In QB Bailey Zappe's First Career NFL Start, The Patriots Blanked The Hapless Lions 29-0

 

    If you are still searching for a legitimate reason to watch the Patriots (2-3 overall, 1-1 at home) this season, rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe is quickly becoming a major incentive to tune in as New England beat Detroit (1-4 overall, 0-2 away) 29-0 this afternoon at Gillette Stadium in a gorgeous fall day rocking their superb red Pat Patriot throwback uniforms (which they should wear all the time if you ask me). In his first career NFL start (and only his second career NFL game), Zappe was poised and efficient as he went 17-of-21 for 188 yards, a touchdown and an interception (that bounced off of Nelson Agholor's stone hands). It was a classic Bill Belichick game as his defense was perfect with a defensive touchdown, two sacks (both by linebacker Matthew Judon who set a team record with a sack in the first five straight contests of the season), a forced fumble and recovery and another interception by promising rookie cornerback Jack Jones while the Lions were 0-for-6 on fourth down which frankly seems impossible for most other teams. Pats kicker Nick Folk added five field goals and running back Rhamondre Stevenson (25 carries, 161 yards; 2 catches, 14 yards) had a career day after Damien Harris left with a hamstring injury. 

    This result probably reflects more on Detroit's usual ineptitude (whose lovable head coach Dan Campbell is still looking for his first road win in his head coaching career) but then again, any win for New England is a good one in 2022. Furthermore, there are so many average to bad teams in the NFL these days, if you can beat enough of them, you should find yourself in the playoffs (ala the Patriots last season) at the end of the year. Also, while Mac Jones will (likely) remain the starter when he returns from his high ankle sprain, at worst this proves that Zappe is a capable NFL backup quarterback and we finally should have seen the last of Brian Hoyer in a Pats uniform. Quality quarterbacks are the most important commodity that you can have in the NFL so the fact that Zappe can play already is a huge bonus and a boon to New England's scouting department and coaching staff. 

    Folk obviously started the scoring with a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 32-yard field goal early in the second quarter for a 6-0 Pats lead. The play of the game was safety Kyle Dugger's 59-yard scoop-and-score for a touchdown with 3:26 left in the first half. Folk added the PAT and then a 44-yard kick as time expired for a 16-0 halftime advantage. Folk-the clubhouse leader for AFC Special Teams Player of the Week-hit a 37-yard field goal on New England's first drive in the third quarter and late in the frame, Zappe connected with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (game-high 7 catches, 111 yards) for a 24-yard touchdown catch after a blown coverage by Detroit's awful defense. Folk kicked another extra point and closed it out with a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the final lopsided margin. 

    Looking ahead, if the Pats can keep getting stable play from their quarterback(s) and the defense continues to be pretty stingy, there are a bunch of possible wins on the horizon. They are at Cleveland (2-3 overall, 1-2 home) on Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) where they will face old friend Jacoby Brissett. Much like the Lions, the Browns are born losers as they proved once again today as they fell 30-28 to the Chargers (3-2) who did everything in their power to giftwrap the game for them. The following week, the Patriots host the Bears (2-3) on Monday Night Football, followed by their first meeting with the Jets (3-2) this season-at the Meadowlands-then they host the Colts (2-2-1), have their bye in Week 10 and get the return meeting with the Jets at Gillette coming out of the break. Clearly, this is not the Pats of old where we can get silly and way too far ahead of ourselves right away. They could lose all of those matchups that I just mentioned so while it is boring and trite, we will just have to wait for next weekend and see if they can come up with another solid gameplan to help Zappe-assuming that Mac is still out-succeed while letting Cleveland puke on themselves enough to give the game away.

The Pats Failed To Show Up For The First Three Quarters & Ended Up Losing 27-17 To The Colts

 

    After playing great for the past two months and winning seven straight games, your New England Patriots (9-5 overall, 6-1 away) were due for a letdown. Likewise, Pats rookie quarterback Mac Jones (26-of-45 for 299 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) had not really had a complete stinkbomb in a game this season (when he's been called on to pass the ball more than three times) so obviously that happened tonight as well as Indianapolis (8-6 overall, 4-4 home) beat the Patriots 27-17 at Lucas Oil Stadium. It was a costly loss for New England too since they dropped from the top seed in the AFC (the only one that gets a first-round bye) into third-place behind surging Kansas City (10-4) and Tennessee (9-4). With only three games left in the regular season now, the Pats will likely have to win out to have a shot at that No. 1 spot.

    Both teams were coming off a bye week but for some reason, the Pats could not do anything right for the first three quarters as they trailed 17-0 at halftime (1st time in 100 games that they were shut out in the 1st half) and 20-0 after three quarters. They made a decent comeback attempt in the fourth quarter but Indy is a good team and it is almost impossible to rally from down 20+ points in the NFL (that is unless you're playing the Falcons in the Super Bowl). Anyone could have told you coming into this hyped matchup that Colts running back Jonanthan Taylor (29 carries, 170 yards, TD) would be the main focus for Pats head coach Bill Belichick and they mostly held him in check until it really mattered. 

    New England had cut it to 20-17 with 2:21 left in regulation as tight end Hunter Henry (6 catches, 77 yards, 2 TDs-giving him a new career-high of 9 in his first season as a Patriot) caught a seven-yard touchdown from Jones that coupled with Nick Folk's point-after made it 20-17 Indianpolis. With a timeout plus the two-minute warning left, the Patriots had a chance to get the ball back with a chance to tie it or go for the win if their vaunted defense could get one stop but in this instance they failed epically. Taylor broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown run and after Michael Badgley's PAT, it was all over 27-17 with 2:01 left in the fourth quarter. It's a quarterback-driven league so Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers will likely win the MVP this season but Taylor should get plenty of votes as well, he's been the best running back in the league especially with Derrick Henry out. 

    It was an odd game, how else to explain Patriots punter Jake Bailey getting blocked for the third time already this season and Colts linebacker E.J. Speed (perfect football name) returning it for an easy score? Badgley's point-after made it 14-0 with 14 seconds left in the first quarter. The Colts had gotten out to a 7-0 lead on running back Nyheim Hines' eight-yard touchdown pass from Carson Wentz (5-of-12 for 57 yards, TD, INT) with 3:53 left in the first quarter. Mac was awful in the first three quarters: he threw a brutal red zone interception to Indy's superstar linebacker Darius Leonard (8 tackles, 2 assists) and later another Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke made a spectacular diving pick. The only points in the second quarter came from Badgley's 25-yard field goal. He missed a 46-yard field goal in the third quarter but a false start penalty (1 of 8 infractions on New England in the game that totalled 50 yards, compared to just 2 on the home team) gave him another chance which he predictably made the most of when he was given a second chance. 

    Henry caught a 12-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and Folk added the extra point to make it 20-7 Colts. He added a 25-yard kick on the next Pats possession which was a questionable decision by Bill since three points hardly mattered at that juncture with so few possessions left in the game (not to mention that Indy's defense is legit). Safety Devin McCourty had an interception after linebacker Jamie Collins tipped a pass from Wentz. Truthfully, the Pats should have had a few more picks since Wentz threw a couple right to them including one that cornerback J.C. Jackson dropped and another that Collins might have had a pick-6 on earlier in his up-and-down career. Patriots safety Kyle Dugger and Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman were both ejected for fighting with each other plus New England lost linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley (ankle) and wide receiver Nelson Agholor (concussion) to injuries during the game.   

Ultimately, the better team won this evening. If they meet again-particularly in chilly Gillette Stadium in January-I think the Patriots would win the rematch-but they made way too many mistakes (mental and physical) to beat one of the other sneaky contenders in the AFC. Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich is solid and without Brady, the Colts had waited a long time to beat the Pats (losing 8 in a row against them before this). New England will have an extra day to regroup and enjoy Christmas before they host the Bills (7-6) next Sunday (1, CBS) in a showdown that should decide who wins the AFC East in 2021. We were all riding high, overrating the team and Jones so this was a reality check that the Patriots probably aren't as good as we tried to pretend since they last lost on October 17 to Dallas (9-4) 35-29 in OT at Gillette.

Injury-Ravaged Titans Hung With The Pats Then New England Rolled To Their Sixth Straight Win

 

    Is there anybody left that actually doubts the Patriots (8-4 overall, 3-4 home) this season after they dropped the top-seeded Titans (8-4 overall, 4-2 away) 36-13 this afternoon at Gillette Stadium? New England's sixth victory in a row comes with a rather large asterisk since Tennessee was missing its top three offensive players (running back Derrick Henry along with wide receivers Julio Jones and A.J. Brown) but that hardly matters at the moment when you consider that the Pats were 2-4 earlier in this campaign. Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones (23-of-32 for career-high 310 yards, 2 TDs) was really good and New England's defense pitched a shutout in the second half after head coach Mike Vrabel's Titans were quite frisky in the first half and only trailed by three points (16-13) at halftime.

