up the pre-snap and mental-error penalties. They had a false-start in quiet stadium conditions, too many men on the field on defense, and defensive penalties gave the Cardinals first-downs on two third-downs and a fourth-down.

Where does that leave us? 5-6 and headed in the right direction, at least for this week. The twin-LA games could go either way, but if the Pats expect to make the post-season, they better shoot for 2-0 on the west coast.

Biggest on-going issue: Lack of consistency on offense. You don't have to look that far back to see how it's done; they had touchdown drives of 82- and 85-yards against Houston last week and three touchdown drives of 75-yards against Baltimore the week before.

Non-QB MVP: Adam Butler, with the aforementioned stat line.

Statistical oddity: Matt Cassel is the last New England quarterback to play a full game and win with fewer yards than Newton's 84 yards against the Cardinals. Naturally Cassel beat the Buffalo Bills (final score was 13-0).

BTW, Brady did it once in his career; against the Dolphins in 2004.

Water-cooler wisdom: "I guess this is why other fans hated the Brady-led Patriots so much, their offenses probably looked like ours does now."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS: 5-6!

Patriots Outlast Ravens 23-17

For the second straight week the Patriots came from behind to post a close win, topping the Jets (30-27) last week and the Ravens last night (23-17). The win "catapults" New England to a 4-5 record, 2.5 games behind the Bills (who lost) and 2 games behind the Dolphins (who won) in the AFC East. Next up is a trip to Houston to take on the 2-7 Texans -- a team they rarely lose to.

A few weeks back I compared this year's Pats to those of the early 1990s. And that wasn't a compliment. They were playing poor situational offense and defense, committing way too may turnovers, costing themselves with untimely penalties, and didn't seem to be improving as the year went on.

Well, the last two weeks they remind me more of the 2001 Patriots. (No, I'm not saying what you think I'm saying -- please slow your roll!) They were down 27-17 late in the Jets game but scored 13 unanswered points in the last 6:04 to eke out the win. And last night they ran the ball, minimized mistakes (second straight game with no turnovers), and waited for the other team to wilt under the pressure.

And that's exactly what the Ravens did. They had three 15-yard penalties, two bad snaps that cost them scoring chances, a number of dropped passes, and they took way too long to adjust to the Pats offensive game plan -- which is a coaching choke, IMO.

The other coaching choke on the Ravens' sideline was calling so many pass plays in such bad conditions. The Ravens threw the ball 34 times, while the Patriots threw just 18 passes. Hell, the Ravens completed more passes (24) than the Pats attempted -- but in the sloppy conditions it made more sense to attack with their running game and keep possession of the ball.

In fact, the Patriots running attack was their most potent weapon. Damien Harris ran 22 times for a career-high 121 yards, and he ran under control and repeatedly finishsed by delivering punishment to defenders. Rex Burkhead had some key carries, and the team ended up with 39 carries for 173 yards (4.4 ypc).

QB Cam Newton was kept mostly clean (1 sack, 3 QB hits), he got two critical first downs on QB sneaks, and was effective in the passing game, completing 76% of his passes (13 of 17), with 1 touchdown, importantly no interceptions, and a 114.3 QB rating. He seems to grasp the offense better each week and he'll need to continue to minimize turnovers because this team doesn't have the margin for error they had in the past.

Newton was not the highest rated passer, however. That honor goes to receiver Jakobi Meyers, who completed his one pass for a 24-yard touchdown for a 158.3 QB rating. Meyers is also the only Pats WR who caught a pass or was even targeted in the game. The rest of the completions were to running backs and one for tight end Ryan Izzo.

The offensive line deserves a shout-out, not just for this game but for being the team's most consistent unit to this point in the season. They showed power in the running attack, pushed linemen to the second level on multiple plays, and did a good job in pass protection when needed. Rookie Michael Onwenu has trouble with outside pass rushers. But other than that, he and everyone else on the line has been great so far this year.

And special shout-out to David Andrews, who handled his center duties much better than his opposite number on the Ravens. Not one bad snap all night, as opposed to multiple bad snaps by the Baltimore center.

The defense fluctuates between shutdown and barely hanging on. I guess that makes it exciting, but I'm not sure I want that much excitement. Something clicked in the fourth quarter of the Jets game. They have given up just 16 points in their last five quarters, their best such stretch since the opening five quarters of the year.

Last week corner J.C. Jackson looked awful against the Jets, though he came up with a timely interception during the fourth-quarter rally. But yesterday he looked great, with coverage tight enough that he was rarely thrown at -- and when he was, he had one pass defended and another INT. Devin McCourty bounced back from a poor showing at NY to post one of his better games of the year.

The secondary has held it together without star corner Stephon Gilmore, going 2-1 in his absence. But I'm sure everyone on D would like to have him back. One note on rookie safety Kyle Dugger: he led the team in tackles with 12, two ahead of another rookie, Terez Hall.

Linebacker Chase Winovich looks like a new man after returning from a semi-benching. He's attacking the quarterback on passing plays and holding up pretty well against the outside run. I like what I see from rookie Josh Uche, and second-year man Hall improved his play from last week. It's important to have more talent at linebacker. The team started the season in a 5-1-5 because the only linebacker they trusted was Ja'Whaun Bentley (and frankly he hasn't played well this year).

The D-line and linebackers (and whatever secondary players were up near the line) did a great job with spacing and making sure tackles last night. It was imperative to minimize big plays, which are what feed the Ravens offense. Making them take 10+ plays in a drive gives them that many more chances to make mistakes, which they did last night (see above).

Forcing Baltimore to work down the field slowly meant they only had three scoring drives in the game. Commentators will often say it's important to keep star QBs on the sideline. But Belichick knows eventually they get their turn -- his job is to make their life as hard as possible.

Both teams have very good special teams; the only big difference in the game was the missed extra point by the Pats kicker, Nick Folk. He's lucky it didn't come back to bite him. And even though the conditions were difficult, he has to be able to convert extra points.

The coaching staff came in with a great game plan. Neutralize the Ravens' blitz packages and secondary play by running and staying out of second- and third-and-long downs. It took Baltimore three quarters before they started to run-blitz, and by then the home team had a 10-point lead.

Where does that leave us? If the Patriots take care of business in Houston, they will be no worse than two games out of the division lead (Buffalo has a bye week, Miami could tie Buffalo with a win). Buffalo is likely to revert to form down the stretch, I'm more worried about the Dolphins because head man Brian Flores is a great coach!

Biggest on-going issue: It has to be the lack of explosiveness at wide receiver. Although that is unlikely to be fixed this year; not many great receivers out there to be signed. The lack of explosion and weapons showed last night; only Meyers was even targeted out of the wide receiver group.

