PostGame Thread Official PostGame Thread - 2023 Week 7 - Patriots Win 29-25

[upstater1]

I’m still out on Mac overall. But a game like this may finally give him the confidence boost he needs. We’ll see.

Me too, feel the same.

 

[PaulThePat]

For QB I think McCarthy could be a good fit here.

My concern with any Ohio or Michigan QB is the level of opposition (I'm talking last few years i.e. well after TB). Some absolute dross in that division. How McCarthy plays against Ohio or in a play-off game is where we really see what he has.

 

[Rob0729]

If Brown, Strange, Andrews, and Onwenu (at RT) all play to their level, I think Sow can be adequate at RG. OLs can withstand one weak link usually. It's when there's two+ that defense just start blowing games up. Strange had a great game today!

Yes, you can definitely cover up one weak link on the line especially if it is a RG.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Interesting to see if the media just tries to gloss over this game by Mac, or will he get the same ballwashing zack wilson got after he lost to kc? He played much better. He’s gotten plenty (deserved) criticism but this was an incredible performance by him and the offense. Hopefully the ol has turned a corner and we see some more momentum offensively. Douglas is a player and pharaoh what a suprise he’s been! Rham finally broke one. Only wish we could have ran the ball better .

Defense wore down at the end , but they’re totally depleted right now. We need white and uche back or same thing will happen in miami.

Special teams finally with a great game. They were excellent all around. Nothing game breaking but they put us in good field position on a play and pinned buffalo back a few times. Ryland with some huge kicks!

Onto miami, lets see if we can work some magic down there for once.

 

[Jim Beankie]

whoever was talking about the wildcard....there's 10 ****ing teams ahead of the Pats

C'mon with the hyperbole... it's oooonnnnllly 8.

 

[ElMarko]

I had a feeling this could be the game they reverse the curse since the Bills "wind game" where everything fell apart.
Let's see what happens from here, but I'm elated.

I always felt “the wind game” was a mistake. It was a clear confidence killer for Mac

 

[p8ryts]

Giive Mac credit for a good game. Got rid of the ball, hit some receivers on the run. Pop Douglas is a difference maker. Pharoah Brown is better than we think. The one big negative today was the missed tackles. Happy to have a win.

 

[Schmo]

let's not get carried away. Jones could be an adequate QB in the league - no one should be looking for him to be a pro bowler, etc. he is good enough to be a playoff contender. he is good enough be Chad Pennington (hopefully without being hurt all the time).

I know the game isn't simply QB vs QB, but Mac outplayed Allen today... and Allen has Diggs. Mac is very accurate, has a quick release, and gets through his progressions quickly (completions to 9 different players) when he has more than half a second to get through them.

If he's not the best player on this offense, he's in the top 2 or 3. Seems like a lot of people talk about getting a new qb, but I don't see anyone else doing much better with the problems we've had at other positions.

 

[p8ryts]

I always felt “the wind game” was a mistake. It was a clear confidence killer for Mac

Well has stunk since that game so maybe this on will prove to be the turn around/

 

[Sicilian]

Interesting to see if the media just tries to gloss over this game by Mac, or will he get the same ballwashing zack wilson got after he lost to kc? He played much better. He’s gotten plenty (deserved) criticism but this was an incredible performance by him and the offense. Hopefully the ol has turned a corner and we see some more momentum offensively. Douglas is a player and pharaoh what a suprise he’s been! Rham finally broke one. Only wish we could have ran the ball better .

Defense wore down at the end , but they’re totally depleted right now. We need white and uche back or same thing will happen in miami.

Special teams finally with a great game. They were excellent all around. Nothing game breaking but they put us in good field position on a play and pinned buffalo back a few times. Ryland with some huge kicks!

Onto miami, lets see if we can work some magic down there for once.

On the defense, I also think the playcalling hurt them a bit on the second to last drive (not counting the one that started with 12 seconds). It felt like, with a two score lead, they went ULTRA conservative, and Allen was getting 8-10 yards on easy plays. I get the general idea, working the clock a bit, but it was too loose and things moved too fast. They then tried to get a kill shot on a bring-the-house blitz and Diggs ate it up. Then of course the fumble put them immediately back on the field which didn't help. I think you're right that they wore down a bit, but I would have liked to see them stay a little more aggressive with 8+ minutes on the clock. Stick to what you got you there at that point, IMO.