    New England's red zone issues are still a thing since kicker Nick Folk attempted a whopping six field goals (and thankfully made five of them) but other than that, it is hard to find anything else to legitimately complain about. 

    Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (5 catches, 61 yards) has surprisingly morphed into the best offensive playmaker on the Pats and he added two more touchdowns. Jones hit him with a four-yard fade pass in the corner of the end zone which coupled with Folk's PAT were the only points of the first quarter. Tennessee's quarterback Ryan Tannehill (11-of-21 for 93 yards, TD, INT; 24 yards rushing) has become a solid player with the Titans but it's hard to blame him for his struggles today with such a lack of weapons. Tannehill threw a one-yard touchdown pass to receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine early in the second quarter but Tennessee's kicker Randy Bullock missed the point after. It was a chilly day in Foxborough so they kept Folk busy with three field goals in the second quarter (from 22, 37 and 44 yards). New England's run defense was terrible to start the year, however they had really tightened things up lately, that is until journeyman Dontrell Hillard (12 carries, 131 yards) scampered 68 yards for a score with 37 seconds left in the half. Bullock made that extra point (but he later clanked a field goal attempt), regardless the Pats had to be frustrated going into the break.

    After losing to Vrabel in their first two career meetings as coaches, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick got to exact a little revenge as his club methodically worked over the Titans. Folk had to settle for another short kick (28 yards) early in the third quarter but Bourne submitted the highlight of the day for the home team as he took a seemingly innocent pass from Jones and weaved 41 yards for the backbreaking score. Folk's extra point gave New England double the points of Tennessee (26-13) and with such a limited offense, you knew that spelled trouble for the visitors. Folk's only miss was a 53-yard field goal attempt late in the first half but he atoned for that by crushing a 52-yard kick in the fourth quarter. He is once again having a fantastic Pro Bowl caliber season and the only thing that makes you worry about him is the thought of having to attempt a long kick like that in a close playoff game. Running back Damien Harris notched a 14-yard touchdown run in pseudo garbage time and with Folk's PAT, the rout was finally on at 36-13 late in the fourth quarter. 

    New England's defense recovered three fumbles (by cornerback Jalen Mills, some linebacker named Jahlani Tevani and safety Kyle Dugger), sacked Tannehill twice (by linebackers Ja'Whaun Bentley and Matthew Judon) and cornerback J.C. Jackson recorded yet another interception while wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (5 catches, 98 yards) nearly had 100 receiving yards. With the win, the Patriots maintained their spot in first place in the AFC East. Their biggest game of the season-at least so far-comes next Monday night (8:15, ESPN) in Orchard Park, NY as they meet the Bills (7-4 overall, 3-2 home) for the first time in 2021. The Patriots and Buffalo play twice in the next four weeks (including a bye for the Pats) so those two matchups should go a long way in deciding who wins the division and also vies for that lone home bye given to the AFC's No. 1 seed. With so few certainties in the NFL this season, the Patriots have suddenly morphed into one of the only teams that you can rationally trust to play well and usually find a way to win. 

Pats Blank The Hapless Falcons 25-0 On Thursday Night Football For Their Fifth Straight Win

 

    It is going to take much more than a short week and an overmatched opponent to slow down the red hot Patriots (7-4 overall, 5-0 away) at the moment. Tonight they went to the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA and they picked up the 13th shutout in head coach Bill Belichick's tenure in New England with a pretty easy 25-0 victory over the falling apart Falcons (4-6 overall, 1-4 home). This was a very dominant performance by the Pats defense as they held shorthanded Atlanta to 165 total yards and just 11 first downs while they picked off Matt Ryan (19-of-28 for 153 yards, 2 INT), Josh Rosen (remember him!?) and the immortal Feleipe Franks a total of four times and they also sacked Ryan four times. Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon added another sack and he has already reached double-digits and a new career-high (10-5) with six games left to go in the regular season. New England's reward for a job well done is an extended break before Thanksgiving and then their schedule gets way harder down the stretch.

    Aside from linebacker Kyle Van Noy (8 tackles, 5 solo, 2 sacks, pick-6), the best player for the Patriots this evening was kicker Nick Folk (minus that missed PAT in garbage time). Folk started the scoring with his easiest kick of the night-a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter. New England took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter as rookie quarterback Mac Jones (22-of-26 for 207 yards, TD, INT) hit wide receiver Nelson Agholor for a 19-yard catch and run touchdown where he was never even touched by a Falcons defender. Folk's point after made it 10-0 and he added a 44-yard field goal as time ran out in the first half. With no Falcons No. 1 wide receiver Calvin Ridley nor former Patriots great Cordarrelle Patterson in the lineup, the 13-0 advantage by the road team felt like twice that much if not more. 

    This being Thursday Night Football, the second half was a complete bore featuring no points in the third quarter and two additional field goals by Folk to start the final frame (from a season-long 53 yards and 33 yards). Lastly, Van Noy added the laugh track with a 35-yard interception return for a score against Rosen who will probably be out of the league any minute now. Safety Devin McCourty and cornerback J.C. Jackson had earlier picked off Ryan and safety Adrian Phillips made a sweet diving interception on rookie Feleipe Franks who had only one pass attempt. Yeesh. That marked the first time in the NFL since the Chargers way back in 2000 when three QBs on the same team threw INTs in the same game. 

    The next two matchups on the schedule should be the hardest for the Pats in the 2021 regular season: they host the Titans (8-2) a week from Sunday (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium before going to Buffalo (6-3) for Monday Night Football (8:15, ESPN) on Dec. 6 and their first meeting with the Bills in this campaign. Most would say that those are the two best teams in the AFC so facing them in back-to-back weeks should be a daunting task. Still, after they started this year 2-4, who would have believed that the Patriots could even be in this position? They are clearly a playoff team that should be fighting for an AFC East division title and homefield advantage. How they do in the next few contests will tell us what we can reasonably expect in the postseason this winter.

The Pats Scored 45 (!) Unanswered Points In A 45-7 Drubbing Of The Browns & A Fourth Straight Win

 

    The complete turnaround by the Patriots (6-4 overall, 2-4 home) over the last month has been nothing short of remarkable. This afternoon at Gillette Stadium, Cleveland (5-5 overall, 2-3 away) marched down the field on an impressive opening drive (11 plays, 84 yards, 4:55) and capped it off with a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield (11-of-21 for 73 yards, TD, INT) to tight end Austin Hooper. No sweat, Browns kicker Chase McLaughlin's extra point was the last point of the entire game for Cleveland as New England rattled off 45 consecutive points en route to a throughly impressive 45-7 victory. Pats rookie quarterback Mac Jones (19-of-23 for 198 yards, 3 TDs) had his best and most efficient game as a pro and New England's defense combiend for five sacks as they won their fourth game in a row. 

    Earlier this season, we wondered if Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was losing his fastball on the sidelines and now, if he keeps this up he has to be considered a front-runner for the NFL Coach of the Year (which would be his 4th, tying Don Shula for the most all-time). More importantly, his team has transformed itself from an afterthought to one of the hottest in the league that seems to get better every week not to mention a legitimate threat in the weak AFC. Tight end Hunter Henry caught two touchdown passes (giving him TD catches in 6 straight games and 8 overall in that time span) and rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson (20 carries, 100 yards, 2 TDs; 14 yards receiving) returned from last week's concussion to record a solid performance. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (4 catches, 98 yards, TD; 3 rushes, 43 yards) has also proven to be a valuable weapon for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as he continues to open up what started out as a pretty basic playbook in 2021.   

    This being the Browns, they just had to fall apart in epic fashion. Mayfield hurt his knee which forced his backup Case Keenum to finish the game for him. The two teams' numbers on third down told the entire story as New England was seven-for-nine and Cleveland was one-for-11. Henry caught a third yard touchdown pass from Jones late in the first quarter and Nick Fok's point-after tied it at seven. After Patriots safety Kyle Dugger picked off Mayfield and returned the interception to Cleveland's five-yard line, it took one play for Stevenson to punch it in and give New England a lead that they would never relinquish. Folk's kick made it 14-7 and that quickly became 21-7 after Jones' strike through two defenders to Bourne for a leaping 23-yard touchdown catch. Folk's 38-yard field goal with 17 seconds left in the second quarter handed the Patriots a commanding 24-7 lead at halftime. 