Non-QB MVP: It's Harris just barely over Dugger. Good to be getting contributions from young players!

Statistical oddity: Despite having won two fewer games, the Patriots are actually closer to the division lead (2.5 games back of the Bills) than the Ravens (3 games back of the Steelers). Tough playing in a division with an undefeated team.

Water-cooler wisdom: "Didn't the Pats win a Super Bowl two years ago with ground-and-pound?" #JustSayin

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 4-5!

Patriots Lose To Bills, 24-21

The Patriots lost their fourth straight game, falling to the Bills in Buffalo for the first time in a while, 24-21. The loss dropped the team to 2-5, more than the official 3.5 games behind Buffalo in the AFC East (because now are behind in tiebreakers, too). Up next is a horrible Monday Night matchup: Patriots (2-5) versus Jets (0-8).

(No doubt ESPN is searching their broadcast contract for a way out of that dog!)

As the game ended, Cam Newton fumbled with the Patriots in range for a tying field goal. It was heartbreaking after the team came back twice. But even though that was unforgivably bad ball security with a chance to tie the game, it was far from the only mistake.

The team committed multiple pre-snap penalties in the first half (false start, illegal shift, and delay of game), skipped one chance to get a TD before the half and settled for a field goal on third-down, and failed to recover an onside kick (good execution, better play by the Bills).

The Patriots just don't have enough talent or continuity to make those kinds of mistakes. As you can see from the stat line, there wasn't much to separate the two teams, but the Patriots just didn't make specific plays when they needed to or shot themselves in the foot with untimely penalties.

There were bright spots. Running back Damien Harris ran for 6.4 ypc and 102 yards overall. And Rex Burkhead had two absolutely huge runs on third-downs, when it looked like he'd be stopped short of the mark but Rex worked hard to make the extra yards and move the chains.

The offensive line largely played well, the two glaring problems being penalties that wiped out big plays. 

Newton found some receiving rhythm with Jakobi Meyers (6 catches for 58 yards) and Damiere Byrd (3 for 39). Maybe it's a good thing that Julian Edelman is on the shelf; it might open up opportunities for younger players.

The team continues to get run over on defense (over 200 yards yesterday). That's how it is when you have zero linebackers you trust and play six- and seven-defensive backs. It makes it easier for teams to run the ball. But I suspect that is their plan; let teams run the ball but stop them for field goals and then score touchdowns.

That's the plan. But yesterday the Bills scored 3 TDs and just 1 FG, and the Patriots didn't score their first touchdown until the third quarter. Honestly, the last time that plan worked was in the Kansas City game, and the Patriots lost that one anyway.

The Pats only linebacker, Ja'Whaun Bentley, looked awful on Sunday; out of position, arm tackles that backs easily shed, blitzing to the wrong hole -- he was a mess. He was easily outpaced by rookie Josh Uche, who could blossom into something; though it'll probably too late to do much this season.

The secondary actually held up well. But they were undermined by the offensive ineptitude -- and one really bad penalty of their own (a Devin McCourty neutral zone infraction that gave the Bills a free first down). They also ended up making a ton of tackles because the Bills RBs kept getting to the second level.

Overall the coaching should be beating itself up for their off-season failures. Knowing that Tom Brady was leaving, they should have simplified the offense so the receivers would at least have a clue where to go. Offense isn't always about complexity and confusing your opponent. Teams like Pittsburgh ran the same simple offense for years and just out-executed the other team. The Patriots would be better than 2-5 if they'd gone simple and built from there.

Where does that leave us? Not a lot of options except to sell off some valuable pieces at the trading deadline. The team mostly needs to decide if the rebuild is for 2021 or 2022, trading players and getting draft picks to go with the plan they envision.

Biggest on-going issue: No offensive consistency. The defense held its own yesterday, but the offense couldn't string together drives the entire first half.

Non-QB MVP: Harris, with a nod to the O-line and to Burkhead for keeping two drives alive.

Statistical oddity: Next Monday the Patriots and Jets will enter the game a combined 2-13, a 13.3% winning percentage. The last time the Pats played a game with such a low combined winning percentage this late in the year was December 12, 1993, when the 1-11 Patriots played the 1-11 Bengals, for a combined winning percentage of 8.3%.

(Trivia Question: Who was the Patriots head coach in that game? Harder Trivia Question: Who was the Bengals head coach in that game? [Hint: his dad was also an NFL head coach.] Answers below.)

Water-cooler wisdom: "We're on to 2021."

Keep the faith?

- Scott

PS. 2-5!

PPS. Trivia Answers:
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The Patriots head coach that day was Bill Parcells. The Bengals were helmed by David Shula, son of Don Shula.

Patriots Dominated By 49ers, Fall 33-6

The Patriots fell flat on their face for the second time in two weeks, dropping a stinkbomb to the 49ers 33-6. The loss dropped the Pats to 2-4, a full 2.5 games behind the 5-2 Bills in the AFC East. Next up is a trip to Buffalo on Sunday at 1:00 to try to stay in the race for the division.

There isn't much to say at this point. It feels more and more like the pre-Belichick days around here. In fact, it's starting to seem like the pre-Parcells days -- and that ain't good.

Biggest problems in Sunday's game:

1. Cam Newton is too loose with the ball. Three INTs, all three of them on him, IMO.
2. Terrible situational football; giving up big plays on 3rd-and-1 over and over; unacceptable.
3. They have insufficient talent at linebacker. Losing their top four LBs in the off-season might well have destroyed their 2020 season. Ja'Whaun Bentley was awful unless he rushed the passer -- couldn't cover the pass and struggled against the run.
4. Their secondary isn't playing up to its potential, not even close. I have more faith that they'd stuff a run on 3rd-and-3 than stop a pass on 3rd-and-10.
5. The offensive game planning was poor to start the game and didn't adjust quickly enough (waiting until the half to come up with something that worked).
6. For some reason they continue to return kickoffs when they should just kneel and take the ball at the 25 yard line. Gunner Olszewski fumbled one that could have ended the game before the second half even got started.

The few bright spots:

1. Nick Folk went 2-for-2 on field goals.
2. Damien Harris ran 10 times for 58 yards and was good on blitz pickup.

The Pats are in big trouble here. Newton has made it clear this is a one-year deal, and he'll be looking to cash in with a big free agent deal. If the Patriots keep losing, it's pretty certain that deal will be elsewhere.

They should do two things: start Jarrett Stidham at quarterback and consider trading valuable players before the November 3 trading deadline.

Belichick and company need to find out if Stidham is a potential answer for 2021 and beyond. Newton won't be back either way, so if it isn't Stidham, they have to start planning for the future.

