{"id":44598,"date":"2022-12-04T05:00:55","date_gmt":"2022-12-04T10:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=44598"},"modified":"2022-12-03T14:06:32","modified_gmt":"2022-12-03T19:06:32","slug":"patriots-news-12-3-positional-report-card-against-the-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2022\/12\/04\/patriots-news-12-3-positional-report-card-against-the-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots News 12-3, Positional Report Card Against the Bills"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning.\u00a0 Another disappointing Thursday night performance by the Patriots. The loss drops the team to 6-6, and the window for making the post-season is getting ever smaller. They must win four of the final five games to have even an outside shot at it.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Patriots move on to the Arizona Cardinals next week, who are on a bye week, so the few extra days that the Patriots get to prepare is more than offset by Arizona\u2019s. Later this week, we\u2019ll dive more into the matchups.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quick Hitters For the Patriots and the NFL:<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Tom Brady<\/b>: <\/b>The former Patriots QB is now the subject of the rumor mill of possibly coming back to New England. I imagine the hot-take artists have to keep inventing stuff to talk about. I put the chances at less than 5 % that this would happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why? I can think of three reasons why that won\u2019t happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. The Patriots balked at paying Brady three years ago, and now they\u2019re suddenly going to find their checkbook?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. The team invested a 1st round pick in Mac Jones, who they reportedly really like, despite the poor output this season, which is hardly all on him.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Why would Brady agree to come back, given the abysmal state of the OL? Not to mention this offensive coaching staff. I imagined how Brady would\u2019ve reacted to Thursday night\u2019s debacle, and it would have made Mac Jones\u2019 tirade seem calm.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Matthew Judon:<\/b> The NFL leader in sacks restructured his deal a bit to give the Patriots a little salary cap breathing room for this season down the stretch for this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

    ESPN\u2019s Field Yates reported that the deal with Judon will create $2,214,445 in additional cap space. Judon has 13 sacks, 24 QB hits, 11 tackles for loss, and 51 pressures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Jahlani Tavai: <\/b>The Patriots linebacker has proved to be a very versatile player and has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension worth $4.4 million, according to Field Yates of ESPN. Tavai has been able to play inside and outside and has shown more athleticism than previously thought.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast:<\/b> If you haven\u2019t checked out our <\/span>PatsFans.com podcast, <\/span><\/a>\u201cPatriots 4th & 2\u201d, in a bit, please check it out. Russ, Derek, and I looked at the Vikings game. Next week, Russ will be unavailable, and our close friend Clare \u201cClazzy Clare\u201d Cooper will join us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Russ Francis\/Chuck Fairbanks:<\/b> The former Patriot tight end and head coach both should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that especially Francis isn\u2019t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders\u2019 Dave Casper changed the game with how teams used the tight end position…this will be on our Sunday posts until it happens.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Positional Report Card Against the Bills:\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

    The Patriots’ loss to the Bills not only hurt their playoff chances but showed the Bills are still far and away the better football team, and New England still has a long way to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This one was ugly, especially offensively (excuse the pun). How bad? The Patriots leading receiver was a kick return\/cornerback. Ouch<\/span><\/p>\n

    So, here are our grades this week for the Patriots-Jets game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Quarterback:<\/b> C-<\/b><\/h3>\n

    Mac Jones was running from the Bills\u2019 pass rush all night. He was under duress all night, and watching him trying to emulate Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes; et al., mobile QBs tells you all you need to know. Jones is not ever going to be confused with those QBs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    He was saddled with poor protection, a questionable game plan, and a lack of creativity (how many times have we said that?). He finished 22-of-36 passing, for 195 yards, with 1 TD and an 84.8 passer rating.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Jones was not without errors. He and Stevenson had the bungled handoff on the first offensive series. He was flagged with an intentional grounding penalty that was nearly a safety, and he was nearly picked off by Jordan Poyer, trying to force the ball along the sideline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Running Backs: B<\/b><\/h3>\n

    Rhamondre Stevenson was the entire show on Thursday night; he had 54 yards on 10 carries (5.4-yard avg). A very sizable chunk of it was yards after contact. The game plan was to run the ball and throw the ball quickly in the short passing game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Stevenson led the team in receptions with six, but the Bills were intent on shutting it down, and he only gained 24 yards. He has been the Patriots’ best offensive player this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Wide Receivers:<\/b> C-<\/b><\/h3>\n

    The wide receivers were hampered by an inability to separate and the game plan, which affected their ability to do much in the short passing game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Rookie Marcus Jones led the group, who caught a bubble screen in the slot and took it to the house for a highlight reel 48-yard touchdown. His playmaking ability has been evident all season, and it was just a matter of time before the offense put him in there for a couple of plays.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    The kid can do it all 🤯@MarcusJonesocho<\/a> | #ProBowlVote<\/a> #BUFvsNE<\/a> on @NFLonPrime<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1Bu00fgnqE<\/a><\/p>\n

    \u2014 New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> (@Patriots) December 2, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n