    Stevenson added a two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and Folk's extra point made it 31-7 in favor of the home team. In the fourth quarter, Henry caught another three-yard touchdown from Jones and Folk hit another point after. Finally, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers ended the highlight reel filled day for the Pats with an 11-yard touchdown catch and run from backup quarterback Brian Hoyer-his first TD catch in the NFL after three long seasons. Folk's sixth point after gave New England its final margain of 45-7. 

    It will be a short week for the Pats as they will travel to Mercedes Benz Stadium for a Thursday Night Football (8:20, Fox) matchup with the Falcons (4-5 overall, 1-3 home). Atlanta had been playing alright until they got smoked 43-3 this afternoon in Dallas (7-2). Did I mention that they have another rookie head coach-the immortal Arthur Smith-for Belchick to beat up on? So yeah, as always anything can happen in the NFL (as proven every week in this crazy year) but you have to like the Patriots' chances to keep their win streak rolling.

You Can Take Sam Darnold Off The Jets But You Cannot Take The Stench Of The Jets Out Of Him

 

    All around the NFL today, weird things happened in Week 9. Tons of upsets occured but not at Bank of America Stadium this afternoon in Charlotte, NC as the Patriots (5-4 overall, 4-0 road) dominated the Panthers (4-5 overall, 2-3 home) 24-6 to win their third straight game for the first time in two years. After it looked for most of the week like backup quarterback P.J. Walker would get the start at quarterback for Carolina, head coach Matt Rhule decided to go with former Jets bust Sam Darnold (16-of-33 for 0 TDs, 3 INTs) and boy oh boy it did not turn out well. In fact, it was a good reminder that Pats head coach Bill Belichick vs. Darnold is one of the locks of the century in the league as New England improved to 4-0 against him while Sam has managed just one touchdown and nine interceptions combined in those four losses.

    This was like a very early Tom Brady game with the Patriots (hear me out) in the sense that our favorite rookie quarterback Mac Jones (12-of-18 for 139 yards, TD, INT) could not have done much less to get the win. Instead, New England relied on a stiff defense and a solid running game that combined for 151 yards. Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey (54 yards receiving, 52 yards rushing) returned for the first time since Week 3 but he did most of his damage in garbage time when the game had long since been decided. Pats rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson (62 yards rushing, 44 yards receiving) was having his best performance as a pro before he left with a possible concussion. Another New England running back-Damien Harris-also departed with a head injury in the fourth quarter which meant that good old Brandon Bolden (54 yards rushing, 27 yards receiving) was left to grind the win away. 

    This was far from the most exciting football game that I have ever seen since it was 0-0 after the first quarter and neither team scored in the fourth quarter either. Carolina's kicker Zane Gonzalez hit a pair of field goals in the second quarter (from 39 yards and 49 yards) but those were sandwiched around a three-yard touchdown run by Harris and a five-yard touchdown pass from Jones to tight end Hunter Henry (his 5th game in a row with a TD catch) along with a pair of point afters by kicker Nick Folk. New England led 14-6 at halftime and that became 21-6 midway through the third quarter as Darnold made a horrific mistake by throwing a pick-six (that went 88 yards!), the first of Jackson's career. The free-agent-to-be earned some more money thanks entirely to Darnold who forced another pass into the end zone where Jackson was able to snag it. Linebacker Jamie Collins also made a spectacular interception by jumping up at the line of scrimmage right as Darnold tried to fire the ball over the middle and linebacker Matthew Judon added yet another sack to his impressive total. Folk's 37-yard field goal late in the third quarter turned out to be the last points of the contest. 

    The Patriots will host the Browns (5-4) next Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium where New England has surprisingly struggled in 2021 by going 1-4. Cleveland embarrassed the Bengals (5-4) 41-16 today in Cincinnati. Former Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. goes on waivers tomorrow and if he goes unclaimed, he would be a free agent on Tuesday. I mention that because I would not be shocked to see Belichick take a chance on him for the rest of the season. The Pats are far from a great team and they still have many needs but you wonder what adding such a volatile personality would do to the mix. Still, their receiver group is pretty weak and guys with Beckham's talent (assuming that he's not completely washed up at this juncture of his career) are hard to come by particularly when Bill cannot draft them to save his life. I mention all of this because it should be a competitive game to begin with and adding Odell to the situation would make it even more fascinating. We shall see what happens over the next few days but thankfully, the Patriots should be a playoff team this season and who knows, maybe they could even push the Bills (5-3) for the AFC East title after Buffalo somehow fell 9-6 at Jacksonville (2-6) today. New England still has both meetings with the Bills left to play. 

The Patriots Finally Beat A Legitimate Team In 2021, Knocking Off The Chargers 27-24 In LA

 

    I'm sorry, but beating the tanking Texans (1-7) or mostly hapless Jets (2-5) means nothing to me in 2021, hence why I didn't bother to write about last week's useless 54-13 pasting of those Jets. That is also why it was very refreshing to see the Patriots (4-4 overall, 3-0 road) go to Los Angeles this afternoon and beat the Chargers (4-3 overall, 2-2 home) 27-24 at SoFi Stadium. LA is not going to win the Super Bowl this season (and frankly neither are the Patriots) but they look and feel like a playoff team which certainly can't be said for Houston or New York. This is the first time in quite a strange season that the Pats have won consecutive games. 

    New England head coach Bill Belichick improved to 4-0 against rookie head coaches this season (coincidence?) while safety Adrian Phillips-a former Charger-was the star of the game with a pair of interceptions including the first pick-six of his NFL career. The victory was not a fluke for the visitors who had plenty of Masshole transplants in attendance cheering them on in their finest Halloween costumes. In fact, that close final score is quite misleading since something named Joshua Palmer caught a garbage time touchdown for the Chargers with 40 seconds left in regulation. Another former Charger great tight end Hunter Henry snared the ensuing onside kick to seal the win and guarantee a fun plane ride home for the Patriots.

    Somewhat surprisingly given the result, this contest did not feature a stellar performance by Pats rookie quarterback Mac Jones who barely completed over half of his passes (18-of-35 for 218 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs) but unlike LA's second-year stud Justin Herbert (18-of-35 for 223 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs), he had zero turnovers. From the look of their opening drive, it appeared that the Chargers were going to drop 40+ points on New England as they easily went down the field (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:28) capped off by a rugby scrum style five-yard touchdown run by their dynamic running back Austin Ekeler (64 yards rushing, 60 yards receiving). LA's new kicker Dustin Hopkins tacked on the PAT for an early 7-0 lead. The Patriots responded though with an eerily similar drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:28 but they finished it with a one-yard run by running back Damien Harris (23 carries, 80 yards). Nick Folk added the point after to tie it at seven. 

    Longtime Chargers receiver Keenan Allen (6 catches, 77 yards) caught a five-yard touchdown from Herbert early in the second quarter that coupled with another kick by Hopkins made it 14-7 in favor of the home team. The red zone is still a major issue for Jones and the Pats who had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Folk and their dependable kicker hit a 48-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the first half to cut LA's advantage to just one point (14-13). The defenses started to take over in the third quarter as Folk hit a 48-yard field goal for New England's first lead at 16-14 but Hopkins answered with a 48-yard kick of his own to help Los Angeles regain the lead. 

    Phillips' earlier interception was from a tipped ball but the fourth quarter pick-six that went for 26 yards was a complete gift from Herbert. The pass was intended for tight end Jared Cook who had not even turned around when the ball went whistling by him and Phillips was alert enough to dive for it then get up and run it to the end zone when he was never touched while on the ground. Belichick elected to go for two and Jones found wide receiver Jakobi Meyers for the two-point conversion. New England showed great poise on the game-clinching drive as they kept picking up first downs but also smartly stayed inbounds to keep the clock running. Folk's 30-yard field goal with 2:19 left gave them a 10-point lead (27-17). 

