Five Thoughts On Sunday’s Win: Patriots Picked a Good Time to Start Figuring Things Out
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Some thoughts with Sunday’s win in Tennessee now in the rearview:
1) Vrabel pours salt on Titans’ wounds: Seeing Mike Vrabel come in and trash the Titans with a 31-13 beating to improve to 5-2 Sunday likely didn’t sit well with Titans fans, who have to be frustrated with what they’ve been forced to watch.
Everyone knows the animosity that exists between Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick, and there clearly seemed to be a fair amount that with Amy Adams Strunk when it came to Vrabel. That reportedly stemmed from Vrabel’s visit to New England during Tennessee’s bye week in 2023, with the then Titans head coach being inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame during Tennssee’s Week 7 bye.
Vrabel came off that visit with a win in Week 8 as the Titans went out and beat Atlanta 28-23, improving to 3-4. But Tennessee went 3-7 from there and finished 6-11, which saw Vrabel let go after the season.
Strunk certainly hasn’t learned the word “patience” since then. She went ahead and fired Brian Callahan ahead of this past weekend’s match-up. If she was hoping to inspire her team, it was definitely short lived.
During the early part of the contest, the Titans started off strong, jumping out to an early 10-3 lead and seemingly having their way with New England’s defense. That early scoring run included back-to-back passes of 18 and 38 yards by rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the latter of which went for a touchdown.
However, New England’s offense answered and turned the tide, taking a 17-13 lead into the locker room at the half before outscoring Tennessee 14-0 the rest of the way.
“We’ve just moved on,” said Vrabel when asked about the emotions of this week. “Again, there’s a lot of guys over there and a lot of people on that support staff that helped us do some decent things, but you kind of move on.”
“This is a whole different challenge, and I’m excited of where I’m at. I appreciate the support of our fans to come down here and be excited and be into the football game. We got to continue to give them things to cheer about and to travel and to come back and play really well at home. That’s what I’m proud of them. I’m happy for these players. To have a little bit of momentum and to continue to build it throughout the week.”
Letting go of Vrabel seemed to be Adams’ first mistake, and the fact they don’t have a solid plan or replacement definitely isn’t helping her cause. Given what we know and what we saw Sunday, it’s clear that Tennessee’s issues go well beyond what they showed on the field and Adams has absolutely played a role there.
For now, Vrabel’s plan here in New England to this point certainly seems well-executed, especially with the Patriots now in sole possession of the AFC East for this week, thanks to Buffalo being idle.
2) Another Impressive Outing for Drake Maye: Watching what Drake Maye has managed to do up to this point has been pretty staggering.
The second-year QB finished Sunday’s game 21-of-23 for 222 yards, along with 2 touchdowns. He had an unbelievable second half, finishing 11-of-12 (91.7%) for 112 yards as New England scored twice and then eventually ran out the clock.
Overall, he did a good job taking what the Titans gave him while also using his feet to move the chains. He rushed for 62 yards on 8 carries, one of which saw him slam his head on turf as he shook his head momentarily before getting up and going back to the huddle.
Unfortunately, the spotters from upstairs spotted that and they took him into the blue medical tent to be evaluated for a concussion. That saw Josh Dobbs enter the contest, with the veteran keeping things moving for several plays, including a 12-yard pass on a 3rd-and-5 to Demario Douglas that extended the drive.
Maye ended up clearing the concussion protocol and returned right after that. He stepped back in and completed two throws to both Stefon Diggs and Douglas, with the latter reception coming on a 4th-and-1. On that play, Maye threw it behind his young receiver, but Douglas made an incredible grab to convert that 4th down play at Tennessee’s 4-yard line.
One play later, Stevenson took it in for the touchdown.
“I think there’s an athleticism to him that’s really, really cool,” Vrabel said of Maye. “I think he’s really accurate from all different spots, whether it’s in the pocket, off platform. He’s really done a nice job so far in spreading the football around. But there’s an accuracy to him that’s been really good for us.”
According to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Maye hit a pretty good milestone on Sunday. He hit a 39-yard pass to Kayshon Boutte that traveled 52.6 yards in the air, which was the second scoring strike that came on a throw of over 50 yards by air distance. He’s the only quarterback this season with multiple TD passes that traveled 50+ yards in the air.
Maye’s 91.3% completion percentage on Sunday was also a franchise record.
The Patriots also came into Monday with 181 points, which put them 5th in the NFL behind the Colts (232), Cowboys (222), Lions (191) and Chiefs (186). They’re also 2nd in the NFL in first quarter scoring with 46 points, putting them behind Philadelphia (55 points).
Overall, for a team that doesn’t even feel like it’s playing its best football, it’s impressive to say the least. Considering this group had managed just 99 points at this time last season, it’s definitely a major improvement.
3) Another defensive slow start: With Terrell Williams sidelined as he battles prostate cancer, the defensive playcalling duties have fallen on the shoulder of linebackers coach Zak Kuhr, who continues to answer the bell.
New England got off to a slow start defensively, but again settled down, shutting out the Titans in the second half as the offense pulled away.
They’ve now allowed a total of just three points in the second half the last two weeks, which was something Vrabel was happy to point out after this one ended.