As for trading players, it's fine if they want to wait until after Sunday's game to know for sure if this is a lost season. If they beat Buffalo, they will be just 1.5 games back, with a game against the same Bills at home late in the year.

However, if the Patriots lose to the Bills, the Pats need to be sellers at the trade deadline. Ship out anyone who can't help you next year -- unless they think the rebuild will take longer, in which case they could trade players who won't be helpful in 2022. Depends on where the braintrust thinks the team will be by then.

Where does this leave us? For this season, Sunday's game at Buffalo is make or break. Win and maybe the season will turn around. Lose and it's over. So if you want to watch meaningful local football, Sunday might be your last chance.

Biggest ongoing issue: Puh-lease, it's so many things.

Non-QB MVP: Nope, same answer as below.

Statistical oddity: The last two seasons in which the Patriots played only three games in October, they went winless each time - that includes 2020. (Trivia question: can you name the previous season? Answer below.)

Bonus oddity: The 27-point loss is the Patriots worst home loss in Gillette Stadium history.

Water-cooler wisdom: "Uggggh..."

Keep the faith, if you have any faith left,

- Scott

PS. 2-4!

PPS. Trivia Answer:

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The Patriots went o-fer October in 2002.

Patriots Fall to Broncos 18-12

The depleted Patriots lost to the depleted Broncos, 18-12, in a game that wasn't as close as the final score. The loss drops the Pats to 2-3, in third place in the AFC East behind the 4-1 Bills and 3-3 Dolphins. Next week the 49ers cross the country to play in Foxboro at 4:25.

Once again this team reminded me of the pre-Belichick Pats. Too many mental errors, missed opportunities, chunk plays given up, and turnovers to win much in the NFL.

The offensive line was flat-out horrible. Gave up four sacks, lots more pressures, eight QB hits, didn't block well on screen passes, were bad in the running game, and didn't pick up blitzes particularly well.

Continuity and time spent practicing together are keys to offensive line play. Well, the Patriots lost longtime O-line coach Dante Scarnecchia in the off-season, have started three different centers, and due to injuries/COVID not one single player has started every game at the same position this season. (And a reminder; the season is only FIVE games old!)

With a makeshift offensive line, QB Cam Newton cannot wait 4+ seconds to get rid of the ball. The four sacks weren't all on the O-line. And he tossed two INTs, had a fumble, and had at least two passes knocked down at the line of scrimmage.

Newton's running plays are excellent, and he led the team with 76 yards. But they won't get far if all they can do is run -- they need explosive plays down the field, at least some of the time.

The running backs couldn't run, totaling 41 yards on 16 carries (2.6 ypc). James White had eight catches for 65 yards, but he was poor in blitz pickup. Damien Harris showed good burst early, but for some reason the Pats appeared to want to give touches to all the backs -- which backfired when Rex Burkhead and James White got stuffed more than once.

The receivers continually fail tooooo -- stop me if you've heard this -- to get separation against man-coverage. I know, sounds like last year, right? Only Damiere Byrd is quick enough to get free, but it's his first year here and he doesn't know the offense all that well.

The tight ends? Ryan Izzo had three catches for minimal yards and an absolute killer lost fumble.

The defense was just really weird. They gave up huge plays at really inopportune times. Allowing a 35-yard completion on third-and-21 was disheartening and ridiculous. Especially for a team with this much talent in the secondary.

However, the defense also stiffened near their own goal line, allowing six field goals and no touchdowns. (And that includes a questionable penalty that gave the Broncos a first-and-goal at the four yard line. Denver lost one yard on the next three plays and then kicked a short field goal.)

Linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley had his best game this year (12 tackles, 2 QB hits, and got in on a sack). But he is still inconsistent -- missing some assignments and getting knocked off his feet too often. In fact, their best linebacker might be Adrian Phillips... except he plays safety (he plays near the line like a LB most of the time).

Corners Jonathan Jones (3) and J.C. Jackson (2) knocked away five passes total and each had an interception -- on back-to-back Denver plays. But somehow they just couldn't make a key play early in the game that could turn the tide of a Broncos' offense that gained yards and ate the clock all game long.

The coaching needs to be more cognizant of their players limitations.

On defense, they continue to have Bentley in pass coverage when he can't do it. On pass plays he should rush the quarterback and they backfill the coverage with a safety.

And on offense, they can't call for deep passes when their O-line has that many replacements. Not that a few good targets wouldn't help more -- but the coaches have to put them in position to succeed, not to fail.

The one coaching decision that did work out was odd -- they called two gadget plays and both worked really well. They might note that, because all the gadget plays are ones the team practiced multiple times a week for years. So if they don't have as much practice time during the week, maybe those should use more of those plays.

Where does that leave us? The team is struggling. Lots of positive COVID tests, multiple players in or out on a daily or weekly basis, the facilities closing for days at a time to clean things up. It's a tough thing to get through, but somehow they have to get wins in games like this where the changes were all there for them.

Biggest on-going issue: COVID. Is the game on or off, which players are in or out on a weekly basis, and why are they having continual outbreaks when other teams are not. The uncertainty erodes their effectiveness.

Non-QB MVP: Punter Jake Bailey, who had three kicks for a 48.3 average, no returns, and two downed inside the 20 yard line. He also kicked off, as usual.

Statistical oddity: This is the first time the Patriots had a losing record in October since 2001. Once every 19 years pretty much makes this an oddity.

Water-cooler wisdom: "If you wanted the NFL to play, this is a good reminder to be careful what you wish for."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 2-3!

What the NFL Should Do About COVID-19

You've undoubtedly read about the on-going COVID-19 outbreak it the Tennessee Titans' organization. And of course, you know about the isolated positive tests around the league.

There are a lot of ideas about how to handle this situation. Here is my take on the steps needed to contain and get past the current outbreak and any future ones.

Step 1: Close down for two weeks, starting right now

If the NFL doesn't close things down, they risk even more players and coaches being exposed to the coronavirus. And health concerns aside, if the Titans' outbreak becomes a league-wide outbreak, they risk losing a month or more.

Shutting down and quarantining for two weeks means that teams will simply miss their weeks 5 and 6 schedules. And those game can be made up by postponing the playoffs and playing the games in early January.

No one will give the league any crap if they play the Super Bowl in mid-February or even early March. Everyone involved -- players, coaches, fans, television networks, fantasy football sites, Vegas -- they all want football. And shutting down for two weeks now makes it more likely they will get football. 

Step 2: Give players, coaches, officials, and fans another chance to opt-out

Given the known climate and current conditions, people should be given another opportunity to protect their own health and the health of their families and communities. People's own health situations might have changed, or they might have more misgivings about playing under current conditions.