    New England's defense had three sacks, led of course by their excellent linebacker Matthew Judon (4 tackles, 1 assist, 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss). Defensive lineman Lawrence Guy had a sack as well while rookie defensive lineman Christian Barmore was credited with half a sack of Herbert. The Dolphins (1-7) have lost seven games in a row since beating the Pats in the season opener so the AFC East race is already down to only the Bills (5-2) and New England. Buffalo is still a heavy favorite to win the division and I'd be really surprised to see the Patriots upset them in either meeting but at least there is some hope that they could qualify for the playoffs in the not that great AFC. The Pats will look to keep their perfect road record intact next Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) as they visit Stephon Gilmore (who had an interception today in his Panthers debut!) and Carolina (4-4) at Bank Of America Stadium. Former Jets great Sam Darnold went into concussion protocol and had to leave today's 19-13 win over the Falcons (3-4) so his status will be something to keep an eye on this week. FYI his backup is something named PJ Walker who no joke is a proud XFL alum.

Down 22-9 In The Third Quarter, The Pats Rallied For A Yucky 25-22 Win Vs. The Tanking Texans

 

    This afternoon in Houston at NRG Stadium was one of those rare occasions in the NFL when a win felt much more like a loss. Sure, we are happy that the Patriots (2-3 overall, 2-0 away) found a way to beat the lowly Texans (1-4 overall, 1-2 home) 25-22 but when you dig a little deeper, you see the myriad issues facing New England in 2021. With all the mistakes that they made (fumbling on the goal-line, throwing an interception, missing a PAT and giving up multiple big plays to a dreadful offense), the Pats were lucky that they were playing Houston and not a half decent team. Other than say the Lions (0-5), Jaguars (0-5), Jets (1-4) or Giants (1-4), it's doubtful that New England would have beat anyone else on this day. 

    In a battle of rookie quarterbacks, the unheralded Davis Mills (21-of-29, 312 yards, 3 TDs) of the Texans outperformed Mac Jones (23-of-30, 231 yards, TD, INT) of the Patriots. However, like last week when Jones shockingly outplayed Tom Brady but still lost, Mills' stellar play wasn't enough to push his team to a victory. Right from the start, Houston punched New England in the mouth Tyson Fury style on Deontay Wilder. On the opening drive of the game, the Texans had the ball for 10:06 and went 79 yards in 18 plays ending with a 11-yard touchdown pass from Mills to some Canadian tight end named Antony Auclair. The only good part of that miserable situation was when Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn missed the PAT giving the home team a 6-0 lead. 

    The Pats answered right back on their first drive (10 plays and 60 yards in 5:37) with running back Damien Harris slamming in a one-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, he later fumbled in a similar spot. It was a rough day for kickers all around the NFL today and that extended to Pats kicker Nick Folk who also missed his first PAT. Yuck. Houston only needed three plays on their ensuing drive to retake the lead. Mills threw a long pass to journeyman wide receiver Chris Moore (5 catches, 109 yards) that eluded New England's de-facto No. 1 cornerback J.C. Jackson and went for a 67-yard touchdown pass. Somewhere in Carolina, Stephon Gilmore must have been chuckling. Once again, Fairbairn couldn't get the job done as he scuffed another PAT leaving the score at 12-6. He bounced back late in the first half with a 33-yard field goal then Folk hit a 52-yard field goal with two seconds left in the second quarter that cut it to 15-9 in favor of Houston.

    Patriots fans hoping for a quick turnaround in the third quarter must have been pissed to see them fall even futher behind as Texans cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. picked off Jones on the second play of the frame and that was soon followed up by a 37-yard flea flicker from Mills to another scrub wide receiver Chris Conley for a touchdown and a 22-9 advantage after Fairbairn finally hit a point after. For some stupid reason, the Texans tried to fool the Patriots by pretending like they were going to run a fake punt at the end of their next drive but instead their punt was blocked. Folk added a pair of field goals (from 52 and 32) to trim Houston's lead to 22-15 after three quarters. The Pats finally woke up in the fourth quarter as they tied it on a pretty 13-yard touchdown pass from Jones to tight end Hunter Henry. New England's defense did not allow another point: Matt Judon (4 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, fumble recovery) continued to play like a Pro Bowler and his fellow linebacker Jamie Collins made a timely sack of Mills in crunch time in the start of his third stint in Foxborough.

    Jones and the offense took basically all the time off of the clock with one last drive (15 plays, 84 yards in 7:00) and Folk finished the job by nailing a chip shot 21-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in regulation. By virtue of New York's (1-4) 27-20 loss to Atlanta (2-3) this morning in London and Miami (1-4) getting blown out 45-17 by Brady and the Bucs (4-1), the Patriots snuck into second-place in the AFC East not that it means anything this season with the Bills (4-1) sure to run away with it-tonight they rolled 38-20 in Kansas City (2-3). New England will be tested once again next Sunday (4:25, CBS) as they host one of the better teams in the league-the Cowboys (4-1)-who destroyed the Giants (1-4) 44-20 earlier today. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott is playing like an MVP candidate and his team has won four games in a row after dropping the season opener at Tampa. If Mills gave the Pats defense so much trouble, what will Prescott be able to do to them? Our only hope for the Patriots to avoid starting 0-4 (!) at Gillette Stadium this season is that they show up (like they did vs. Tampa Bay) in a much more sexy matchup.

In The Most Hyped Regular Season Game In NFL History, The Bucs Squeaked By The Pats 19-17

 

    The most anticipated regular season game in New England sports history took place tonight at Gillette Stadium as quarterback Tom Brady and his Buccaneers (3-1 overall, 1-1 away) returned for a showdown with his former head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots (1-3 overall, 0-3 home). What was expected to be a complete blowout by the Super Bowl champs from Tampa Bay actually turned into a nailbiter but in the end they held on for a 19-17 victory as New England kicker Nick Folk's potential go-ahead 56-yard field goal with 55 seconds left in regulation hit the left upright and bounced harmlessly away. With the win, Brady (22-of-43 for 269 yards) became the fourth QB in NFL history (joining Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Drew Brees) to beat all 32 teams. 

    It is not even close to a hot take to say that Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones (31-of-40 for 275 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) outplayed Brady by a noticable margin, the problem was that the home team had a pair of turnovers and allowed three more sacks (4-1) while the more talented Bucs were way better on third-downs (9-of-19 vs. 2-of-9), ran 20 more plays (74-54) and possessed the ball for almost eight additional minutes (33:55-26:05). Moral victories are useless in professional sports but this felt like one of those rare occasions where the Pats earned plenty of respect by the way that they performed. However, they will need to carry it through the rest of the season to make it really mean anything. It should be easy to get up for a huge game like this, the question is if they can similarly be ready to go say next Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) at Houston (1-3) who got blasted 40-0 earlier today by Buffalo (3-1) and look like they are in the discussion for the worst team in the league. 

    All week we wondered how New England's suspect defense would slow down Tampa's lethal offense and it turns out that a couple of unexpected factors played into that: the absence of former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (punctured lung, fractured ribs) was a big loss for the Buccaneers particularly in the red zone (where they settled for five field goal attempts, four of which they made) along with the fact that it poured for most of the night. With basically no running game (a total of eight carries for -1 yard), Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had to get extra creative and he did with nine different guys catching passes from Jones while they also successfully ran two trick plays that Tampa had no chance to stop. Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers had a game-high eight catches (for 70 yards on 12 targets) along with a pair of throws for 45 yards, did you know he was a quarterback at NC State? Brady did not find as many guys as Jones but the difference was the caliber of players that TB12 has on his new team: wide receivers Mike Evans (7 catches, game-high 75 yards), former Patriot for a second Antonio Brown (7 catches, 63 yards) and Chris Godwin (3 catches, 55 yards) would all be the No. 1 receiver on the Pats or many other clubs. Running back Leonard Fournette (91 yards rushing, 47 yards receiving) was Tampa's best player all game, who saw that coming? 

    Patriots owner Robert Kraft had to enjoy seeing all the money that he spent in the offseason on free agents finally come together in the same contest as New England's tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith each caught a touchdown from Jones while wide receivers Kendrick Bourne (5 catches, 58 yards) and Nelson Agholor (3 catches, 55 yards) both went over 50+ receiving yards. Meanwhile, linebacker Matt Judon (4 tackles, 3 assists, sack, 2 tackles for loss, 2 QB hits) continued to be the best defensive player for the Patriots and it's not even close. Unless you are a weatherperson with a gambling problem, I doubt that many people took the under for this matchup but that quickly came into view with a 3-0 first quarter in favor of Tampa (thanks to a 29-yard field goal by Ryan Succop). Jones and Co. put together an awesome drive (11 plays, 74 yards, 6:21) in the second quarter that ended with a 11-yard touchdown catch and run by Henry (his first score as a Patriot) then a point after by kicker Nick Folk. Succop hit a 44-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in the first half but the Pats shockingly led 7-6 at halftime.

