Patriots News 9-15, Players To Watch, Predictions For Week 2
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Good morning. Here are your Patriots news and notes for September 15. The Patriots home opener is today against the Seahawks. The Patriots have the opportunity to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2019 when they began 8-0 but faded down the stretch.
Like most of their opponents this season, the Seahawks are difficult opponents. They boast a trio of talented receivers: Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Kenneth Walker is a very good running back, and Noah Fant at tight end is another problematic matchup.
Last week, the Patriots (1-0) defeated the Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) 16-10 behind a stellar defense and running game that churned out 170 yards. Rhamondre Stevenson led the way with 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.
The Seahawks (1-0) defeated the Denver Broncos 26-20 behind Walker’s 103 yards on 20 rushing attempts. The defense gave rookie QB Bo Nix fits, sacking him twice, intercepting him twice, and forcing him to scramble numerous times.
The home opener should be a fantastic game, and the fans will get their first real look at the 2024 Patriots.
Let’s GO!
Take ‘em To The Hill: The Patriots work hard in training camp, and under Jerod Mayo, they’ve carried over Bill Belichick’s tradition of running sprints on the hill between the training camp practice fields and the lower fields that the team uses in the regular season.
Belichick had the hill built, and it’s about 60 yards to one section, but the final 20 yards are steeper. The players hate it, but it keeps the team one of the best-conditioned units in the league.
In the first half, the Patriots players on the sidelines encouraged the ones on the field by yelling, “Take ‘em to the Hill!” This became a rallying cry.
On Sunday, the Patriots sensed the Bengals were hitting their wall of conditioning at the end of the fourth quarter. WR K.J. Osborn started yelling before each play, “Take ‘em to the Hill! “signifying the players’ ability to dominate the game with extra effort physically.
As Rhamondre Stevenson was getting the carries to finish the game, Osborn increased the call to take Cincinnati to the hill.
“That’s one of the cooler moments in my career, everybody in the huddle saying, ‘Let’s take ‘em to the hill,’” Brissett said to MassLive.com. “We knew we were in much better shape than they were, and it paid off.”
“We were basically stating, ‘Finish the game, they’re not built like us, they didn’t put in the work we put in,’” Antonio Gibson added.
So, if the Patriots are ahead late in the game today, those fans seated near the Patriot bench may hear the rallying cry once again.
Jake Bobo: The Seattle backup WR has taken a page out of the Bill Belichick playbook and has effusive with his praise of a couple of Patriots, and his opponents this week. He played against and raved about Christian Gonzalez (more below), and then talked about Drake Maye, who he worked out with this summer. Maye and Seattle QB Sam Howell are close, and Bobo worked out with them both.
“Just right off the bat you could tell he’s going to be a stud. Obviously, he’s young, but the arm talent is there. Just talking ball with him, he’s one of the smartest dudes probably I’ve been able to talk shop with. He’s definitely impressive,” Bobo told NESN.com.
“I love it for Drake. Just being able to learn under a guy like Jacoby, who’s a vet, and just being able to take however long it is that he’s sitting behind him to just learn in this league because there’s so much that goes on on a day-to-day basis in terms of scheme and game plan and literally on-the-field calling the play that the regular game-watcher doesn’t necessarily realize.
“Personality-wise, I can see him being easy to follow just as a quarterback. Growing up in the Tom Brady golden age, there’s more to playing quarterback than just throwing the ball perfectly down the sideline and he’s got it. I felt like in the short time I had with him he’s got it. He’ll be a great quarterback in this league. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Walker Banged Up: Kenneth Walker, the talented Seattle running back, may be out for the game on Sunday. Walker rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown last week against Denver, leading the way to Seattle’s 26-20 win.
Walker injured his oblique in the game and left in the fourth quarter. On the Seattle injury report released on Friday, he is listed as doubtful for the game. Tackle George Fant is also listed as doubtful for Sunday.
If Walker is out for today’s game, Zach Charbonett will probably start in his place. “I think Charb has a lot of the same skill sets,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said via the Seattle Times. “He’s an excellent receiver out of the backfield. He’s a very, very capable pass protector and obviously a very powerful runner. So I don’t think there’s anything in the game plan that would change if Ken was unavailable. So, for us, it is business as usual.”