The COVID-19 status in some states has gotten better and in some states it's gotten worse. Giving everyone involved another chance to skip the rest of the season is fair and would show the NFL really does care about player health and safety.

Step 3: Implement new health and safety protocols

The NFL now knows how and why the Titans outbreak got worse. Titans' players engaged in extra-team practices and events, which worsened the outbreak for them (they continue to have new positive tests). So make new rules that can avoid those risks.

Given the incubation period, any positive test should result in immediate lockdown/quarantine of the entire team. Contact tracing should mean that anyone who spent more than a minute within six feet the infected player or coach should not play in any games until after the maximum incubation period and continuous negative test results.

Even in the modern game, rosters have sometimes been limited to as few as 33 active players per team per game. So if a team has 10 players sidelined for a week, so be it. Every team is under the same rules, so live with the results and move on.

Step 4: Increase penalties for those who violate protocols in step 3

Football players and coaches are always trying to get an edge. And the NFL can't allow those risk-takers to put the entire sport in jeopardy. The franchises and the sport are always worth more than any single game or even a single season. The NFL needs to make coaches and players understand that.

Everyone involved needs to know that violations of the rules will be punished through fines, suspensions, loss of future draft picks, and even forfeited games. No exceptions.

Coaches and players are short-term thinkers by nature. They know that preparation and winning the next game is crucial to their futures. So they need to be reminded that they will have no future if they put the sport at risk.

Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 if another team has an outbreak similar to Tennessee's

Again, no one will care if the league has to push back the playoffs to make up regular-season games in January/February. Just move the playoffs to February/March and play the Super Bowl in March/April.

Every positive COVID-19 test is a risk. Any outbreaks that cross team lines should result in closing down for two weeks to figure out how best to keep things safe.

Summary

Just my two-cents worth. But I will say that the NFL ignores the widening outbreak at their own peril. No sport is immune. Hell, the U.S. Government can't even guarantee there won't be an outbreak in the White House!

Do the right thing, Roger Goodell. For once, finally do the right thing.

- Scott

Patriots Meltdown in KC, Lose 26-10

This is what "Patriots Football" meant before Bill Belichick arrived. The Patriots missed multiple opportunities against the Chiefs and came away 26-10 losers in a game that should have been much closer and probably could have been a win. The loss put them two full games back in the AFC East, the first time that's happened since week 7 of 2002. (Trivia question: name the team that led the division that week; answer below.) Next week the hapless Broncos come to town to face the suddenly hapless Patriots.

This has to be the most frustrating Patriots game since the loss to Philly in the Super Bowl. You remember, when Malcolm Butler stood on the sideline, only occasionally grabbing a fire extinguisher to put out yet another burned Patriots defensive back.

New England had multiple golden opportunities to stop KC, score more points, or turn momentum in their favor. They missed at least six such opportunities -- here they are.

Three missed opportunities on defense:

1. Devin McCourty dropped an easy INT on the first drive of the game. That would have likely disheartened the Chiefs a bit, but at the very least would have taken three KC points off the board.

2. Late in the game, J.C. Jackson missed an equally easy INT, a play that would have given the Patriots the ball, trailing by three points with plenty of time to score. After the mistake, the Chiefs scored a TD and made the game much tougher to win.

3. Earlier in the game, Chase Winovich strip-sacked Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, and the ball popped right into LB Shilique Calhoun's hands. But the referee's incorrectly ruled Mahomes down because he was "in the grasp" -- a ruling that was seen as incorrect by the CBS broadcast refereeing expert.

(Note: the play was not reviewable because "in the grasp" is a judgment call by the official and thus not subject to review.)

Three missed opportunities on offense:

1. As the first half drew to a close, the Patriots had the ball in easy field goal position, with the clock running and no timeouts. QB Brian Hoyer dropped back for one last pass attempt, but instead of throwing the ball away (to stop the clock), he took a sack -- apparently thinking he had one more timeout. This boneheaded play cost the Patriots three easy points.

2. Early in the second half, the Patriots again in easy field goal position, Hoyer stepped up in the pocket to avoid a sack and then somehow forgot about the guy who just rushed past him -- as he let the guy get back into the play for a strip-sack. KC recovered the fumble and the Patriots missed out on three more points.

3. Jarrett Stidham replaced Hoyer, and his quick-out went right through Julian Edelman's hands and was picked by KC and returned for a touchdown.

By my count, without those mistakes, the Patriots could have outscored the Chiefs 22-19. No way to know how the game would have turned had the Patriots made a few of those plays. But without them, it was only going to end badly.

Just for fun, here are three pieces of good news from the game:

1. We are probably done with the Brian Hoyer "era" for now. He overthrew almost every pass in the first half, had the two big situational gaffes, and can't do jack with his legs to help the team. For now it'll be Stidham, who threw a crisper ball and is at least a threat to run.

2. The running game is still very good: 185 yards and 5.3 ypc.

3. The defense continues to play excellent situational football. They are taking the ball away like they did last year. And their third-down play has been outstanding.

Note: the defense might be the most interesting part of the team, even with the improved rushing attack and Cam Newton at the helm. They seem to be calling the game differently; playing zone between the 20s and man-to-man closer to either goal line.

It's almost as if Belichick concedes teams will get yards between the 20s but that he will either turn them over or make them kick field goals when they get close to the end zone. It worked to perfection for almost three quarters last night. And without all the mistakes, the Pats could have had a large lead by that point.

Where does that leave us? In unfamiliar territory: 2-2 and looking up a the Bills. With Denver in town next week, a bye after that, and the injury-plagued 49ers after that, they have time to right the ship. Then it's off to Buffalo for a showdown with the Bills.

Biggest concern: The health and recovery of Cam Newton. With him the Pats are a threat to go deep into the playoffs. Without him, 10-6 is the ceiling, and that might not even get them to the post-season.

Non-QB MVP: Damien Harris led the team with 100 yards and ripped off a 41-yarder in a drive that led to their only touchdown.

Statistical oddity: In four games against the Patriots, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes averaged just 8.75 points in the first halves but 21.25 points in the second halves.

Water-cooler wisdom: "Steve Belichick is the outside linebackers coach? But the Patriots don't *use* any outside linebackers!'

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 2-2!

PS. Trivia answer: the Miami Dolphins led the AFC East with a 7-3 record in week 7 of the 2002 season. The Patriots were two games behind at 5-5 -- and they ended up missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker to the Jets.

Patriots Dispatch Raiders 36-20

The Pats took care of business, beating the visiting Raiders 36-10 at Gillette Stadium. The win kept them one game behind the 3-0 Bills in the division. Next up is a trip to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

If you'd never seen the Patriots under Bill Belichick, this was a clinic in how they won so much through the years. They didn't make critical mistakes, always took advantages of their opportunities, and waited for the other team to crumble under the pressure.