    You kept waiting for Tampa Bay to turn it on and leave New England in their dust but it never happened. Bucs running back Ronald Jones II ran for an eight-yard touchdown late in the third quarter which along with Succop's PAT gave the Buccaneers a 13-7 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Once again, the Pats wrestled back the lead with a pretty drive (7 plays, 77 yards, 3:32) capped off from a one-yard catch by Smith and another PAT from Folk. Tampa marched down to the red zone once again but New England's defense held them to a 27-yard field goal by Succop that gave them a slim 16-14 lead. Folk hit the exact same chip shot field goal to hand the Patriots their final lead of the game at 17-16. After missing a 36-yard field goal very early in the second quarter, credit to Succop for nailing a 48-yard field goal with 1:57 left in regulation. Jones brought his team to the 37-yard line with 59 seconds left before Belichick opted to attempt the 56-yard kick rather than try to get a little more yardage (he had 1 timeout left). 

    It is the first time since 1995 that the Patriots have started 0-3 at home and they currently sit tied with the Dolphins (1-3) and Jets (1-3) at the bottom of the AFC East. Most importantly, they have to prove that this performance was not a fluke and they can play much better than they did against Miami in the season opener or last week against the Saints (2-2), two frustrating and puzzling losses. There is still hope left in this season (that sounds silly to say after four weeks) but that might all disappear if they lose to the Texans who saw their own rookie quarterback Davis Mills throw four interceptions in today's loss as they gained a total of six first downs in the entire game and 109 total yards. With Deshaun Watson sitting out while they sort through all his troubling allegations, Houston is in full tank mode so the Pats need to do something that they could not do last season: win in Houston and get this season back untracked. 

For The First Time Since 2000, The Patriots Have Started 0-2 At Gillette Stadium This Season

 

    Today's 28-13 loss by the Patriots (1-2) to the Saints (2-1) at Gillette Stadium was a bad enough result on the surface but more troubling is the fact that it could have been much worse. New Orleans' kicker Aldrick Rosas missed a pair of field goals which hardly mattered since New England's sputtering offense never got in gear. The lack of playmakers on both sides of the ball for the Patriots is getting downright scary, where are you Stephon Gilmore? Rookie quarterback Mac Jones (30-of-51 for 270 yards, TD, 3 INTs) had his worst day as a pro but it wasn't all his fault since Pats tight end Jonnu Smith gifted a pick-six right to Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins that went back 34 yards on the first play of the second half. At 21-3 in favor of the visitors it was all but over even with that much time left on the clock. 

    This was one game against an NFC opponent so I don't want to be super negative about everything but New Orleans is nothing more than a slightly above average team this year. You kept waiting for the Saints' bozo quarterback Jameis Winston to make his usual fatal mistake except he threw a pair of touchdown passes and he never turned the ball over. The Patriots sacked him three times (2.5 from linebacker Matt Judon) but they also allowed a combined 118 yards (89 rushing & 29 receving) to New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara-the guy that everybody knew was the only offensive player that Pats head coach Bill Belichick and Co. had to gameplan for. 

    Former legendary New England receiver Julian Edelman was honored at halftime and honestly he deserved better in terms of the poor effort that unfolded in front of him by his old teammates and coaches. The Saints had the only points in the first quarter, an 11-yard touchdown pass from Winston to a wide open Kamara. New Orleans doubled its lead late in the second quarter as Winston threw the ball up to the back of the end zone and somehow a very covered Saints receiver Marquez Callaway came down with it for a seven-yard touchdown catch. New England avoided being shut out in the first half by virtue of a 45-yard field goal by Nick Folk with 34 seconds left in the second quarter. 

    Down 18 in the third quarter (and with James White sidelined with a hip injury), Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels thought that was the perfect time to let special teamer Brandon Bolden get a few red zone carries. Shockingly that drive stalled out with the Pats settling for a 26-yard field goal by Folk that cut it to 21-6 Saints late in the third quarter. New England briefly made it competitive in the fourth quarter with Jones repeatedly connecting with wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (6 catches, career-high 96 yards) including a sweet 22-yard touchdown catch on the sideline where Bourne was able to keep his balance and stay inbounds before reaching the end zone. This was the same player who had a combined three catches and six targets his first two games as a Patriot, I don't know maybe find a way to get him a little more involved? Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (9 catches, 94 yards) is the only other trustworthy option for Jones since New England's expensive tight end signings Hunter Henry and Smith thus far are each looking like busts. 

    To close it out, the Saints played keep away with the ball (for nearly 7 minutes) from the Pats and they let backup quarterback/battering ram Taysom Hill deliver the final blow-a 7-yard touchdown run. Earlier on that drive he had hurdled over Patriots safety Devin McCourty. Hill is a good player but I'm pretty sure if he does that to you, you have to retire on the spot. Yeesh. We all dreamed of New England being 3-0 or 2-1 with Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers (2-1) coming to Foxborough next Sunday night (8:20 p.m., NBC) but that's not how it turned out. To make matters worse, the Bucs lost 34-24 in LA this afternoon against the impressive Rams (3-0) as if TB12 needed any more juice in his first return to face Belichick and the franchise that he put on the map. The whole region and most of the sporting world will be tuning in but I fear that it is going to be a very ugly night for the Patriots. 

UPDATE 9/29: ESPN's Adam Schefter reported this afternoon that White will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury, ugh poor guy. 

Zach Wilson (4 INTs) Implodes As The Patriots Roll To A 25-6 Victory Against The Hapless Jets

 

    There are few certainties in life anymore except the fact that the Jets (0-2) will be a doormat for the rest of eternity. The Patriots (1-1) were the lucky team that got to face New York this afternoon at MetLife Stadium. After a decent debut last week in a 19-14 loss at the Panthers (2-0), Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson-the No. 2 pick in the draft-was a complete disaster as he threw interceptions on his first two pass attempts and ended up with four interceptions for the game as New England cruised to an easy 25-6 win. 

    It was not pretty but Pats rookie quarterback Mac Jones (22-of-30 for 186 yards) didn't turn the ball over. The Patriots' defense added four sacks of Wilson while running back James White ran for a seven-yard touchdown and running back Damien Harris had the play of the game with a 26-yard TD run early in the third quarter (that made it 19-3 Pats) where he carried a host of Jets into the end zone before receiving a final push over the goal line by Jones and his offensive linemen. Pats kicker Nick Folk missed a PAT but nobody will remember that since he hit four field goals (46, 49, 32, 26). 

    If you are looking for troubling trends two games into the season with the Patriots, their offensive line is a bit of a mess (Jones got sacked three times) with right tackle Trent Brown out with a calf injury, their run defense stinks (they allowed 152 yards to New York) and their red zone offense leaves something to be desired. Still, Buffalo (1-1) destroyed Miami (1-1) 35-0 this afternoon meaning that three AFC East teams are all 1-1 while the Jets fittingly are alone in the basement. The Bills figure to pull away from the Dolphins and Patriots at some point later this season while New York will probably be one of the worst teams in the NFL yet again. 

    It was a good day to have New England's defense in fantasy football as cornerback J.C. Jackson had a pair of interceptions while safeties Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips also added picks and linebacker Josh Uche sacked Wilson twice. It was one of those situations where you could wonder if the Pats defense was that stout or if they simply took advantage of some awful mistakes by Wilson? This was never really that competitive as the visitors led 10-0 after the first quarter and 13-3 at halftime then 22-3 after three quarters. Time will tell who has the better NFL career-Jones or Wilson-but it is ironic that Jones' first NFL victory came at the expense of another highly-touted rookie in his draft class. 

    Next Sunday afternoon (1, FOX), the Pats return to Gillette Stadium where they will try to get their first home win of 2021 against the Saints (1-1). After embarassing the Packers 38-3 in Week 1 behind five touchdown passes from mercurial quarterback Jameis Winston, New Orleans came crashing back to Earth this afternoon with a 26-7 loss at Carolina. The Saints still have a bunch of great players and head coach Sean Payton is regarded as one of the best in the league so the Pats should have their hands full trying to get another win.

The Patriots Fumbled Away Their Season Opener Against The Dolphins But Mac Jones Looked Good

 

    Replacing the greatest quarterback of all-time (Tom Brady) is impossible but Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones proved today in his NFL debut that he beat out Cam Newton this summer for a reason and he gives New England plenty of hope for the future. We should be talking about a victory by the Pats but unfortunately, running back Damien Harris (100 yards rushing, 17 yards receiving) lost a fumble deep in Miami territory that was recovered by Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard and that allowed the visitors to walk out of Gillette Stadium with a 17-16 win. For his part, Jones (29 of 39 for 281 yards, 1 TD) outplayed his former Alabama teammate Tua Tagovailoa (16 of 27 for 202 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; rushing TD) but the Patriots repeatedly beat themselves by losing a pair of fumbles (rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson had the other following a 2-yard catch) and piling up three more penalties than Miami (8-5) for way more yardage (84-28). 

