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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Patriots identity: There was a common theme from Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo and his top assistants, Alex Van Pelt and DeMarcus Covington, in the aftermath of the 24-3 beatdown they took from the New York Jets on Thursday.
That wasn’t us.
Their first two games — a 16-10 win over the Bengals and a 23-20 overtime loss to the Seahawks — reflected well on players and coaches. The Patriots played tough, were mostly fundamentally sound and seemed to be ahead of schedule considering ESPN’s Football Power Index projected they would have the fewest wins in 2024.
Then they crashed and burned against the Jets, seemingly because they forgot what mostly defined them the first two weeks.
They are a hard-charging running team that needs to protect a short-handed offensive line that has struggled mightily at times in pass protection. They are an energetic defense that rallies to the ball, tackles well and creates turnovers.
“We’ve had a formula we’ve tried to play, and I thought we did a good job of that the first two weeks,” center and longtime captain David Andrews said after Thursday’s blowout. “This wasn’t it.”
All of which sets up an intriguing week for the Patriots (1-2), because there’s no telling which direction things will go.
There is a challenging road game ahead against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. The Patriots can reaffirm who they are by getting back to the basics, ultimately allowing them to point to the disappointing performance as a blip that sometimes happens to teams on quick-turnaround Thursday games.
Or Thursday could be closer to what they really are, which then would spark the question of whether the Patriots team from Weeks 1 and 2 played so far above itself that it was the high point of the season.
Safety and first-time captain Jabrill Peppers said before players return for work on Monday, they must get their “mind right, reset and heal up.”
Perhaps nowhere is that more important than the offensive line, where the potential return of starting left guard Sidy Sow (ankle) is one silver lining for a unit that is holding the team back. Consider that a 48.6% pressure rate vs. the Jets was the highest allowed by the Patriots since 2016, per ESPN Research. Sow won’t be able to solve a gaping hole at left tackle — injured Vederian Lowe (knee) has been the best of a shaky lot — but the Patriots could use any type of good news up front.
Likely with the O-line deficiencies in mind, Mayo said, “We have to be very intentional about the way we approach the game and the way we adjust in-game.”
Whether they can get back to that represents a challenging and early-season test for Mayo and his coaching staff.
2. Maye’s day: In a reflection of how much interest there is in rookie quarterback Drake Maye‘s development, reporters surrounded him in the visitors locker room Thursday night after he entered late in the fourth quarter for one drive.
Maye’s parents, Mark and Aimee, were at the game to see his first regular-season action (16 snaps), which Maye said was bittersweet in the sense that it was a blowout loss. Maye (4-of-8 for 22 yards; 2 rushes for 12 yards) was hard on himself for taking two sacks, but he also saw some positive things to build on in converting four first downs.
Van Pelt viewed Maye’s drive as a building block.
“I thought it was a great experience for him to get in, especially a night game in New York,” he said. “I thought it was a great start for him. Definitely some things to clean up in his game, but made some throws, made some plays with his legs. I’m encouraged with his future.”
Of Maye’s footwork under pressure, Van Pelt referred to it as “up and down.”
“There were some things there to correct, and that’s usually the case the first time you’re out for a live [game] — it can change your feet and you revert back,” he said. “Still a work in progress there; he’ll be able to take it to the next level.”
Maye is planning to visit his alma mater, North Carolina, on the players’ weekend off.
3. Stevenson’s fumbles: Fourth-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson lost just one fumble all of 2023, which was a turnaround from the 2022 season when he lost four. But things have turned back in the wrong direction this season. He has fumbled in each of the first three games and seemed to be boiling over it after Thursday’s loss.
“I’ve got to hold the ball,” he said matter-of-factly of the troubling trend.
Van Pelt noted what this means Stevenson can expect in the weeks to come.
“Job security is ball security and now he has a target on his back. Teams are going to see that and they’re going to come after the football,” Van Pelt said. “I know he’ll address it. I know he’s proud about [being secure with the ball] and he’ll be better because of it.”
4. Brissett battered: Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been sacked nine times, and after taking 15 hits in Thursday’s loss to the Jets, he’s now been hit 30 times through three games. It reflects how shaky pass protection has been at times, and also Brissett’s toughness.
“One thing about me is that I’ll always get back up,” he said.
That has endeared him to players and coaches, starting with Maye.
“It speaks volumes. I told him on the sideline, ‘that’s the way to represent quarterbacks out there,'” Maye said.
5. Communication check: Linebacker Jahlani Tavai had the communication device in his helmet Thursday as the primary communicator to the sideline, filling the void created by Ja’Whaun Bentley‘s torn pectoral muscle injury.
Tavai, as well as Mayo and Covington, felt the communication wasn’t an issue. Among their greater concerns was the sloppy tackling, which is Bentley’s forte.
“It’s always tough when you lose a guy like Bentley, but I do feel like we have players that can step up and fill those roles,” Mayo said, referencing Tavai and Raekwon McMillan.
6. Bourne on cusp: Fifth-year veteran K.J. Osborn has played more than any Patriots receiver through three games, totaling 130 snaps, with his primary contributions coming as a blocker in the run game. In the passing game, Osborn has totaled just four catches for 28 yards.
With veteran Kendrick Bourne eligible to start practicing after Week 4 and come off the physically unable to perform list, he could potentially cut into Osborn’s role if things continue in the same direction. Mayo noted in his pregame radio interview that Bourne is tracking as expected.
“He’s done a great job and he’s close. We look forward to getting him back in the room,” Mayo said.
7. Touchback team: First-year Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer has been decisive in how he has approached the new kickoff rules.
Through three games, all 11 of the Patriots’ kickoffs have carried into the end zone, with nine touchbacks. So instead of strategically putting the ball in play inside the landing zone, forcing a return, Springer and Mayo have essentially been content to have the opponent start at their own 30-yard line. Acknowledging things could change, Springer said there have been more touchbacks leaguewide than he initially anticipated.
8. Kromah report: The Patriots signed rookie defensive end/outside linebacker Jamree Kromah off the Bears’ practice squad Wednesday, filling the void created by outside linebacker Oshane Ximines (knee) being placed on injured reserve. Kromah has high-end physical traits; He’s 6-foot-3 and 271 pounds with 34.5-inch arm length, and that contributed to him being a sought-after free agent after going undrafted out of James Madison.
Kromah played 63 defensive snaps in the preseason — the Bears had an extra game as they were part of the initial Hall of Fame game — and his improvement over that span, along with prior scouting reports, likely contributed to the Patriots’ pursuit. But he didn’t show up much on special teams (just seven snaps), which is a big part of the role Ximines filled for the Patriots.
9. Anderson reunion: Thursday was a painful result of the Patriots, but not as much for one of its former longtime employees. Kevin Anderson, who broke into the NFL with the Patriots in 2006 as an operations assistant and spent 10 years in Foxborough before moving on to the Lions for six, is in his first year as Jets head coach Robert Saleh’s chief of staff.
Among others, he caught up with Patriots assistant Matthew Slater and former safety Devin McCourty (who called the game on national radio) on the field before the game.
10. Did you know?: Punter Bryce Baringer, who Springer referred to as a “weapon” for the team, has had a punt of at least 50 yards in 20 straight games. Since 1970, the NFL record for the longest streak with at least one 50-yard punt is 38 games — set by the Raiders’ Shane Lechler from 2007 to 2010.
Source: www.espn.com