More in depth thoughts.
#1 I am happy to see back to back weeks of under 50 penalty yards. This game has a big PI against us, but that aside it was small stuff mostly. Ideally you want none or less... but i consider under 50 and under 6 overall a pretty good mark. As long as you stay under that you aren't hurting yourself too much. So this an important improvement this team has made.
#2 I am happy with the progress of Drake Maye when it comes to fixing things. Yes, they will need to be readdressed at some point, like they do for most young players, but typically he is quick to correct them. Taking Big hits on runs? He takes less now. Throwing lots of bad balls and putting the ball in harms way? He does that less now. Taking too many sacks? He only had 1 this game and it was a nothing burger. I imagine the Sacks were a big point of emphasis this week. He addresses them quickly until they become more or less habit, but like all young players you need to re-address things a few times too. Now with the Sacks to the forefront of his mind, I suspect they will go back to working on ball security again. 3 straight games with an int? That is going to get hammered into his head in this short week. And I imagine he will handle that constructive criticism like he has all his career, he will turn the page and adjust quickly.
#3 The big rookie stories this week were Williams and Henderson, but how about Ponder with his first sack huh? He also had 14 snaps this game, which i will not look up to compare, but i think it is likely his career high or close to. They badly need someone to step up in the back up DE role. I hope this is a sign of things to come from the young player.
#4 While obviously you want Barmore in there, it speaks to the depth of the DT spot that when he was out you didn't miss a beat. Durden, Tonga and Farmer have all been very reliable.
#5 I made a point of Elliss stepping up before his injury as well as the rest of the group. But i think Gibbens has earned a special shout out too. This was his best game this year IMO and he has been solid recently. He is subtly becomes one of those guys you want to resign to the back of your roster.
#6 Let's get it out of way. Super encouraging stuff from rookies Williams and Henderson. Has been hit on to death, but there you go.
#7 I love Marcus Jones. But my gosh. He seems to find himself put on bad mismatches often. This is something that somehow some way needs to be addressed. I know it is hard when you are in zone... but some kind of adjustment has to be made here.
#8 I know this is a longer term issue, but the Pats need to find a way to keep a big body WR on the roster for Drake Maye. He works well with this type of player and exploiting that size. But yeah, but of this is also good play from Hollins.
#9 Campbell with a nice 'bounce back' game. Though he wasn't exactly bad last week considering all factors. But it was a good one i think. Moses as well. Their OTs have done well to stop the bleeding on what has been at times for various reasons an underwhelming interior. But for all the problems they have in run blocking, it is fair to say they didn't let Vea take over the game from a pass rushing perspective. They didn't do amazing, but they kept it an annoyance and not a disaster.