    By almost any other measure, you would have thought that the Pats had won this game: they accumulated 134 more total yards (393-259), they had eight more first downs (24-16) and they possessed the ball for over 13 minutes more than the Dolphins (36:43-23:17). With their best player-cornerback Stephon Gilmore-still sidelined with a quad injury leftover from last season (plus he's not thrilled with his contract situation)-New England's defense lacked playmakers. Granted, linebackers Kyle Van Noy (2 tackles, assist) and Josh Uche each notched sacks and cornerback Jonathan Jones made a timely interception of Tagovailoa (after linebacker Matt Judon destroyed Tua) that should have led to a game-winning drive for the home team. 

    Neither offense ever really looked too dangerous but Tua ran for a three-yard touchdown with 5:29 left in the first quarter to give Miami a 7-0 lead following Jason Sanders' PAT. New England's offense started to come alive a bit in the second quarter as they settled for a 27-yard field goal by Nick Folk with 10:17 left in the frame (after Jones rushed a third down throw to Jakobi Meyers) and then Mac found wide receiver Nelson Agholor (5 catches, 72 yards) with a seven-yard touchdown pass on a quick slant for his first career NFL touchdown. Folk's PAT gave the Pats a 10-7 lead but Sanders hit a 48-yard field goal as the first half expired to knot things up at 10. 

    Another rookie Alabama product made a big play as Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle caught a 3-yard touchdown from Tagovailoa as Miami marched down the field (9 plays, 75 yards, 4:09) to start the second half and grabbed a 17-10 advantage. The Patriots' offense could only manage a pair of Folk field goals (from 42 yards in the third quarter and 33 yards in the fourth quarter) the rest of the way. New England's defense tightened up in the second half as they did not allow another point following the Waddle score but it still wasn't enough to come out on top. Jones was never sacked and he had zero turnovers which helped him finish with an impressive quarterback rating of 102.6. He just turned 23 years old last week but he looks poised beyond his years in terms of calmness in the pocket and knowing where to put the ball to safely get it to his teammates in good spots. 

    The schedule should help Jones and his team out next week as they travel to MetLife Stadium next Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) to face another rookie quarterback Zach Wilson and the Jets (0-1). New York fell 19-14 in their opener at Carolina against their former quarterback Sam Darnold. Wilson was pretty good in his NFL debut as well, going 20-of-37 for 258 yards, 2 TDs (both to Corey Davis) and 1 INT. Still, the Jets figure to be one of the worst teams in the NFL so if the Pats have any desire to get return to the postseason after missing it last year, they need to beat New York twice in 2021 since none of the other AFC East matchups will be more than a toss-up. Anything can happen week to week in the NFL but the Jets are as close to a sure thing as you'll find in terms of a cupcake opponent. 1-1 would look a hell of a lot better than 0-2 for New England so we will have to see what Week 2 brings for Mac Jones and Co.

The Cam Newton Era Is Thankfully Over Now For The Pats With Mac Jones Being Named The Starter

 

    The 2021 NFL regular season hasn't even begun yet but the Patriots made a huge decision this morning that hopefully brings many more wins and excitement to the franchise both this year and in the near future after last year's complete flop in our first taste of life after Tom Brady. Out of nowhere, quarterback Cam Newton (who had started all three preseason games this summer) was released meaning that rookie Mac Jones will be the starter when the team opens the season a week from Sunday (September 12) at Gillette Stadium vs. the Dolphins at 4:25 p.m. New England head coach Bill Belichick proved that he can still be as ruthless as an old school mob boss since we thought that he was Cam's biggest fan left in the world. It turns out, not so much as the 15th overall pick from Alabama will become the first rookie quarterback to start for the Pats since Drew Bledsoe many moons ago in 1993. 

    Ultimiately, Newton's time here was short and pretty bizarre from start to finish. He was a late addition in free agency last summer and he started every game but one (when he had Covid-19) as New England sputtered to a 7-9 record. In the offseason, the Pats spent a ton of money to upgrade many parts of their mediocre team including two new high-priced tight ends (Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith) with the purpose of breathing some life into New England's predictable high school style offense. By all accounts, at 32 years old Cam seems like a great guy but the basic observation that quickly appeared last season-that he simply cannot throw the ball anymore-did not magically change in 2021. The fact that he is still not vaccinated yet and recently missed five days of practice after not following protocol for Covid-19 did not help his cause either in my humble opinion. We wish him well in his future endeavors but we are also extremely thankful not to have to watch him slog through another miserable year of turning the ball over and making critical mistakes that led to more losses for the Patriots. 

    Mac Jones should serve as a breath of fresh air in many ways for a fanbase that wants something to be positive about: he's only 22 years old (!!!) and he comes with Nick Saban-one of Belichick's best friends and most trusted allies-seal of approval. There were five quarterbacks drafted in the first round this year and while nobody would consider Jones to be the most electrifying or talented of that potentially special group, his main attributes (being smart, well prepared and making the correct reads) should mesh well with Belichick's club. He might never be an NFL MVP like Newton was in 2016 but at this moment, it was clear to everyone that Jones should give them a better chance to succeed from day one than Cam. In turn, it also gives fans a little boost of faith that Belichick has not competely lost his mind and he was not stubborn enough to keep running Newton out there again and again for some silly reason. 

    With all the rosters around the league being cut down to 53 active players today, there were a few other notable moves made by the Patriots: star cornerback Stephon Gilmore will start the season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list as he continues to rehab from quad surgery meaning that he is out for at least the first six weeks while undrafted rookie kicker Quinn Nordin beat veteran Nick Folk for the starting job. New England has more than a full week of practice left before the season-opener and you know that Belichick will make good use of all that extra time to get guys like Jones and Nordin up to speed. Don't forget that beginning with this season, there is an additional game in the regular season making a winning record like 11-6 or 10-7 something that the Pats should be realistically aiming for along with a playoff spot after missing the postseason in the cursed year of 2020. 

One Pats Great Retires & Another Unexpectedly Returns Here After A Brief Taste Of Free Agency

 

    One of the craziest weeks in Patriots history continued today with three more moves involving solid veteran players. This morning, longtime Pats safety Patrick Chung announced his retirement after 11 seasons in the NFL. This afternoon, kicker Nick Folk was re-signed to a one-year deal with $1.225 million guaranteed. Finally, tonight came the biggest news of all: center David Andrews was returning to New England with a new four-year contract after he look destined to leave in free agency a few days ago. The net result of these transactions is that the Patriots are fortified by not having to worry about finding another quality kicker or center going into next season. 

Chung spent all but one season (2013 with Philadelphia) in the NFL with the Patriots and he won three Super Bowls along the way. A tough, versatile guy that got much more consistent in his second go-around in Foxborough, he will be missed. He could help shut down top tight ends in the passing game and was also able to provide help stopping the run. You could tell that he was one of head coach/GM Bill Belichick's favorite players to work with in recent years that he really respected. He had opted out of last season and he will turn 34 this August so he could probably see the writing on the wall after he played through his share of injuries in the NFL. Enjoy retirement, you earned it!  

    Folk has been on the Patriots the last two seasons after he won their kicker tryout in the middle of the 2019 regular season. It's been a long time since he made his lone Pro Bowl appearance way back in 2007-his rookie year in Dallas-but he's dependable and that's all you can ask for from a kicker that's not named Adam Vinatieri or Justin Tucker. He was 26-of-28 on field goals in 2020 for the best field goal percentage (92.9%) of his career. He also went 30-of-33 on extra points and while he will turn 37 in November, he seems to keep himself in decent enough shape so there isn't much to worry about there at least as far as next season goes.

    Andrews is one of New England's biggest success stories since he was an undrafted free agent coming out of Georgia in 2015 and he morphed into a captain and one of their team leaders. After missing the entire 2019 campaign due to a scary blood clots condition, he returned last season to play and start in 12 games. When the Pats signed their former offensive lineman Ted Karras to a one-year deal worth $4 million dollars earlier this week, most of the beat writers figured that signaled Andrews was gone. There were reports of other teams that wanted him and he definitely could have cashed in during free agency but props to him for returning here probably at a hometown discount whenever the full contract details are publicized. Cam Newton and whatever other quarterbacks play for the Patriots this season will be thrilled to have him back.