Las Vegas ran for 126 yards (5.7/carry) and their QB threw 2 TDs and 0 INTs for a rating of 119.4. Those stats might make you think they had a big day and won the game. But they lost three fumbles (including two by the QB), had too many penalties (6 total for 44 yards), and had three big special teams mistakes, including a killer missed field goal that would have tied the game in the second half.

On offense, it took a while for the Patriots to dump the run-pass-option plays, which were mostly stuffed early on. Once they started pitching to the outside and then doing quick-hitting inside runs, they took control of the clock and the game.

Rex Burkhead was the star of the game, running for 49 yards and 2 touchdowns and led the team with 7 catches for another 49 yards and 1 TD. Last week he was mediocre in the "James White" role, but with a week to prepare, he handled it a lot better.

The other running backs were no slouches, either. Sony Michel got 117 yards on just 9 carries (13 yards/carry) -- and he was very good on blitz-pickup. And rookie J.J. Taylor had 43 of his own on 11 carries. New England ran for 250 yards total, their second 200+ yard performance in three games.

Cam Newton was good, getting the Patriots into the right play repeatedly, although he did have a terrible interception. He was 17 of 28 for 162 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT (rating 73.8). Those are Tom Brady numbers... circa 2001, his first year as a Patriots starter.

Newton is developing nice chemistry with receivers N'Keal Harry and Damiere Byrd. But he does throw it downfield to covered receivers when there are receivers open for shorter gains. He threw into traffic twice and had that one really bad throw that was easily picked off.

The offensive line played great. The left tackle Isiah Wynn and fill-in left guard Mike Onwenu opened huge holes for the backs and most of the screen passes went that direction, too. The commentators pointed out that most of the snaps were under center (not shotgun), which probably owes Joe Thuney replacing the injured David Andrews at center.

The defense played well situationally, holding the Raiders to 3-of-9 conversions on third-down and forcing Las Vegas to settle for field goals early to keep the game close. The best example of that was after Newton's interception, when the Raiders got the ball at the Pats 14 yard line but had to settle for a field goal.

The secondary was up-and-down; sometimes with blanket coverage but giving up four passes of 20+ yards. The top three tacklers on the day were also from the secondary: Jonathan Jones (7), Adrian Phillips (7), and J.C. Jackson (6). And as a secondary, they knocked away 7 total passes and controlled one of the best receiving threats on the Raiders, Darren Waller

But Stephon Gilmore continues to struggle. It might be time to go back to last year's plan; man-up Gilmore on the opponents second best receiver and double-team their best receiver. Gilmore won the 2019 defensive player of the year, but he didn't take on the top receiver every week. The rules just don't allow a corner to shut down great receivers anymore; so it might be time to go back to the future in the secondary.

The defensive line held up well, especially doing a good job running sideline-to-sideline to cut off off-tackle runs. They sacked Derek Carr twice and recovered two fumbles -- one "returned" for a touchdown. Chase Winovich is playing great on the edge and Adam Butler is doing well stuffing the run inside.

The linebackers continue to be mostly invisible. Head coach Bill Belichick might have thought he could coach-up the young linebacking corps. But it's clear they simply lack the talent needed to cover the pass and are only serviceable against the run. Expect the Patriots to trade for at least one LB before the deadline.

Special teams were mostly very good. They kept the Raiders pinned back, only returned one kickoff they should have knelt on, and did a great job pushing Las Vegas on their last real possession -- when the defense sacked Carr in the end zone and recovered his fumble for a touchdown.

They did miss an extra point; but luckily it didn't come back to haunt them.

On the coaching front, offense coordinator Josh McDaniels excelled in his adjustments, coming up with a new plan when the initial one wasn't working. He called screen passes and outside runs to attack the Raiders both vertically and horizontally, and kept them off-balance the last three quarters of the game.

The only coaching hiccup was having to call three timeouts on defense in the second half. One was on the first play after they kicked off, and the last one was with 12:30 left in the game -- which meant they would not be able to challenge any really bad call on the field. No excuses; they need to do better and make sure the players know the personnel groupings so they don't make those mistakes.

Where does that leave us? 2-1 is good enough for now, and the game next week has they facing a Chiefs team that will be on a short week (just as the Raiders were this week). And after the next game, the "preseason" will be over and I'll write up my season preview :D

Biggest on-going problem: Line. Backer. See last week for details.

Non-QB MVP: Rex Burkhead went flying through the air and burrowing through small creases in the defense to be honored this week.

Statistical Oddity: As head coaches, Bill Belichick and Jon Gruden have only faced each other three times, and in those three games, Gruden's teams have scored fewer total points (33) than the Patriots scored yesterday (36). Probably goes without saying, Belichick is 3-0.

Water-cooler wisdom: "The Pats are building a strong team for the playoffs; tough defense and good running game."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 2-1!

Seahawks Outlast Patriots 35-30

The Patriots could not punch it in for the victory, falling 35-30 to the Seahawks. The loss leaves them one game back of the first-place Bills and one game ahead of the winless Bills and Jets. Next up the newly minted Las Vegas Raiders come to town for a 1:00 game at Gillette.

The Pats gave up way too many big plays in this game. The plan was obviously to let Seattle run the ball to keep it out of Russell Wilson's hands; but when Wilson threw, he killed them with long passes on a bunch of plays. And in the end, New England couldn't punch it in from the one yard-line as time expired, giving Seattle the win.

Four linebackers left in the off-season and it's starting to be a problem. Last night the Patriots started five defensive linemen and five defensive backs because the only linebacker they trusted was Ja'Whaun Bentley. Bentley at least has a few years in the system, but he is limited and has no pass-coverage skills at all.

Seattle torched them with short passes and a decent running game. And when the Pats brought players up to slow that down, Wilson hit three long bombs -- all for touchdowns. The Patriots gave up four total touchdowns to wide receivers last year; Seattle had that many last night.

The list of DBs who had decent games is short: Adrian Phillips and Devin McCourty. Phillips arrival from the Chargers reminds me of a past safety who did the same -- Rodney Harrison. It could be a move that pays off well. McCourty had a pick-six to start the scoring.

But Jason McCourty miss-timed his jump and gave up a long touchdown at the pylon. Jonathan Jones gave up a bunch of short stuff across the field. And our best corner, Stephon Gilmore, continued his slump, giving up multiple big plays to D.K. Metcalf.

On the D-line, they got pretty good pressure most of the game. And they even contained Wilson better than most teams. But probably not enough sacks (2) or forced throws given all the pressure, and most definitely not enough run stopping given that they had five men on the line all night.