Drake Maye: The Patriots’ backup quarterback has been receiving 30 percent of the first-team reps as Jerod Mayo, and the coaching staff try to balance getting Jacoby Brissett ready to start the games while also having a schedule to develop Maye for eventually taking over the starting job.
“It’s not a secret, we have a quarterback in the wings that needs to continue to develop. Normally, the starter gets, let’s say, 95% of the reps. This is a little bit different,” Mayo said. “I guess the struggle is, ‘How do you get your starting quarterback prepared for the game and also continue to develop the guy in the background, which is Drake?’ And so it is like a 70-30 split.”
“We were very thoughtful. When we talked about having a developmental plan for Drake, that’s part of it,” Mayo added. “I’ve tried not to get too deep into what that plan actually looks like, but he still takes reps with the starters and does a good job on the [scout] team as well. He’s doing a good job, and you can see his confidence continuing to grow.”
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: This past week, Derek Havens and I wrapped up the Bengals game, broke down the matchup with the Seahawks, and gave our predictions for the game and the Thursday/Friday games. Please check it out.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t in is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position. This will be discussed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
The Patriots and Seattle will meet for the first time in four years today at 1:00 p.m. It seemed they faced each other in the 1980s and early 90s every year. Seattle’s new head coach, Mike McDonald, came from the Ravens and is an aggressive defensive coach. They’ll send blitzers from all different parts of the field. They have excellent playmakers on offense.
I expect they’ll make stopping Rhamondre Stevenson their main defensive effort and force Jacoby Brissett to beat them through the air. The Patriots’ running game will be the most important key to the game.
Seattle’s running game will probably be without Kenneth Walker, who was injured last week, so this one will be fascinating to watch.
But here are our Patriots’ players to watch in today’s game.
As I stated above, Stevenson is probably the key player for the Patriots this week. He was immense last week, gashing the Bengals for 120 yards, of which 118 came after contact.
He was at his absolute best on the Patriots’ final drive when he carried the ball four straight times for 26 yards and two first downs, which killed the clock. Cincinnati was forced to use all three timeouts, and then the Patriots went to victory formation.
This week, Seattle’s front seven presents different and more complex challenges. I expect the Patriots to run more of the “13-personnel” packages with an extra tackle on the field as an eligible tight end.
Brissett showed his toughness last week, hanging in the pocket to deliver the ball and taking some big hits in the process. His experience and his ability to protect the football were big factors in winning.
If Seattle successfully shuts down New England’s running game, then Brissett will have to deliver much more in the passing game. One way to do that is to use more play-action, especially on early downs, and try to catch the linebackers or safeties coming forward.
Brissett did a good job of spreading the ball around last week, but they didn’t get near enough chunk plays. That is a must this week. And it should start with Demario Douglas. Pop had only three targets and two catches last week. Those numbers have to go up. Douglas gives the Patriots that quick, shifty receiver that Lockett is for Seattle. Not comparing the two, but their usage should be close. Look for Brissett to get Douglas more involved.
Jones made an excellent heads-up play last week, scooping up a fumble and returning from the goalline to about the 18-yard line. He will be asked to cover Jaxon Smith-Njigba for parts of this game. The coaches may switch up some different looks if the matchups are favorable.
But in the return game, Jones may be a difference-maker this week. Jones was a dynamic returner in 2022 and was missed last year. This may be one of those games that turns on a big return, and this week would be a perfect time to do so.
We’ve said White was primed for a big Year 2 jump in play. We didn’t expect it to be that big in Week 1. White was a constant disruptor in Cincinnati and garnered 2.5 sacks of Joe Burrow, as well as a forced fumble.
Chris Long and Bill Belichick raved about White’s performance last week on Inside the NFL . Belichick gave him a glowing review. “First of all, I love Keion White,” Belichick said. “He can play outside. He can play inside. He’s tough, strong, can really play the run, play the pass. He just needs a little bit more experience and technique. You saw what he did in Week 1…”
“I can’t talk about the Patriots defense without talking about Keion White,” Long said. “A guy I’ve been really high on for two years. He looked like the best player on the field.”
DeMarcus Covington slid White inside on passing downs, and both Seattle guards Laken Tomlinson and Anthony Bradford struggled. Right tackle Abraham Lucas is on PUP. George Fant was filling in last week until he was injured. That leaves Stone Forsythe. This could be an area to attack.
