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Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 8 vs NY Jets

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Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The Patriots extended their winning streak over the Jets to 13 games yesterday, with it being almost seven years since they last lost to their divisional rivals in December 2015!

The team struggled on offense, but, by hook or by crook, they travelled back to New England with a win to take them to 4-4 on the season.

Ups ⬆️

Rhamondre Stevenson

Stevenson has really been the life of this struggling Patriots offense by literally picking up the team and carrying it on his back. Rhamondre didn’t find the endzone, but he had 143 scrimmage yards, pretty much splitting half on the ground, half in the air. He’s been the team’s best offensive weapon so far, a big up!

Jakobi Meyers

In a close second behind Stevenson as the team’s best weapon, Meyers continued to be the only successful receiving outlet for Mac Jones as he pulled in 9/12 catches – 60 YDS – 1 TD. Meyers is the Pats’ leading receiver with 415 YDS through 8 weeks which is certainly putting up a strong argument for a new deal with the team.

Nick Folk

As he’s done in many games, Nick Folk was both vital and perfect for the Patriots yesterday, converting 1/1 XP & 5/5 FG – It’s easy to under-estimate the value of a good kicker, Folk is 17/17 on extra points for the year, and 15/17 on field goals.

Devin McCourty

What a day for Dmac! He snagged two picks from Zach Wilson to make him the current NFL-active career interception leader with 32. To be honest, both picks were more Wilson being utterly horrible rather than Dmac doing anything special, but, the future Patriots Hall of Famer was there to earn two big turnovers.

Downs ⬇️

The Offensive Line

The line really struggled yesterday, Marcus Cannon had a torrid time at right tackle, Cole Strange was benched, and the gap left by David Andrews at center was evident. If the team wants to give Mac Jones every chance of succeeding as the franchise QB, they have to show more in the blocking game.

Mac Jones

Mac wasn’t horrendous, and maybe he’s settling back in to his first full game since Week 3, but, he has to be better. He looked indecisive at times yesterday and was bailed out on a few occasions by some interesting penalties. Jones was also left out to dry by his line which didn’t make things any easier for him.

Mac has had a whirlwind last few weeks, but Bill came to his defense post game with some supportive comments, I just hope #10 can kick on and find some of the form he had in his rookie year.

Big game against the Colts on Sunday! LFG!

The Patriots stop over in New Jersey and beat the Jets, again!

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AP Photo/John Minchillo

So, a much needed win was had on Sunday as the Patriots attempted to play some better football against the 5 – 2 (now 5 – 3) New York Jets.

Mac Jones started, which in itself as a fan felt like a bit of an accomplishment, but it wasn’t the best performance, it wasn’t the easiest game to watch, especially if you were a Jets fan! But, saying that it, wasn’t the smoothest of games for a Patriots fan either.

The game started promisingly with the Patriots forcing the Jets to a bad punt, but then the Jets defense shut anything the Pats had going, down. 

Unfortunately, the absence of centre David Andrews was as glaring as a lit jack-o-lantern at Halloween, with Cole Strange having a particularly tricky game, and finally getting benched.

Whilst Mac Jones suffered under some pocket pressure, Zach Wilson suffered some more! He seemed to fold under the pressure significantly, and threw the ball to Devin McCourty and Ja’Whaun Bentley. 

Speaking of pressure, Matthew Judon maybe the number one thing of quarterback nightmares as the lurking Mr Red Sleeves, but Deatrich Wise has to be the number two!

More pressure… Jack Jones put some out there on the Jets mid third quarter field goal attempt, which resulted in it being unsuccessful.

The end of the second quarter showed us that Rhamondre Stevenson may not only be a “Steamerson”, but has fabulous hands with his one handed catch, bringing the ball into his body. And whilst this was going on Jakobi Meyers secured his spot in our hearts, and maybe the roster more so, with some great blocking!

Speaking of guys doing a great job, Adrian Phillips really threw himself into the game to help fill the void left by an injured Kyle Dugger, as well as Mr Veteren himself Devin McCourty and his two interceptions. 

Oh, and did I mentioned Rhamondre Stevenson? I did? Yeah, but did I talk about his early third quarter charge where he broke three tackles, and pretty much ran through a safety?! 

To me the word for the game was pressure. The Patriots suffered under some, they gave a lot, and Zach Wilson possibly collapsed under it. The Patriots may have made Sam Darnold see ghosts, they also managed to fluster Zach Wilson and the Jets into beating themselves. 

The offensive line has issues, the defense has injury absences and Mac Jones looks a little uncomfortable out there still, BUT the Patriots are at 4 – 4 with still plenty of opportunity to rise!

If you celebrate, Happy Halloween you lovely lot! But until next time, Go Pats!

Pats Prop Preview Week 8: The J-E-T-S

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Photo by Maddie MeyerGetty Images

It’s a short week for the Patriots as they head to New Jersey at 3-4 to face the 5-2 Jets. Here’s your quick fire preview from Clazzy Clare for week 8!

Injury reporting:

Patriots to watch

Mac Jones

Finally, pretty much, Mac has been confirmed as the starter. This brings plenty of pressure on the young guys shoulders to really perform, particularly following the bad fan reaction at Gillette last week. 

With just 6 attempts for 3 completions and 13 yards passing, 3 attempts for 24 yards rushing, Mac’s first quarter against the Bears didn’t show much to give us watchers an air of confidence.

So, you don’t really need me to tell you, that all eyes will be on the number 10 jersey for this match up against the Jets.