“We’ve played really well in the second half. That’s what I’m really proud of,” said Vrabel. “Sometimes you don’t always know how these games are going to go. We certainly have to start faster, but really proud of the way that we played, giving up three points in the last two halves of football.”
“Offensively, really, if we don’t beat ourselves, it’s been a good product and was that same way today. I love the fact that we’re finishing with the football special teams, unfortunately, with a penalty, but we had some good kick coverage, some inconsistent kick coverage. So again, there were some good ones and there’s some bad ones, and that’s kind of where it’s been. But in the end, I felt like we did enough. So, excited for these guys.”
4) Rhamondre Stevenson stepped up: Watching Stevenson run the football, it definitely felt like he felt the urgency with every single carry.
With both arms wrapped around the ball, Stevenson ripped off some impressive runs in the early going, tallying 73 first half yards as New England controlled the clock and wore down a Titans defense that ultimately saw linebacker Jeffery Simmons suffer an injury that knocked him out of the game.
Stevenson’s efforts allowed New England to withstand some early success by Tennessee on offense, before they eventually grabbed control and never looked back.
“I felt like there were some running lanes, and when there weren’t, we were able to stick it downhill and be able to push some piles,” said Vrabel on Stevenson’s performance. “We had some double-digit runs. We had some dirty runs. It was great to see us finish there at the end. I think it’s always a combination. We took care of the football, and that’s really the formula. And they made a mistake there that we were able to capitalize on.”
The veteran back also broke the game open with his four yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which put the Patriots in control of the game at 24-13. From there, it allowed them to finish the game on their terms and Tennessee was no match for a defense that sacked Cam Ward four times in the second half, as well as coming up with an interception.
For a player who had his fair share of issues early on, Stevenson’s shown a sincere effort to become better with ball security and it was also one of the best performances we’ve seen from him running the football all season.
5) How good is the rest of the AFC? – That’s probably one of the biggest questions at this point, and the Patriots are in the middle of a season where the Conference is probably at the weakest we’ve seen in recent memory.
Right now, the Bengals are without Joe Burrow, which is likely going to impact just how far they’re able to go. Joe Flacco has them looking more competitive than they had been, but it’s tough to think of them as a potential contender.
The Bills are also not playing their best football, having dropped back-to-back games going into their bye week after a 4-0 start. That losing streak obviously started with the Patriots upset two weeks ago, which changed the landscape in the AFC East. Thanks to that win, it gave Vrabel’s team some confidence and an edge in the tiebreaker. That could allow the Patriots to push them all the way down the stretch when it comes to who ultimately ends up on top of the division.
Out in Los Angeles, it’s safe to say the Chargers have been a disappointment, with Denver looking like a team that the Patriots could probably hold their own against given how fortunate Bo Nix and company ended up being on Sunday against the Giants.
We’ve already seen the Patriots beat themselves against Pittsburgh (4-2 and in first place in the AFC North), letting that one slip through their hands largely thanks to self-inflicted wounds.
That leaves only Kansas City as the hurdle New England might not be able to clear. Still, with Maye at the helm and if this team can stay healthy and figure things out, it’s possible they could do to Patrick Mahomes and company what they did in Buffalo a couple of weeks ago.
Either way, the AFC feels about as wide open as its ever been, with no dominant teams to really speak of this year. There’s a lot of good and not a lot of great, with New England falling somewhere in the upper end of all of that.
What’s crazy is saying that knowing that this team hasn’t even peaked. Maye is playing lights out, but each win, including their 42-13 win in Carolina four weeks ago, doesn’t feel like they’re anywhere near their best.
Obviously, the number one thing is going to be trying to win the Division, and it’s certainly there for the taking. They’ve put themselves in a position where the Bills are now under some serious pressure. Josh Allen looked like a player who was concerned after their loss in Atlanta two weeks ago, and Sean McDermott likely won’t fare well if New England does hold them off and plays a role in spoiling a deep playoff run.
As it stands, life doesn’t get much easier for them. Coming off their bye week this past weekend, they’ll next visit a Panthers team that seemingly had a gut-check moment after their loss to the Patriots. They’re playing much better football, and that could be a problem for the Bills this weekend. That game then follows a visit from the Chiefs, who are suddenly also starting to play much better. That one will likely have some serious significance, but not if they end up going 0-2 over these next two weeks.
If that was to happen, it would absolutely open the door for a Patriots team that has turned a corner in recent weeks. Should the Patriots take care of business, they could grab an even bigger lead, which would put the pressure on Buffalo over these next two months.
The fact they’re even in this position is a testament to Vrabel’s effect on a franchise that a year ago seemed much farther away than it suddenly is.
Instead, Vrabel finds himself in a position where the woes around the rest of the Conference might potentially see things up for grabs by the time the dust settles.
In the meantime all Vrabel can hope for is that his guys continue to grow and that they stay relatively healthy. But at 5-2 they’re exactly where they want to be.
Now they just need to keep it going. With everyone else struggling, if they can continue getting a little better each week, the opportunity could absolutely be there to be among the last teams standing by the time this crazy season comes to an end in January.
From there, as they say, anything can happen.
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