Patriots News 11-03 Keys And Players To Watch vs. the Titans
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Good morning. Here are your Patriots news and notes for November 3. This afternoon, the Patriots will play the Titans in a game between two six-loss teams. The Patriots beat the Jets last week and are looking to gain some momentum and put together a two-game winning streak.
This week, the Patriots’ big question was whether Drake Maye will play. He has been in concussion protocol since suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit against the Jets. He’s steadily progressed and took the first reps at Friday’s practice. And he has been cleared by an independent neurologist to be able to play.
The Titans are also in rebuilding mode. While their numbers are decent offensively and excellent defensively, they languish at 1-6, looking for a spark. Quarterback Will Levis’ injury status remains up in the air, and Mason Rudolph hasn’t had much success either.
Javon Baker: The Patriots rookie wide receiver who has yet to be targeted this season may finally get his chance this weekend. The team needs a spark there after a terrible game by the team’s wide receivers with drops all around.
Baker has been active for only three games this season, playing mainly on Special Teams. But he has been steadily making progress in practice.
“The last couple of weeks, he’s put together great weeks of practice,” head coach Jerod Mayo said on Friday. “Now, hopefully, he gets an opportunity to play some receiver. He’s an explosive player. We need to see that on Sunday.”
Ochaun Mathis: The Patriots have signed the LB to the 53-man roster in the wake of the Josh Uche trade to the Kansas City Chiefs. According to our friend Miguel Benzan, the salary cap guru, aka @Patscap, it was a two-year deal worth $508,333 in 2024 and $1.03 million in 2025.
Mathis has been a core STs player thus far this season, with just a few defensive snaps. That should change now with Uche gone.
Ja’Lynn Polk: The Patriots’ rookie wide receiver missed last week’s game due to a concussion. But he should return this week. The week off may have been a good thing for Polk, who has not been the reliable receiver we expected this year.
This may be a week where he gets his game together and builds some chemistry with Maye/Brissett.
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: This week, Derek Havens and I wrapped up the Jets game and discussed Maye’s play and injury. We then did a quick breakdown of the Titans game, giving our predictions for that and other games.
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.
Key Matchups and Keys to the Game —
The Patriots and Titans are similarly in the same boat. Both teams are in rebuilding mode and have rookie head coaches. Jerod Mayo replaced a Patriot legend in Bill Belichick, and Brian Callahan also replaced a Patriot legend, Mike Vrable as Tennessee’s head coach.
Both teams are struggling. The Titans are 1-6 and coming off a bad beating by the Detroit Lions 52-14. The Patriots are 2-6 but beat the Jets last week 25-22. The Patriots are looking for their first winning streak of the Mayo era and can win their second game in a row this week. We’re talking baby steps here.
Here are our keys to the game from a Patriots’ perspective.
Hit the Running Game to the Edge:
The Patriots’ running game has been struggling for several weeks now. Although they ran for 111 yards last week, 57 were from the quarterbacks. And though the AVP offense likes to run between the tackles, this week’s opponent is not the one to try that against. The Titans allow only 3.1 yards per carry between the tackles, which is outstanding. And there are very good reasons why.
Jeffrey Simmons is a tremendous force on the inside. So is nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat. With the state of the run blocking, runs between the tackles would be wasted downs. However, if they run to the perimeter, Tennessee’s run defense allows 5.2 yards per carry, which can play into the speed of Antonio Gibson and Rhamondre Stevenson. That is a matchup they can win.
Spread Them Out, And Use Motion:
The Titans’ pass defense has been outstanding. They allow just 151.6 yards per game, which is #1 in the NFL right now. The secondary play has been terrific, especially considering the pass rush isn’t great. They allow only 5.6 yards per pass play.
However, spreading the defense out will give the quarterback options to find favorable matchups. This could be a very good week for the running backs (Stevenson and Gibson) to be key contributors in the passing game.
With L’Jarius Sneed ruled out for this game, it will help the offense find favorable WR matchups. Despite the gaudy numbers, the Titans defense ranks 29th in scoring and 24th in red zone.
Special Teams Return Game Must Contribute:
The Patriots got a key 62-yard punt return from Marcus Jones last week against the Jets that jump-started the offense in the second half. The Titans’ special teams coverage units have been awful, and that is a key area to focus on this week. Getting your offense shortfields to work in is a great way to score, especially in a season where the offense has struggled.
Last week, the Lions had a 90-yard punt return touchdown, a 72-yard kickoff return, and another punt return for 64 yards. The return game also features the defense. Tennessee turned the ball over four times last week and is a league-low -13 on the season.
This would be a great week to get special teams and/or defensive touchdown. Jones is a dynamic returner and last week showed the promise of better things to come. Today will be a prime opportunity.
With a victory over the Titans this afternoon, the Patriots can win their third game of the season and their second in a row. Jerod Mayo and the coaching staff had arguably their best game of the year last week and need another good effort to prepare the team to win on the road again (Week 1).
Defensively, they have to stop the Titans’ running game with Tony Pollard, but he’s banged up and was listed as questionable to play today after missing practices this week. Tajae Spears is already ruled out. That would leave Tennessee very thin at running back.
Calvin Ridley is always a threat in the passing game, but Tennessee traded De’Andre Hopkins to Kansas City last week, which will hurt them offensively.