This Miserable Season For The Pats Can't End Soon Enough After A Humiliating Defeat To The Bills

 

    It's only fitting that in the worst year in modern human history, the Patriots (6-9 overall, 4-3 home) have come crashing back to Earth after an unmatched nearly two decades long run of incredible success. We knew that life after Tom Brady would be rough but who could have guessed that it would get this ugly this fast? Tonight they hosted the AFC East champion Bills (12-3 overall, 6-2 away) at Gillette Stadium which used to be a place where the visitors could never do anything right. Not anymore. After a slow start, Buffalo rolled to a laughable 38-9 victory (the worst home loss in the Bill Belichick era) which puts them in good shape for the No. 2 seed in the AFC for the upcoming playoffs. It also gave them their first season sweep of New England since 1999; the Jets and Dolphins both swept the Pats in 2000, since then they had at least split with everyone in their pathetic division for the last 19 years. The Bills embarrassed the Patriots in every possible way including executing a successful fake punt throw that went for 13 yards and a first down conversion while also going a flawless three-for-three on fourth-down conversions. 

    With all their gross warts on full display for the world to see, perhaps the scariest aspect of this one-sided loss for the Pats was that the gap between them and the Bills is now immense and I don't know how that changes in the near future. Buffalo's star quarterback Josh Allen (27-of-36 for 320 yards, 4 TDs; 35 yards rushing) is playing at an MVP level-not that he'll probably get it in 2020 over Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers-while wide receiver Stefon Diggs (9 catches for 145 yards and 3 TDs on 11 targets) has made a huge impact right away in his first year with the Bills. He's at least entered the conversation of the top wideouts in the league and his connection with Allen is almost unstoppable. The Pats famously cannot draft receivers so they'll have to follow Buffalo's lead and trade for a top one or use all that cap space ($51 million?) to sign one hopefully this off-season. 

    The Patriots quagmire of a quarterback situation coupled with their lack of any weapons is downright horrifying. There are a million issues currently with this team but as this season has proven, even with Belichick the head coach, without a decent QB they have nothing. Cam Newton (5-of-10 for 34 yards; 24 yards rushing, TD) for some reason that only New England head coach Bill knows, still started but he was pulled in favor of Jarrett Stidham (4-of-11 for 44 yards) in the third quarter. After not scoring a touchdown in the past two games, the Pats finally found the end zone with a nine-yard touchdown run by Cam in the second quarter. It was a small morsel of 2015 MVP Cam that we've seen far too little of in a Patriots uniform. Forget that his 13th rushing TD set a new franchise record for QBs (sorry Steve Grogan), that's only an indictment on their lack of athletic signal-callers throughout their history. Also, please note that quarterbacks run way more now in today's NFL.

    Just like it's hard to complain after the Patriots have brought us so many wonderful moments, it's also silly to bitch about the Bills finally looking like contenders again for the first time in this century. Even if you love the Pats like me, you probably hate other dynasties (Cowboys, Lakers, Yankees, Canadiens, Alabama football, Duke basketball, etc.) so it's impossible to have it both ways. Buffalo is our lovable, drunken neighbors that have been a laughingstock for ages but that has changed in their favor with Brady in Tampa Bay. Ditto for Miami (10-5) who have a chance to make the playoffs as well if they can beat the Bills on Sunday in the regular season finale. 

    This couldn't have featured a more perfect start that epitomized this waste of a season by the home team. For once, they actually ran a pretty trick play as a flea flicker from Newton to Damiere Byrd would have put New England on Buffalo's goal-line during their opening possession. The problem was that the open Byrd simply dropped the ball. Nick Folk eventually settled for a 45-yard field goal and a 3-0 Patriots lead-their only one of the contest. New England's defense stopped Buffalo at the goal-line on their first drive and Tyler Bass settled for a 22-yard field goal. It was 3-3 after a utterly thrilling first quarter that we all will be talking about for the rest of our lives.

    The Bills woke up in the second quarter and as you can guess, the Patriots had no response. Rookie running back Zack Moss ran for a five-yard touchdown that gave Buffalo a 10-3 advantage before Newton's TD run that was capped off with a PAT miss by Folk (his 3rd of what otherwise has been a great season for him). Former Patriots great Lee Smith-a blocking tight end roughly the size of an interior lineman-caught a four-yard touchdown from Allen and Diggs started to heat up with a 50-yard catch-and-run for another score late in the second quarter. 

    The Bills led 24-9 at halftime and they never let up (no complaining since the Patriots did this for years) as Diggs caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Allen in the third quarter where he bounced off multiple hits from New England's useless secondary. Stats are for losers as we have been told but let the record show that Allen set a single-season record for passing yards by Bills QBs and Diggs set a single-season record for receiving yards by Bills WRs. That dynamic duo ended it with a diving eight-yard touchdown catch by Diggs in the back of the end zone early in the fourth quarter. With former Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore on IR, Diggs repeatedly abused his fellow Maryland alum and Pro Bowl snub J.C. Jackson. It got so bad that the immortal Matt Barkley got some garbage time snaps at quarterback for Buffalo. 

    It makes me barf even thinking about it but the Pats do have one more completely meaningless game to look forward to on Sunday (1, CBS): they host the Jets (2-13) who bungled away the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft (which is sure to be Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence) by winning their last two games. That means the only thing left to be decided in this worthless matchup is New England's draft position in 2021. With a glut of 5-10 and 6-9 teams in the NFL this season, they could potentially finish anywhere from No. 7 to No. 15. New York is locked into the No. 2 pick and as they've shown the last few weeks, they are dumb enough to win when it does them no good at all. Therefore, here's hoping that Stidham starts and he stinks, Pats lose and boom they get a Top-10 pick. That wouldn't fully make up for this lost season but at least it would give us something positive to rally around. Otherwise, what else about the Patriots gives you any hope for 2021 and beyond?

The Inevitable Is Now Official: For The First Time Since 2008, The Pats Will Not Reach The Playoffs

 

    If you've spent any of your plentiful pandemic spare time watching this sad-sack version of the Patriots (6-8 overall, 2-6 away), you knew that at some point soon this day was coming. At no point in this waste of a season (for them at least), have they consistently looked like a playoff team. Sure, they've had a few nice moments and unexpected wins along the way but as a wise man-Bill Parcells-once said, "you are what your record says you are." Indeed, that's a bit of a dated reference but probably fitting as this afternoon New England lost 22-12 to the Dolphins (9-5 overall, 5-3 home) at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium. For the second straight game, the Pats failed to score a single touchdown which is about all you need to know about another pathetic offensive effort from this deeply flawed team. As a result of today's completely predictable outcome, New England won't be in the postseason for the first time since 2008 (the year that Tom Brady blew out his knee in the opener) and it is also their first non-winning campaign since way back in 2000. 

    Last week's wretched loss to the Rams (who somehow lost today to the Jets!) basically sealed the coffin shut on New England's unlikely path to the playoffs. Instead, they get two more meaningless contests to hopefully tank to get the best possible draft pick (not that I have any faith in Bill Belichick to select the right player in the first round). In a related topic, for the love of God, can he finally bench quarterback Cam Newton (17-of-27 for 209 yards; 38 yards rushing) and give Jarrett Stidham his first career NFL start? Even if he plays for free, there is no logical justification to bring Newton back next season and why is Bill so reluctant to put Stidham in any situation but a blowout? Few think he'll be the answer for the next Pats quarterback but why not throw him out there next Monday night (8:15, ESPN) against the high-flying AFC East champion (for the 1st time since 1995!) Buffalo Bills (11-3) who are suddenly one of the best teams in football?

    If you ever doubted the importance of a quality QB in the NFL, this ill-fated season by the Patriots could serve as a case study in how not to address the fallout from the best quarterback in NFL history leaving for another team. There is a reason why Newton was still available this summer: he's absolutely cooked. He simply can't throw anymore (which was never his biggest strength anyway) and like any running quarterback, the wear and tear has caught up to him so he's not the battering ram like he used to be. The only pleasant surprise with him is that it turns out he's actually a really good guy that teammates love to play with. The Pats have no choice but to use a draft pick (preferably one of their first ones) on a new quarterback while simultaneously signing an experienced veteran signal-caller (in the Ryan Fitzpatrick or Matthew Stafford mold) while serving as a bridge to the next guy. 