 

[p8ryts]

I know the game isn't simply QB vs QB, but Mac outplayed Allen today... and Allen has Diggs. Mac is very accurate, has a quick release, and gets through his progressions quickly (completions to 9 different players) when he has more than half a second to get through them.

If he's not the best player on this offense, he's in the top 2 or 3. Seems like a lot of people talk about getting a new qb, but I don't see anyone else doing much better with the problems we've had at other positions.

Let's just see it more than once before we start a bandwagon.

 

[Foxypats]

I do believe this is Mac's very first game in the NFL where he has had a come from behind win , hopefully it builds his confidence going forward.

 

[upstater1]

Would like to see more of these players in the future: Jennings, Thornton, Douglas, Sow, Gesicki.

Players I'd like to see less of: Bryant, Parker.

Players I'd like to see more of but for a non-obvious reason: Mills at FS so that Dugger can move up closer to the LOS.

I'd rather see Dugger and Peppers go after TEs and RBs than see Peppers and one of Bentley/Tavai up there. On 2nd and 3rd down, we need to play one ILB but I'd rather see us with 6 DBs out there at all times. Let Dugger make big plays.

So:

Barmore / Guy or Godchaux / Wise or Keion
Jennings or Uche / Bentley or Tavai
Jack Jones / JC Jackson / Jon Jones / Dugger / Peppers / Mills or Phillips at FS

 

[Schmo]

Let's just see it more than once before we start a bandwagon.

Oh, it's already started..... and you'll have to ask me nicely if you want to get on.

 

[Sicilian]

I do believe this is Mac's very first game in the NFL where he has had a come from behind win , hopefully it builds his confidence going forward.

He had one his rookie year against Houston, but otherwise they've all come up short (not all of that being Mac's fault, of course).

 

[Jlaff]

Based on game results today, and an assumption that Chargers will lose to Chiefs, Steelers will lose to Rams, and Dolphins will lose to Eagles later today/tomorrow:

Division winners:
Chiefs 6-1
Dolphins 5-2
Jaguars 5-2
Ravens 5-2
----
Wild card:
Buffalo 4-3
Colts 4-3
Steelers 3-3
----
Browns 3-3
Texans 3-3
Jets 3-3
Bengals 3-3
Raiders 3-4
Chargers 2-4
Titans 2-4
Patriots 2-5
Broncos 1-6

Patriots would only be 1.5 games behind the last wild card spot. Certainly not insurmountable. Plus many of the teams ahead of them have to play each other still, or still have to play several tough games. The Pats are mostly clearing their "tough" stretch.

If they can go 2-1 against Miami/Washington/Indianapolis before their bye week then I think they'll be primed to rest up and make a run after their bye against Giants/Chargers/Steelers/Chiefs/Broncos/Bills/Jets. That's a much softer slate - those are all teams they can beat if they play their A game like today, with the possible exception of KC, though maybe still.

You might turn this into a "Next 9 games" thread.

 

[sb1]

Mac is exactly what the scouts said he would be. High floor low ceiling. Guys like that are pretty good when they are set up for success but they can’t make a team better than they are.

 

[Sicilian]

I've complimented Mac plenty already for today but why aren't we looking downfield at all?

As in NEVER?

This is the coaches' sense of what Mac can do.

You can't make a living in the NFL by shortening the field this way.

Part of me wonders if they didn't expect the OL to hold up as well as it did today, so they were still calling plays that got the ball out of Mac's hands as quickly as possible. Maybe with some OL continuity they'll feel confident opening it up a bit more, but that remains to be seen.

 

[Jlaff]

First off, I'm out of the Suicide pool!

Mac finally gets it done!

I feel better now because I definitely would have picked the Bills this week if I survived that 49ers upset last week.

 

[JayNM]

While everyone will be deservedly so speaking about Mac

This defense to be performing as well as this without Judon and Gonzo, and Marcus Jones is very good. JC has been very decent, although he will get flagged if the officials want to in almost every play

Dugger is playing out of his Max contract. Today his tackling was bad (as was the rest of the team), but overall Jabrill Peppers is outperforming him this season. Good for us If BB has learned from the Meyers/Juju thing.

Barmore is elevating his play, but can he stay consistently good? In any case, I felt like the DL won a lot today, same as last week. Some runs were Cook magic and putrid tackling

Wise is quietly becoming quite a player too. He might not be flashy, but he is always good, occasionally great. Gotta keep these guys around