The Patriots started slowly on offense; trying to establish the run against the fast Seattle D. They were tied at the half mostly because of McCourty's pick-six. But as the game wore on, they let QB Cam Newton throw more often, and usually with greater success.

Newton threw his first pick as Patriots QB, but he also threw for 397 yards and a touchdown (and ran for 47 yards and two additional TDs). He's getting more comfortable with the offense but still needs to learn when to audible to a new play. Some key third downs he didn't change up the play and it force Patriots punts.

Additionally, Newton's ability to extend plays has led to more long passes. In fact, Julian Edelman set a career high with 179 yards but on only 8 catches. Receiver N'Keal Harry got involved, too, with 8 grabs for 72 yards, and supposed #2 receiver Damiere Byrd had 6 catches for 72 of his own.

It's good to see chemistry developing between the QB and receivers other than Edelman. That was always hard when TB12 was here; but with Newton extending plays and giving his receivers a chance, they appear to be building something.

Special teams were just plain odd. For some reason the Patriots kept returning kickoffs out of the end zone, even though they got past the 25 yard-line only once (and then only to the 28). They also appeared to be trying to make Seattle return kickoffs, even though they returned an early one to the 43 yard-line.

They also had Nick Folk try an ill-advised 51-yard field goal (way wide left). And they went for the all-out block near the end of the half (and didn't get close) instead of setting up a return and at least trying to score. I will say that punt was a beauty, dying at the Pats 1 yard-line and forcing them to kneel to end the half.

Most of the coaching decisions were good; except maybe the initial offensive game plan and those odd ideas in the kicking game. Turns out that Steve Belichick is indeed calling the plays from the sideline, so he is the de facto defensive coordinator.

Also, on the last play of the game, they ran the same formation and motion they'd done three other times in the game. One that last play, it made sense to go with something new or to run something different out of that formation. But they plowed toward the left, where 8 Patriots met 10 Seahawks -- with predictable results.

(My suggestion would have been run that same play but have Newton jab-step left and then run around right end. There was only one player there to beat and he was being blocked by the tight end.)

So where does that leave us? This loss was likely expected; Seattle is that good -- but it was a golden opportunity to take a game when they could surprise a team early in the year. 1-1 and looking up at Buffalo isn't great; but I suspect the Bills will come back to earth before the season is out.

Biggest on-going issue: it's a tie between the on-going kicker issues and the lack of linebackers. Can they call Tedy Bruschi to see if he can come out of retirement?

Statistical oddity: I've watched thousands of NFL games, but this is the first time I've seen a team play a 5-1-5 defense regularly. Seattle almost never had to identify the "Mike" linebacker because there was usually only one on the field! 

Water-cooler wisdom: "Tonight when Belichick said: 'Seattle just made a few more plays than us' it was actually true."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 1-1!

Patriots Outlast Dolphins 21-11

The Patriots mostly dominated the Dolphins, finishing with a 21-11 win over their AFC East rivals. Their 1-0 record puts them in a first-place tie with Buffalo for the division lead. Next week they travel to Seattle for an 8:30pm kick against Seahawks in what will undoubtedly be a much quieter CenturyLink Field.

This game wasn't really as close as the final score indicated. The defense started off almost as dominant as they did last year, picking off Miami QB Ryan Fitzpatrick three times and holding the Dolphins to 3.2 yards per rush and only one pass over 20 yards for the entire game.

If not for a N'Keal Harry fumble into the Miami end zone (which resulted in loss of possession and a touchback for the Dolphins), the game would have been a huge blowout.

New QB Cam Newton had an impressive debut. He led the team in rushing (75 yards and 2 touchdowns) and completed 15 of 19 passes (79%) for 155 yards and a QB rating of 100.7. He's still learning the offense, as several times he didn't get the team out of bad plays.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels used Newton's running ability to implement run-pass-option plays and even had a nifty play where RB James White went in motion and then curled around at the snap to run the actual Option play with Newton. Newton should get even better as he learns the offense, and no doubt McDaniels has more tricks up his sleeve.

One caveat: Newton came up limping after his last run of the day -- an ill-advised attempt at a first down to ice the game when it was already well in hand. The Patriots need to protect him late in games. The drop-off from Newton to either Jarred Stidham or Brian Hoyer is pretty steep.

The Patriots running game looked good, with veterans Sony Michel (37 yards and a TD) and Rex Burkhead (32 yards) doing the most work among running backs. I was impressed with the explosion of rookie J.J. Taylor out of Arizona. If he becomes comfortable with the pass protection schemes, he could help reduce the load on White.

The receivers had an off day. Old reliable Julian Edelman led with 5 catches for 57 yards, but he dropped an easy grab on the first drive, which ultimately led to a punt. Second-year man Harry had five catches of his own, but his fumble turned what could have been a 21-3 lead into a 14-11 tight game. At least Harry had some catches, and with Newton's ability to extend plays, Harry could have a big season.

The O-line was good, no huge mistakes and only showed some cracks when Miami overloaded the line with 8+ defenders. Guard Joe Thuney played well and it was great to see center David Andrews back after a career-threatening clot problem cost him all of the 2019 campaign.

On defense, the secondary impressed as you might expect. They are by far the strongest part of the entire team. Three interceptions, one each from Stephon Gilmore, J.C. Jackson, and free agent signee Adrian Phillips (over from the L.A. Chargers), who also led the team with 9 tackles. The commentators mentioned often how few open receivers there were, and the depth was on display in four different players had passes knocked down.

Gilmore did have two pass interference calls, and the team had one other, too. And safety Devin McCourty looked just a hair late twice on passes he could have broken up or intercepted. In fact, the safety play wasn't great, as Terrence Brooks was called for the other P.I. penalty. Next week the Patriots play against Pete Carroll, who would probably say the secondary has to "clean it up."

Given that the Patriots list Chase Winovich as a defensive end, the linebackers were completely nondescript in this game. Ja'Whaun Bentley ended up with five tackles and Brandon Copeland had three, but not much to distinguish them. The Pats started the game with five DBs and two LBs (as predicted by yours truly), which owes to their lack of talent among the 'Backers.

The D-line did a great job stuffing the Dolphins running game. Winovich, Derek Rivers, and John Simon all had tackles for a loss, and they kept good pressure on the QB, with five QB hits and a sack.

Justin Bethel made the play of the day on special teams. Punter Jake Bailey outkicked his coverage a bit with a 55-yarder, but Bethel beat his man on the outside and made the return man change directions twice, and ultimately the rest of the coverage team tackled him for a three-yard loss. That drive ended with another Fitzpatrick interception.

Bailey was great, kicking off and punting. Kicker Nick Folk missed his only attempt at a field goal (but was perfect on extra points.). The Pats could really use a kicker like Stephen Gostkowski, but he signed with Tennessee a few weeks back.