Here are our Patriots Players to Watch this afternoon if the Patriots are to win today.
Drake Maye: After being cleared to play on Saturday, it appears Maye will play and get the start today. His mobility and athleticism give him a better chance to lead the Patriots offense to success than Jacoby Brissett. Maye has completed 63 percent of his passes for 564 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions with a passer rating of 92.4.
Look for Maye to stretch the field vertically today, with Kayshon Boutte and perhaps Javon Baker on play-action passes. As the Patriots will try to take more shots down the field. Gibson and Stevenson may also see increased usage isolating linebackers in coverage.
Christian Gonzalez: The Patriots’ star cornerback had a superb game last week when lined up opposite Davante Adams. This week, he’ll be matched up with Calvin Ridley. Ridley had a big game against the Lions last week, catching 10 passes for 143 yards.
If Gonzalez can limit Ridley’s production, the Patriots have an excellent chance of pulling this one out on the road. With Hopkins gone, WR Tyler Boyd and RB Pollard missed practice Friday with injuries. If neither can play, Tennessee’s weapons will be limited.
“For me, what Gonzo’s doing is what we fully expected him to do. Funny thing, look, he’s a quiet guy, but he’s a competitor. You listen to the mic’d up? That’s the most you’re going to get from that guy,” Mayo said. “He’s a guy that goes out there and plays hard every day, and he’s a great competitor.
Anfernee Jennings: Jennings signed a three-year deal this spring and he is outstanding at setting the edge of the defense. He is tied with TJ Watt for the most run stuffs on the edge and has the most run stops in the league on the edge. His play has been so solid that opposing teams are now running away from him.
“You talk to these offensive coaches around the league after we play,” OLB coach Drew Wilkins said. “The one guy you hear about over and over from these guys, ‘This guy plays the right way, he’s a problem to go against,’ is AJ because of how physical he is, how good his hand placement and feet are and eyes in the run game.
“This is a guy you don’t want to run to his side, Wilkins added. You see teams starting to do that and trying to run away from him because of the plays he can make when they run to him. Pullers come at him and he’s disrupting the whole play, causing a 10-car pileup over there. This is a guy that plays football the right way. We’re fired up that he’s out there.“
Offensive Line: The Patriots’ offensive line was very good in pass protection last week against the Jets, allowing a season-low 30.6 pressure rate on QBs Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett. This week, they’ll have to account for Harold Landry on the edge and Jefferey Simmons inside.
But the running game is still a “no-bueno.” They have to get Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson past the line of scrimmage more often. They are frequently hit at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Marcus Jones:
We’ve mentioned his name several times already and he’s a key player to watch today. In the return game, he’s a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. And as a cornerback, given the Titans penchant for turning the ball over, he’s a threat to return one there also.
We’d love to see him get a big return in both the kicking game and on defense. Derek Havens mentioned on our podcast this week, that he’d love to see the Patriots install a package of plays to take advantage of his athleticism.
Prediction: The Patriots will leave Music City singing “November Rain” on the way home. The offense and defense will do enough, and the STs will put them over the top this week.
Turnovers will be key here. The Patriots currently have a turnover ratio of -1, which is 19th in the league. The Titans, however, have a turnover ratio of -13, which is tied for last in the league.
Patriots 27-20
The Dolphins travel to Orchard Park in Buffalo to take on the Bills today. Quarterback Josh Allen is a career 11-2 against Miami with a passer rating of 110. He’s thrown 34 touchdowns and just seven interceptions while passing for 3,502 yards. He’s also rushed for 685 yards with five touchdowns against Miami’s defense.
Making their task even more difficult is that four Dolphins’ starters, DL Zach Sieler (eye), S Jevon Holland (knee/hand), CB Kader Kohou, and TE Julian Hill (shoulder), will probably be missing for today’s game.
For Buffalo, receivers Amari Cooper and Curtis Samuel, and cornerback Christian Benford are listed as questionable to play today.
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Week 9 Predictions:
Thursday Night Football:
Houston over NYJ 0-1
Sunday, November 3rd:
Dallas over Atlanta
Buffalo over Miami
Cincinnati over Las Vegas
LAC over Cleveland
New England over Tennessee
Washington over NYG
New Orleans over Carolina
Baltimore over Denver
Philadelphia over Jacksonville
Chicago over Arizona
Detroit over Green Bay
LAR over Seattle
Sunday Night Football:
Minnesota over Indianapolis
Monday Night Football:
Kansas City over Tampa Bay
Bye Week: Pittsburgh, San Francisco
Last week: 13—3
2024 Season 90—33
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 would say I was especially proud of the way the receivers responded throughout the week of practice, just the extra work that they put in in the classroom and also on the football field. They had a great week of practice. We did 1-on-1s this week, they went out there and competed. They caught the ball well, and hopefully that transfers over to the game.
“So, we’re excited to see what those guys can do and excited for really just us as a team to learn how to string them together. That’s ultimately our goal. I know a lot of questions will be probably about Drake [Maye], and I’ll just tell you guys just so I can save you guys from having to ask the question. He is still in the protocol. So, he is still in the protocol and going through that process. So, he’ll be limited. He has been limited this week so far, but he’ll be limited today as well.”
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo on the team’s wide receivers and the status of quarterback Drake Maye, who suffered a concussion last week.
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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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