Patriots News, 10-12 Patriots Try To Keep Rolling, NFL Picks
Follow us
Follow Us
🕑 Read Time: 8 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots Commentary
HOME > Patriots Blog > Patriots Commentary
Good morning. Here is your Patriots news, 10-12, and NFL notes this week. The Patriots have the chance for their third win in a row, something they haven’t done since 2022, with a win over the Saints this afternoon.
But the NFL has been crazy with its unpredictability this year. Who would have thought the Chiefs would be 2-3 and the Ravens at 1-4 at this point? The Bengals are 2-3 but are in full-blown panic mode, trading for Joe Flacco with Joe Burrow out.
The Eagles lost to the Broncos at home last week and were then blown out by the Giants four days later in the Meadowlands. And last Sunday night, the Bills lost at home on SNF despite all the hoopla around their new uniforms, the whiteout with the fans, and the whole white towel thing.
Which brings us to the Patriots, the team that beat Buffalo last Sunday night. I saw on Friday that, according to the Athletic’s playoff model, the Patriots have a 77 percent chance of reaching the postseason right now in an article titled “Playoffs or Bust?” And I don’t subscribe to this stuff this early at all.
Yes, this was a huge win last week, and coupled with throttling the Panthers the week before, the needle is definitely trending upward. And this, along with the favorable schedule for the next month has optimism running rampant. But make no mistake, the Patriots aren’t back yet.
If this season is any indication, things can flip-flop very quickly. The Patriots were a four-win team (one of which was gifted by Buffalo) a year ago. And considering them a near lock for the playoffs after five games is folly right now.
That playoffs or bust scenario is far too soon for this team. Get back to me in a month. If they take care of business and grind out some wins by the halfway point of the season and are sitting at 6-3 or even 7-2, then talk to me about playoff models. It is unfair to the coaching staff and players to be talking about playoffs or bust this early.
We’ll see if Mike Vrabel can keep the momentum rolling, and it starts this afternoon in New Orleans.
Speaking of Mike Vrabel, he was getting plenty of laurels thrown in his direction after Sunday’s big win in Buffalo. And it is deserved. The Patriots went into a hostile environment, against a team many believe will finally get their Super Bowl victory this season, and battled them on national television and came out on top.
Colin Cowherd was chief among them, already anointing the Patriots as a playoff team (see above), but he took his comments in another direction. He believes (as do we here) that the turnaround that we’ve already seen in due to Vrabel.
“Vrabel is the opposite of Mike McDaniel in Miami. He is all function and no flash,” Cowherd said on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd.”
“He’s a 260-pound pair of work boots. He’s your classic CEO, brand creator, culture builder, all about resilience, all about toughness,” Cowherd added. “NFL coaching, and a lot of business, is masonry — laying bricks every day. And that’s what Vrabel does. … He honors many, he worships none. He’s one of the smartest coahes in the league.”
On this, point we’re in total agreement, (and it was eloquently put to boot). Vrabel knows how to get to players, and being one himself with a long playing career. And they want to play for a coach who puts everything into his own job.
Vrabel was fired in Tennessee after he and GM Ran Carthon clashed about the direction of the team. Owner Amy Adams Strunk stuck with Carthon and Vrabel was let go. The Titans have gone 4-18 since, and Carthon was later shown the door.
After spending a year with the Browns organization, Vrabel was hired as the Patriots’ head coach shortly after firing Jerod Mayo, in a move that surprised no one. He wasted no time in putting his own stamp on the team, and cut ties with many veteran players, with a better than 50 percent turnover.
You have to give the process time to work itself out. However, at least for the time being, the Patriots seem well ahead of the rebuilding that has been sorely needed.
“They check all the boxes a playoff team does: Toughness, resilient, can win on the road, excellent young quarterback, they spent their money in right places,” Cowherd said. We shall see…
Christian Gonzalez: The Patriots’ star CB was the subject of wild rumors when he popped up on the injury report when he wasn’t with the team at the start of practice. One Patriots beat writer opined that he had reinjured his hamstring that kept him out for three games.
However, as reported by Mike D’Abate of SI, “according to Patriots cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton, who spoke with reporters after practice, Gonzalez’s participation was part of a pre-determined plan devised by himself, head coach Mike Vrabel and director of sports performance Frank Piraino to limit his workload and preserve his health. Gonzalez later re-joined the team, after media availability had concluded for the day.”
Saints Trade Rumors: The Patriots and Saints play this afternoon, but there are continuing rumors about the Patriots and Saints possibly engaging in trade discussions. Most center around WR Chris Olave and RB Alvin Kamara. It may end up just being a case more of wishful thinking on the Pats’ side, at least for the time being.
Derek Havens and I discussed this scenario on Friday, and we’re of the agreement that with a new first year head coach, New Orleans isn’t going to be in a rush to start trading off their established veterans this quickly. It isn’t fair to the head coach Kellen Moore, to signal that the year is already over and the tear down of the roster begins before the halfway point in the season.
Could New Orleans begin selling off some pieces later, surely, and next March, if they feel the need (similar to what Vrabel did), they can purge players that don’t fit into their long-term plans. But If I’m Moore, there is no way I would trade Olave. But that is just my opinion.