On the coaching front, it was interesting to see how McDaniels integrated Newton's skills to diversify the attack. The defensive gameplan on Sunday is what the Pats needed last December 29 to secure a first-round playoff bye. They stuffed the run and then let Fitzpatrick become Fitzpatrick, a risk-taker who is good for two or three INTs per game.

Where does that leave us? In this year, I'll take a division victory with enough stuff for Belichick to correct for next week. The game in Seattle will be a lot different without the crowd noise. And at least they'll have one week of film to study before that one.

Biggest On-going Issue: It's still kicker; the team has to figure that out or commit to going for fourth downs and two-point conversions.

Statistical Oddity: Including yesterday the last three games the Pats rushed for over 200 yards are against each of their division rivals: 215 against the Jets (11/25/2018), 273 against the Bills (12/23/2018), and 217 yesterday.

Bonus Oddity: Newton's 75 yards rushing on Sunday are more yards than Tom Brady rushed in any season since 2012.

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "The win is most important, but to see how well the offense played was impressive."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 1-0!

Patriots 2020 Season Preview

Happy September everyone, hope you have been doing well and surviving the end-of-times here on Planet Earth!

It's that time of year; when we distract ourselves from our inevitable slide toward doom by obsessing over millionaires fighting on a 120x53-yard gridiron. In other words, bring on the 2020 NFL regular season 🏈🏈😎

Unlike past years, I have not kept a close eye on the Patriots off-season. Nor have I attended any practices. Nor have I been able to watch any pre-season games. The culprit was COVID-19, which disrupted the world enough to cost me the first one and was the literal cause of the second two.

Given that, I feel uniquely unqualified to assess where the Patriots stand, how the team is put together, how it will do, and where it will finish this season. In fact, I'm the guy who thought Cam Newton might not even make the team; so you'd have to take any predictions with a truckload of salt.

So I'm taking an oft-reported page out of Bill Belichick's books -- I'm treating the first four game of the year like the pre-season. That would make this sort of my like my annual Pre-Season Previews, where I give you some things I'll be watching for in the next four games.

Once I've had a chance to see four contests, assuming they have that many, I'll analyze how I expect the Patriots to do for the remainder of the year.

Fair enough? Yes?

Okay, with that in mind, here we go!

Offense

Departures:

• QB Tom Brady
• TE Rob Gronkowski (unretired and traded)
• T Marcus Cannon (opt-out)
• RB Brandon Bolden (opt-out)
• FB James Develin
• TE Matt LaCosse (opt-out)

Arrivals:

• QB Cam Newton
• C David Andrews
• And a bunch of guys you never heard of

The GOAT is gone, long live the GOAT.

I wouldn't call Cam Newton a replacement for TB12; he's a much different quarterback than Brady. Newton is reportedly healthy and has developed some chemistry with WR Julian Edelman. What he brings is the ability to extend plays with his feet, more running ability, and the motivation of a one-year deal that could net him a nine-figure contract if he plays well.

This "pre-season" I'll be looking for whether the Pats changed their offense to use Newton's talents or if they tried to work Newton into their 2019 offense. If you see more extended plays and deep passes, then this is Newton's offense. If not, it will be business as usual.

It'll also be interesting to see if the Patriots run the ball more. They loaded up with running backs, have a new FB in place, their 2018 starting center returned. With Newton could work read-option into the mix. The Patriots offense passed 58% of the time last year; keep an eye on whether that percentage goes higher or lower.

Defense

Departures:

• LB Dont'a Hightower (opt-out)
• LB Kyle Van Noy
• LB Jamie Collins
• LB Elandon Roberts
• DT Danny Shelton
• S Duron Harmon
• S Patrick Chung (opt-out)

Arrivals:

• A bunch of guys you never heard of

It's a tough off-season when your four best linebackers aren't on the roster the next year. Especially when you sometimes only play three or four in an entire game. Ja'Whaun Bentley showed real ability and a good knowledge of the defense -- but that was two years ago, before an injury cost him one season and better players cost him another.

Bentley will wear the green-dot helmet, so he'll be calling the defense. I'll be watching for blown assignments or pre-snap confusion to see if Bentley can handle the pressure.

The Pats defensive strength is clearly their secondary, which ranks among the best in the NFL. Given their weakness and inexperience at linebacker, I wonder if they will play more five- six- or even seven-man backfields during the season. I'll pay attention to the starting lineups each game, checking to see how many defensive backs are on the field to start the game.

Special Teams

Departures:

• K Stephen Gostkowski
• K Nick Folk (on the practice squad)

Arrivals

• None

Does this glaring omission on the Pats depth chart worry anyone else?

My suspicion is that Folk will be promoted from the practice squad to kick field goals until a permanent replacement can be found. However, it would not shock me to see the Patriots go without a field goal kicker in a few 2020 games. Punter Jake Bailey kicked off most of last year and will likely do the same this year. With the running game and Newton's skills, the Pats might just go for two points more often.

Coaching

Departures:

• Dante Scarnecchia (offensive line)
• Joe Judge (special teams)

Arrivals:

• Troy Brown (running backs and kick returners)

There have been some shifting of roles, but no matter what the team does, they'll have a really hard time replacing Dante Scarnecchia. He was a magician with the offensive line. And for two decades, Bill Belichick spent less money and draft capital on the O-line, dedicating those resources to other places, precisely because "Scar" could make chicken salad out of chicken feathers year after year.

The other thing of note is that with Bentley being the defensive signal caller, Jerod Mayo will likely be the de facto defensive coordinator. He seemed to split those chores with safeties coach Steve Belichick in 2019. But now that the green dot will be firmly affixed to a LB's helmet, it should be Mayo.

Summary

This year reminds me a lot of 2001. Lots of new players and tons of free agents in and out all off-season. I suspect Bill Belichick is excited to show his coaching chops once again. And given his history, the team will mostly likely be playing better toward the end of the year.

With the uncertainty and all the new players, don't expect a 4-1 or 7-2 start to the season. But then again, I'm not predicting, right 😂

Biggest On-going Issue: Uncertainty in the kicking game. The team had the entire training camp to make sure the linebackers know the defense and Cam Newton knows the offense. But not having a field goal kicker? They need to fix that soon.

Statistical Oddity: Other than Bill Belichick, only one other current NFL head coach has won more than one Super Bowl as a head coach. Only one. (Trivia question: can you name that head coach? Answer below.)

Water-cooler Wisdom: "The Pats performance will be one thing that's better in 2020 than it was in 1990." (Credit to Al the Weather God)

Keep the faith and enjoy the beginning of the season!

- Scott

PS. 0-0!