    The scary part about the Patriots' rebuild is that they appear nowhere close to being good again since years of awful drafts coupled with being super cheap in free agency coupled with not hitting on many trades has left them with a mediocre at best roster. With their quarterback Josh Allen a legitimate MVP candidate, the Bills are in great shape (not to mention a loaded roster) and meanwhile former Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores is building something in Miami with rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (20-of-26 for 145 yards, INT; 2 rushing TDs) showing signs that he could be a nice player at this level as the Dolphins make a push for the playoffs. The Jets' (1-13) mind-numbingly stupid victory today means that if the draft happened tomorrow, the Jaguars (1-13) would get the top pick which will be Clemson's incredible quarterback Trevor Lawrence. If New York can acquire him, they would have a better QB than New England as well, yikes.

    Today was a microcosm of this entire frustrating season for the Patriots as their best players were kicker Nick Folk (who made 4 FGs) and punter Jake Bailey who hit a 56-yard punt that was downed at the two-yard line. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (7 catches, 111 yards on 10 targets) re-emerged, with Damien Harris (ankle) out, running back Sony Michel (10 carries, 74 yards) had fresh legs and cornerback J.C. Jackson picked off Tua at the goal-line for his eighth interception of the season. After a scoreless first quarter, Folk hit a pair of field goals in the second quarter and the Pats took a 6-0 lead into halftime. Even with their best receiver (DeVante Parker) and a good tight end (Mike Gesicki) both out with injuries, you knew that the Patriots' crappy defense could only hold down Miami for so long. Seeing cornerback Stephon Gilmore leave with a non-contact leg injury in the second quarter probably puts a cap on a bizarre and disappointing 2020 for him. You have to wonder if he'll ever play another game for the Pats after all the drama he caused this year. 

    The Dolphins running game is not known as a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination but you wouldn't know that the way that a no-name undrafted rookie named Salvon Ahmed (23 carries, 122 yards, TD) and veteran Matt Breida (12 carries, 86 yards) both ran over the Patriots particularly in the second half. Ahmed's one-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the third quarter put the Dolphins ahead 7-6. Another 45-yard field goal by Folk gave New England their last lead at 9-7 late in the frame. Tua ran for a three-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter and added a two-point conversion pass to Ahmed which gave Miami a 15-9 lead. Folk's last field goal cut it to 15-12 Miami but Tua's one-yard touchdown run iced it late for the home team.

The 72-game NBA regular season starts on Tuesday with the Celtics opening on Wednesday as they host the Bucks then the NHL just confirmed that their 56-game regular season will start on January 13 with some different divisions (including an All-Canada one since they have strict travel restrictions during the pandemic). There won't be any Patriots playoff action but it's not like they deserved to be anywhere near that. At least we aren't some one team podunk place, this holiday season among many other way more important things (the health of my family, friends and myself), I am thankful to have the Celts and B's to get us through our first and hopefully last Covid-19 winter.

UPDATE 12/21/20: There was some good news on the Gilmore injury front as he tore a quad muscle which will require surgery but at least it wasn't a serious knee or leg injury that would take a much longer recovery period. Tonight, Gilmore, punter Jake Bailey and special teams captain Matthew Slater were all named to the Pro Bowl for the Patriots this season, their only three representatives. 

The Patriots Kept Their Slight Playoff Hopes Alive With A Thrilling 20-17 Win vs. The Cardinals

 

    Not much makes sense in this crazy year of 2020 and the Patriots (5-6 overall, 4-2 home) fit under that general premise since they are becoming very difficult to predict from game to game. For instance, in the last three weeks in particular, I think that going into each matchup we would have thought they'd lose to Baltimore, win at Houston and lose against Arizona. It turns out that the opposite has occurred in each of those three contests with them pulling out a 20-17 victory this afternoon vs. the Cardinals (6-5 overall, 3-3 away) at Gillette Stadium via a 50-yard field goal by Patriots kicker Nick Folk as time expired in the fourth quarter. New England quarterback Cam Newton (9-of-18 for 84 yards, 2 INTs; 46 yards rushing) had perhaps his worst game as a Patriot-which is saying something-yet they still somehow found a way to win thanks to some timely plays by the defense (including a key goal-line stand) and stellar special teams. 

    After DeShaun Watson of the Texans torched the Patriots last week, you figured that Cardinals star quarterback Kyler Murray (23-of-34 for 170 yards, INT; 31 yards rushing) would similarly tear up New England's subpar defense but that wasn't the case at all. In fact, it was the first time all season that Murray was held without a touchdown since Arizona's running back Kenyan Drake (22 carries, 78 yards; 15 yards receiving) did most of the damage with a pair of one-yard touchdown runs. The ghost of Larry Fitzgerald was out with Covid-19 so the Pats were able to concentrate most of their energy on arguably the best wide receiver in the league-DeAndre Hopkins (5 catches for 55 yards on 7 targets)-and it showed as they mostly held him in check which was a surprise to say the least. 

    New England spotted Arizona a 10-0 in the first quarter thanks to an interception by Cardinals linebacker Markus Golden on the third play of the game as Newton's pass was deflected right into Golden's hands for his first career INT. With incredible field position (starting at the Pats 23), it only took Murray and Co. three plays to find the end zone after a 19-yard catch and run by UMass' Andy Isabella (4 catches, 33 yards) brought them down to the 4-yard line. Late in the first quarter, Arizona's kicker Zane Gonzalez hit a 47-yard to give his team what would turn out to be their biggest lead of the day. Pats running back James White hadn't scored a touchdown all season so it was great to see him take an option pitch from Newton and find paydirt on 4th-and-2 from the Cardinals 7-yard line. That whole drive was set up by a 53-yard kickoff return from Donte Moncrief that put New England in Arizona territory at the 46-yard line. 

    New England's defense stepped up right before halftime after the Cardinals held the ball for almost half of the quarter (15 plays, 71 yards in 6:57). First they tackled KeeSean Johnson at the 1-yard line and then Akeem Spence (recently elevated from the practice squad) and Ja'Whaun Bentley (13 tackles, 6 solo) combined to stop Drake on a run up the middle for no gain meaning that Arizona got zero points from that long drive. I appreciate the aggressiveness from dreamy Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury but that turned out to be a huge three points that they could have used at the end of the game. After forcing a punt on the Cardinals' opening drive of the third quarter, the Patriots appeared to go ahead on a punt-return for a touchdown by Gunner Olszewski. It being this year with this middling club, the six points from the 82-yard run were taken off the board as rookie Anfernee Jennings was ruled to have made an illegal blindside block. That still gave New England more great field position as they began that drive at Arizona's 39-yard line. Newton and the Pats' drive stalled near the goalline as they were forced to settle for a 22-yard field goal which tied it at 10. 

    The momentum kept building for the Patriots as Murray was picked off three plays later when defensive lineman Adam Butler (4 tackles, assist & sack) tipped a pass and it was caught by safety Adrian Phillips (5 tackles). New England's ensuring drive started at Arizona's 31-yard line so even the Patriots' slo-mo offense scored six plays later on a 1-yard run by White to the opposite corner of the end zone from his first score. Trying to keep pace with Seattle (7-3) and the Rams (7-4) in the best division in football-the NFC West-the Cardinals flipped the momentum back on their side as they surged ahead on another short Drake touchdown then cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick read Newton's eyes and picked him off on the next drive.

    It looked for sure that the Patriots were doomed at that point but thankfully, Gonzalez missed a 45-yard field goal by simply pushing it wide. Before Folk's heroics, Arizona committed two fatal mistakes on the same play to essentially put New England in field goal range: on 3rd-and-13, they let Newton scramble for 14 yards and even worse, rookie Isaiah Simmons drilled him with a helmet-to-helmet hit (which itself is a penalty but it was incorrectly called unnecessary roughness instead) as they both went out of bounds. That careless mistake resulted in a 15-yard penalty which moved the Patriots into the Cardinals' side of the field and after two short plays, Folk was called on to deliver with the game on the line for the second time in four weeks (he also won it in NY against the Jets) and once again, he made it count. 

    The Pats will get another chance to reach the .500 mark next week as they travel to Los Angeles to face the lowly Chargers (3-8) on Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS). By taking on a rookie quarterback in Justin Herbert (granted he's been awesome) and an overmatched head coach-Anthony Lynn of Hard Knocks fame this past summer-your instinct tells you that the Patriots should win that one. I've made that mistake too many times before during this season so I'm going to hold off on any predictions and just say that hopefully New England can build off of this ballsy win and take advantage of an opponent that while talented is going nowhere in 2020.