Here is the weekly player grades from Pro Football Focus. I listened to Greg Bedard on 98.5 Sports Hub today and he attributed 3.5 of the 6 sacks to Drake Maye. Will Campbell has the #5 Grade of all rookies in this draft and the top rookie Offensive lineman grade. His 71.4 Grade is 27th out of 75 Offensive Tackles. I expected him to be about mid-level amongst all starting Tackles. The midpoint would be 32.
| Season | Cleveland Game | Season Stats | ||||||
| Overall | Offense | Pass Blck | Run Blck | Sacks | QB Hits | Hurries | Pressure | |
| Campbell | 69.9 (30) | 71.3 | 67.3 | 70.9 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 17 |
| Wilson | 50.7 (89) | 64.9* | 68.3 | 61.6 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 18 |
| Bradbury | 63.7 (22) | 59.8 | 42.3 | 63.2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Onwenu | 67.3 (29) | 47.3 | 48.5 | 54 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 12 |
| Moses | 66.6 (34) | 63.2 | 41.9 | 73.2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 13 |
| Season | Atlanta Game | Season Stats | ||||||
| Overall | Offense | Pass Blck | Run Blck | Sacks | QB Hits | Hurries | Pressure | |
| Campbell | 71.4 (27) | 72.1 | 75 | 66.2 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 20 |
| Wilson | 50.7 (64) | 46.1 | 60.4 | 41.4 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 21 |
| Bradbury | 63.7 (17) | 50.1 | 39.1 | 53.7 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Onwenu | 67.3 (24) | 51.8 | 40.7 | 54.9 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 15 |
| Moses | 66.6 (37) | 60.3 | 50.7 | 65.3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 17 |
Sacks Are a Problem
Drake Maye has been sacked 34 times this season. If you look at the PFF stats, the Offensive line is not the problem. They have been credited with only 11 of those sacks. That means that Drake Maye has caused most of those. I have said this many times the two TEs can’t block. When they try and chip a good edge rusher, they fail to make a sufficient block. Also, Treveyon Henderson blew two blocks in pass coverage and Maye was directly responsible for 2 sacks of the 6 against the Falcons. I think Maye is too quick to run out of good protection and he also takes sacks rather than attempting to throw into tight windows. He has been coached to prevent those turnover worthy plays, and this has made him hesitant to make throwing attempts while under pressure. On those two sacks that were credited to Maye, he had open receivers but tried to get out of the pocket and run. On the fumble at the end of the 1st half he should have dropped and not try and run away from the free rusher. He has small hands and held the ball low around his hip which allowed Jalon Walker to knock it out of his hand.
Injuries at the Trade Deadline
Kayshon Boutte hamstring injury completely changed the Patriots Offense. Without Boutte’s deep threat it changed the way the Offense can operate. In the second half, the Offense seemed lost without Boutte in the lineup.
Kyle Williams was open a few times in the game before his big 4th Quarter mistake running the wrong route. It appears that Williams does not have Drake Maye’s confidence, and he is not looking for him. I think that Josh McDanield has to force Maye to throw to Williams by designing plays for him and making him his 1st read.
Christian Elliss hip injury further depletes the Patriots weak linebacker corps. How long will he be out? This puts a huge burden on Jack Gibbens to step up. It may make Jahlani Tavai a bigger part of the Defense as well. Marte Mapu is already coming into games when it is an obvious passing situation. Do the Patriots need to find a LB at the trade deadline?
Coming and Going
The New England Patriots announced that they have signed WR Brenden Rice to the practice squad and released RB Jonathan Ward.
Per Patriots.com Press Release – Rice, 23, was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fifth-round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Southern California. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, saw action in three games as a rookie, primarily on special teams, before finishing the year on injured reserve. Rice was released by the Chargers on Aug. 26, 2025. He began his college career at Colorado (2020-21), spending two seasons at Southern California. Rice is the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
Trade Deadline Comes and No Moves
The Patriots inquired about Breece Hall from the Jets but were rebuffed because the Jets didn’t want to trade within the division. I also heard that the Tennessee Titans would not entertain any offers from the Patriots due to the bad blood between the owner Amy Strunk Adams and Mike Vrabel.
I believe they tried to make moves but either the price was too exorbitant or the value ($$$ vs term) was just not there. Any trade made would disrupt what Mike Vrabel started to build here and they just didn’t think the trade would help them significantly. I think this is a big vote of confidence for the players they currently have on the roster.
Only 2 Penalties Called Against the Patriots
This was a season low and a lot can be contributed to the crew that worked the game. One of the two penalties was on a kickoff return and the other was hands to the face by Chaisson. Interesting that Mike Vrabel was all over the officials because on the same play, Offensive Tackle Jae Matthews also had ahold of Chaisson’s facemask, but no call was made on that.
Game in the Bag … Until the Fumble
The Patriots dominated the #2 Defensive team in the league in the 1st half and were driving for a possible Field Goal before the half when Jalon Walker broke through untouched. Drake Maye should have been aware of the situation and just dropped to end the half. The Patriots were receiving the 2nd half possession. Instead he has a brain fart and tries to evade the rusher while holding the ball one-handed down by his waist. What a rookie move!
Atlanta Had the Number 1 Pass Defense Coming into the Game
Don’t lose sight of this fact. Maye shredded them in the 1st half. Only one other QB has passed for 200 yards against them (Tua Tagovailoa – 205 yards the week before). They were giving up just 149.1 yards passing per game. Maye threw for 257 yards, the highest amount against Atlanta this year.
Patriots Defense is Ranked 30th at Defending the Red Zone
As crazy as it seems, New England can’t stop anyone in the Red Zone. Atlanta was 3 for 3 on Sunday and the patriots are giving up TDs at an alarming rate of 68.18%. Atlanta exploited the size mismatch of Marcus Jones vs. Drake London on two occasions.
Kayshon Boutte Highest Rated WR in the League
Boutte is the highest rated WR when targeted of all receivers in the league. His 142.1 % is number one, but surprisingly, Demario Douglas is 3rd and Mack Hollins is 4th.
Tampa Bay is a Tough Matchup
Not only are the Bucs a tough team to beat, but they are playing at home in hot and humid Florida. The Patriots don’t usually do well against Florida teams. The Buccaneers are a quality team led by Baker Mayfield. They have established superstars. Their biggest advantage is that they are playing at home and coming off a BYE. They are well rested and getting healthier.
Punter Bounces Back
Bryce Barringer had a good game with a 57-yard punt as well as a 61-yarder. Two out of his 3 punts came down inside the 20-yard line.
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Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.