PPS. Trivia answer:

V

V

V

V

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Mike Tomlin has two Super Bowl victories. Among current NFL coaches, only he and Belichick have more than one.

Patriots 2019 Regular Season Awards

Sorry this is late, but the season ended abruptly, they missed the playoff Bye, and I had a vacation and the flu to slow me down the last week+.

But in any event, it's time to look back on the 2019 season and honor the most valuable, most improved, and best newcomers in each of the three phases of the game.

Here goes...

Offense

Most Valuable Offensive Player: Tom Brady
Honorable Mention: Julian Edelman

Brady wins this honor by default because no one else played very well this year. And despite all the media consternation about Brady's attitude and lack of off-season team-related prep, the simple fact is that without TB12, the Patriots would have probably gone 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

If you think of those close games they won: one-score victories over Buffalo (twice), the Eagles, and the Cowboys, it's pretty easy to see them dropping from 12-4 to 8-8 without Brady's over-60% completions and 3-to-1 TD-to-Interception ratio. I for one never take this for granted. For context, check with the folks in Tampa Bay or Cleveland.

Even in a down year, Edelman was the cog that made the Patriots offense run, when it ran, that is. He only started 13 games, but even not playing as much he totaled 100 catches for 1117 yards and 6 touchdowns. But perhaps most important were his 54 first downs -- keeping the chains moving and the team on the field.

Most Improved Offensive Player: Joe Thuney
Honorable Mention: Rex Burkhead

I'm going mostly on reputation and film nerds here. Thuney has started every game for the Patriots for four years: 64 out of 64, plus the playoffs. And Pro Football Focus had him rated the third-best guard in the entire NFL. He'll likely be gone in free agency, but this was a chance to honor him before he left.

Burkhead played in more games this year (13, versus 8 last year), improved his yards-per-carry (from 3.3 to 4.6), and had almost twice as many catches (27 versus 14). His durability was up, and so were his numbers. And I'd add that he was much more integral to the offense at points this year; whereas he was always an afterthought in the past.

Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Elandon Roberts
Honorable Mention: none

When blocking back James Develin went down for the year, it took a few weeks but the Patriots eventually replaced him with linebacker Elandon Roberts. Roberts mostly did a very good job blocking, and even had a touchdown reception (and a nice catch at that).

Defense

Most Valuable Defensive Player: Stephon Gilmore
Honorable Mention: Kyle Van Noy and Lawrence Guy

Gilmore is a defensive player of the year candidate for the entire NFL, so it stands to reason he'd win this for the team. His 20 passes defended and 6 interceptions led the team, he had two returns for touchdown, and his 44 tackles ranked fourth on the team.

Van Noy and Jamie Collins transformed the linebacking core into a real strength this year, but Collins couldn't sustain it for the entire year. Van Noy finished with 41 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries.

Of the defensive linemen, Guy was the most consistently impactful on the game. Sometimes it's hard to tease out which lineman played the best. But Guy's 35 tackles and 3 sacks are actually very good for a defensive lineman in the Patriots scheme.

Most Improved Defensive Player: Van Noy
Honorable Mention: Jason McCourty

Van Noy for all the reasons listed above.

McCourty because you saw what happened to the defense when he got injured late in the year. He was their second-best corner most of the season, and when he went down, the D started to give up more big plays and points. In the games he played over 10% of the snaps, the team gave up 10.8ppg. In the other six games, they gave up 19.5ppg.

Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Jamie Collins
Honorable Mention: Chase Winovich

Collins shot out of the gate like a rocket, dominating enough that *he* was the one in the conversation for defensive player of the year early on. In the first eight games, he had 6 sacks, 4 passes defended, 3 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and 2 forced fumbles. I wish he would consider coming back, but reports are he'll be one-and-done, taking the biggest free agent deal he gets on the open market this Spring.

Winovich's 17 tackles and 5.5 sacks, along with his never-quit motor, earned him a lot of respect on the team and around the league. By season's end, he was occasionally being double-teamed -- a sign that respect for him was growing around the league.

Special Teams

Most Valuable Special Teams Player: Jake Bailey
Honorable Mention: Matthew Slater 

The Patriots made a tough call when they cut long-time punter Ryan Allen, who was my MVP of Super Bowl LIII just a few months before being let go. It paid off handsomely. Rookie Jake Bailey placed second in the NFL in punts downed inside the 20 yard-line, and he was an actual weapon in the field-position game.

He also took over kickoff duties when Stephen Gostkowski went down with injury. And aside from three kick out of bounds, he was mostly flawless there. In a year when a touchback gave teams the ball at the 25 yard-line, Bailey gave up an average starting position of the 19.5 yard-line. He even booted a perfect onside kick in the KC game that could have given the Pats a shot at a win. (Unfortunately, it bounced off Brandon Bolden's hands and out of bounds.)

Slater's running mate Brandon King missed the entire season with a quad injury. And early in the year, Slater looked like he was trying too hard, and he made several mistakes because of it. But he got his bearings back and was just as dominant the second half of the season as he'd ever been.

Most Improved Special Teams Player: Joe Cardona
Honorable Mention: Coach Joe Judge

Long-snapper Cardona was picture-perfect this season. I don't remember a single bad snap, though I do recall several bad holds by Bailey. This was after Cardona was a liability during the Patriots 2017/18 playoff run. He had three bad snaps against Tennessee and messed one up in the Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.

I don't have notes on 2018 year, but my recollection is that he wasn't quite right in that season, either. However, nary a bad snap was seen this year, even though he had to work with a new punter and four different field goal kickers.

Usually this space is reserved for players. But Joe Judge was something very special this year, so I thought he merited inclusion. The Patriots blocked a franchise-record 4 punts, the most by any NFL team since 2014. He also had to integrate a new punter, teach that punter to kickoff, and go through four different field goal kickers.

His performance got him the gig as head coach of the Giants. Not a bad promotion from a guy I've called "overmatched" in previous years.

Special Teams Newcomer of the Year: Jake Bailey
Honorable Mention: Justin Bethel

Bailey for all the reason mentioned earlier.

Bethel was cut by the Ravens mid-season. The Patriots scooped him up off waivers and he was as good as Slater the rest of the year. The two were quite the dynamic duo, bringing back memories of how Slater and King would go back-and-forth for the team lead in special teams tackles.

Summary

That is about it. Next year's entry should be a dandy -- looks like an absolute ton of turnover this off-season. And maybe we'll have to retire the "Non-Brady MVP" award, depending on what TB12 decides to do.

Statistical Oddity: One week after he was cut by Baltimore, Bethel recovered a punt that was fumbled by those same Ravens in the Patriots loss to that team. The fumbling player... Cyrus Jones, who was drafted by the Patriots. It really is a small NFL world.

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 0-0!