Patriots No Huddle Podcast: Derek, Mike, and I broke down the game against Buffalo on our Monday night postgame podcast. Later in the week, the three of us broke down the upcoming Bills’ game, focusing on key matchups and key strategies for success. You can find our podcasts on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify. Please take a look and leave us a review.
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 is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position.
This will be displayed 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 are looking to win their third game in a row, and equal their win 2024 win total just six games into the season. The Saints will be looking to the formula that won them their first game of the year last week, and they will be trying to force turnovers.
The Saints forced five turnovers last week against the Giants, including a 86-yard fumble return for a touchdown that sealed the game for them early in the 4th quarter. The Patriots have to protect the football and limit the penalties that plagued them in the second half last week.
From a Patriots perspective, what must be done to win the game this week?
The Saints aren’t a great run defense but they have the ability to clamp things down, especially against a Patriots running game that isn’t generating near-enough yardage.
The Patriots lost Antonio Gibson for the season after an injury last week, and with Rhamondre Stevenson losing a fumble again in Buffalo, things are not looking great. Drake Maye has scrambled well for yardage but they need the backs to start generating some chunk plays.
TreVeyon Henderson has seen an uptick in reps but overall the group needs to starting breaking tackles.
With the likes of Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Brandin Cooks, and Alvin Kamara, the Saints have the speed to make big plays offensively. Last week, Shaheed had an 87-yard touchdown.
However, the Saints rank last in the league in explosive pass rate (2.8 percent). They have mainly opted for a short, quick passing game that is safer for QB Spencer Rattler to run, and aids a suspect offensive line.
The Patriots should ensure that they don’t allow the big explosive plays, and that is for the defensive line to dominate at the line of scrimmage and have their defensive tackles continue their stellar start by penetrating the line and disrupting everything the Saints try to do.
Milton Williams matching up with RG Cesar Ruiz who is returning from an injury is a key matchup to watch.
The Patriots’ second-year QB has been outstanding in the past three games, he has excellent chemistry with TE Hunter Henry and WR Stefon Diggs, who has back-to-back 100-yard games.
But the key this week is getting everyone involved in the passing game and giving the Saints defense, which is good against the pass, more factors to consider.
This would be a great week to get Kyle Williams more involved in the passing game. He had a couple of plays last week where he was open against the Bills but the pass rush got to Maye forcing him to check down or scramble. Ditto for Kayshon Boutte and Pop Douglas.
Getting the running backs (read Henderson) involved more in the passing game, isolating him on a linebacker using a wheel route would be a welcome sight.
What a crazy season this has been through the first five-plus weeks. The Chiefs are 2-3, and the Ravens are 1-4. The Super Bowl champion Eagles have dropped two in a row: at home to the Broncos and on the road, getting blown out by a Giants team that melted down against the Saints with five turnovers just four days before.
Now we’ll see how the rest of the schedule goes.
Thursday Night Football:
Philadelphia over NYG 0-1
Sunday Day Games:
Denver over NYJ (London 9:30 am start)
Indianapolis over Arizona
LA Chargers over Miami
New England over New Orleans
Pittsburgh over Cleveland
Dallas over Carolina
Seattle over Jacksonville
LA Rams over Baltimore
Las Vegas over Tennessee
Green Bay over Cincinnati
Tampa Bay over San Francisco
Sunday Night Football:
Detroit over Kansas City
Monday Night Football:
Buffalo over Atlanta
Washington over Chicago
BYE WEEK:
Minnesota, Houston
Last Week 6—8
2025 Season 50—27—1
2024 Season 204—68
2023 Season 178—94
2022 Season: 178—92—2
2021 Season: 183—88—1
2020 Season: 169—86—1
2019 Season: 162—93—1
“You practice and you go through meetings. You focus on a new opponent. We don’t really know this opponent, I would say.
“This is new for a lot of players here, and maybe some coaches here, as far as their personnel, what they do and their skill players offensively. [Chris] Olave, [Rashid] Shaheed and how good [Alvin] Kamara is. [Kendre] Miller coming on and running as hard as he did.
“They’ve got all their tight ends available and up ready to go. We’ll have to understand the difference between [Juwan Johnson] and when Taysom [Hill]’s in the game or [Foster] Moreau, right on down the line.
“Defensively, it’s a big, physical front. I’ve always appreciated the way Demario Davis plays the game. Corners are active. Big, long, play the football, 24 PBUs on the season as a defense. They’re creating turnovers and that was the difference in last week’s game.”
Mike Vrabel was asked about preparing for the Saints after the big emotional win over Buffalo.
_______________
“Somebody asked me what success looks like, and I said, ‘Yeah, you can judge it by wins and losses during the season, but success for me in the offseason is going to be that the players believe in what we’re doing, and they believe in the message, they believe in the teaching, and they believe in the connections that we’re making.’” — Mike Vrabel
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our PatsFans.com Patriots No Huddle podcasts on Apple and YouTube as Derek Havens, Mike D’Abate, and I discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.
From our archive - this week all-time:
April 9 - April 24 (Through 26yrs)
Join 2,000+ fans getting exclusive stats, analysis, and insights delivered straight to their inbox every week. Never miss a play.