After a summer where many questioned how effective he’d be this season, Gonzalez showed no such concerns were necessary. He was outstanding in covering Ja’Marr Chase a week ago, holding him to just three catches for 15 yards. But his work doesn’t get any easier this week.
Seahawks back WR and fan favorite Jake Bobo played against Gonzalez and raved about his abilities. “The first thing you see is just his physical tools,” Bobo said to NESN.com. “He’s long, tall obviously, has great ball skills. When I matched up with him in person, he’s smart and his football IQ is real, real high. So, I had to hide some splits. And you could just tell if I split outside the numbers he’d line up a certain way, if I was a little tighter he’d line up a certain way depending on his coverage and what they were running.
“You knew going in this guy’s the real deal and we’re going to have to find ways to work around him,” Bobo added. “I didn’t watch the game on Sunday but I heard that it was a lot of the same.”
Seattle has three excellent wide receivers: Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. How Covington matches up against the three will determine how Gonzalez is utilized this week.
In a weird twist of fate, Bills safety Damar Hamlin was involved in the tackle of Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. It wasn’t necessarily a hard hit, but Tua suffered another concussion, which is a scary proposition considering the ones he’s had before.
Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field late in the 2022 season after a hard hit in a game against Cincinnati.
Tagovailoa was running for a first down in the third quarter on TNF and lowered his shoulder instead of sliding as Hamlin approached. He then stayed on the turf in the fencing position for a few minutes as medical personnel attended to him. Tagovailoa was eventually able to walk to the Dolphins’ sideline.
Nick Saban had the best of all the takes out there.
“Tua is such a great competitor, and he’s a great person.
I think Tua and his family should listen to all the medical evidence, and they shouldn’t be influenced by anybody else.”
With more and more evidence of traumatic brain injuries and their long-term effect on people, the money isn’t worth it if the doctors advise a player to retire, regardless of how young they are.
In the game, which Buffalo dominated 31-10, Josh Allen didn’t have to resort to his usual Superman heroics; the young Bills defense dominated from start to finish. Ja’Marcus Ingram, playing in just his seventh game, had two interceptions, the second being a 31-yard pick-six, which blew the game wide open.
The Bills limited Tyreek Hill to just three catches for 24 yards. Miami was 1-5 on fourth down in the game. Now, they have Skylar Thompson as the starting QB for the foreseeable future, as it is far too early to know when and if Tua will return.
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Week 2 Predictions:
Thursday Night Football:
Buffalo over Kansas City 1-0
Sunday, September 15:
Dallas over New Orleans
Detroit over Tampa Bay
Indianapolis over Green Bay
NYJ over Tennessee
San Francisco over Minnesota
New England over Seattle
Washington over NYG
LA Chargers over Carolina
Jacksonville over Cleveland
Baltimore over Las Vegas
LA Rams over Arizona
Pittsburgh over Denver
Kansas City over Cincinnati
Sunday Night Football:
Houston over Chicago
Monday Night Football:
Philadelphia over Atlanta
Last week: 14—2
2024 Season 14—2
2023 Season 178—94
2022 Season: 178—92—2
2021 Season: 183—88—1
2020 Season: 169—86—1
2019 Season: 162—93—1
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“I’ve always dealt with the imposter syndrome, where I always felt like I just wasn’t good enough. I would just work extra hard, but I can’t really put my finger on what a coach says. I’m sure I had a coach over the years say something that changed my career trajectory.
“My thing is with the players; there’s an element of the individual relationship and the team relationship. I just try to offer encouragement to some of the guys that need that little extra push. I’ve always thought that Rhamondre [Stevenson] was one of the best backs in the league. I’ve always thought that. A guy who can do it all: catch the ball at the backfield, a very patient runner who can break tackles.
“Last week, you got an opportunity to really see what he could do. I’m not going to get into what was said in those conversations, but it’s like one of those last-minute, ‘you can do this’ messages. Going back to the anxiety versus excitement, sometimes just having someone come and put a hand on your shoulder like, ‘hey, you’re going to go out there and perform well,’ is all you need.”
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo after he was asked if, in speaking to players last week before the game (Jacoby Brissett and Rhamondre Stevenson) did he have a similar experience as a player.
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“Talent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on Apple and YouTube as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens, and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.
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