James Ferentz

With David Andrews ruled out after being listed as a non participant in practice for two straight days due to concussion, it’s not a stretch to expect James Ferentz will be in at centre against the Jets in New Jersey.

Starting his fifth season with the Patriots, Ferentz has statistically been a solid player. But so far this season he has only suited up for two games, week one and last week against the Bears, 16 total offensive snaps. The role of centre is a big one (no pun intended). With the Jets defense working on a four man rush frequently, creating good vertical pressure in the pocket, Ferentz is going to really have to bring his ‘A’ game to keep the Patriots offensive line in any sort of stability. And the situation may be compounded with Isaiah Wynn and Mike Onwenu suffering with injuries at the moment, perhaps keep an eye out for the rookie Chasen Hines!

Damien Harris

With the speculation of scrubbing his social media of much Patriots content, there is a little unrest with rumours about the running back. In the last year of his deal, and the obvious success of his probably successor Rhamondre Stevenson, add that to a severe reduction of playing time against the Bears with only 3 rushing attempts for 8 yards and 2 passing targets, the volume of usage Damien gets in the Jets game could be telling. Or not, you know how it is in this sport!

Those J E T S Jets!

James Robinson

New to the fold, Robinson was picked up to help the huge void that was created by the loss of an injured Breece Hall. The 2022 round 2 draft selection Hall, has quickly become a strength within the Jets offense. 

Robinson is fresh off the transfer from Jacksonville and it will be interesting to see if he can keep the Jets successful running game going. 

Elijah Moore

With the trade deadline approaching (Nov 1st) there has been plenty speculated about the Jets moving on from the wide receiver, even if they have been publicly affirming they have no desire to trade Moore.

The number one receiver in college at Mississippi, Moore has plenty of confidence in his abilities, but since the return of Zach Wilson he has received only 18 targets and 10 of those were in one game, and no surprise, this has caused the receiver to publicly acknowledge his frustrations. 

A dynamic player, it will be interesting to see if the Jets utilise Moore, and this could be manipulated if the Patriots defense can find their feet and be solid against the run game, forcing Wilson to air the ball out. 

Sauce Gardner

Possibly the one Jets player on many peoples minds is the cornerback Sauce Gardner, not only because he was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft, but the rookie has just been named the defensive player of the week. 

Making a major impact through the first games of his career with 27 solo tackles, Gardner has 10 forced I ncompletions (which, according to PFF is the most in the NFL through seven weeks). A concerning match up for the Patriots receivers!

Well, that’s it for the week 8 preview you lovely lot, tune in next time and Go Pats!

T’was a foggy night in Foxborough as the Bears defeated the Patriots

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Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Unfortunately it’s not victory Monday, and that’s got nothing to do with the fact that it’s Tuesday!

Okay, there may not be much to recap on the game that you lovely lot will want to read, but I shall buckle up and give it a go buttercup!

Although a defeat to the, 31st in the league for most things Chicago Bears, it wasn’t all bad I promise.

Whilst the offensive line seemed to crumble a little, and Cole Strange had his first penalty, Isaiah Wynn didn’t have any… okay, okay you caught me, he wasn’t playing, and unfortunately Trent Brown seemed to take up the reigns to ensure that the sheet didn’t go clean when it came to offensive line holding penalties. 

The defense wasn’t great against the run, and they left too many receivers open on a Chicago offense that has been known to suck. 

A lot of the coaching left plenty to be desired, and the decision to play in-and-out with the quarterbacks didn’t quite pan out how it was probably hoped. 

The one point I would like to make that may come across as a little whiney, and I’m not an advocate for whinging and blaming the officiating, however… If the officials would have stopped casting a blind eye to all the Matthew Judon holds, he may have gotten to the quarterback even more, and shut down some of those air out plays that gave the Bears points. 

Okay, I can throw some sunshine on this, as I promised I would. 

If you tuned into the game moments into the second quarter (after the unfortunate Mac pick) and watched all the way through to the end of the second quarter, so yes okay about 13 minutes of clock time, you would have seen a fabulous Patriots team. 

Bailey Zappe came into the game, succeeded in a short completion to Jonnu Smith – tight endage people! – then he made a great read to Rhamondre AND, AND a beautiful deeeeeeep ball to a completely open Jakobi Meyers for a touchdown!

Next, Justin Fields threw out a floater, tipped by Matthew Judon, into the arms of Myles Bryant.

We move along to a spin and catch of Devante Parker as Zappe aired out a 43 yarder!

Rhamondre Stevenson continues his reign as Steamerson walking it in for a touchdown, with some great support blocking by Hunter Henry.

Zappe just seemed to look way more comfortable in the pocket than Mac this game and I for one enjoyed watching it, but also hope that Mac can get his mojo back too.

Well, there you have it you lovely lot, a game recap as best I could. I hope it wasn’t too painful!

Until next time…Go Pats!

PatsProp Preview – Monday Night Bears

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Photo by Chris Unger: Getty Images

The Patriots look ahead to their first Monday night game tomorrow, hoping to improve to 4-3 on the year against the Chicago Bears. Here’s your quickfire preview for Week 7!

Injuries

Patriots To Watch

Mac Jones

Per reports, Mac is gearing up to start tomorrow night for his first game back since Week 3. There is a lot of pressure on him right now and he will have to put in a good performance against a weak Chicago team. Barring any setbacks, QB1 is back this week, and he will be the main one to watch.

Rhamondre Stevenson & Damien Harris

Damien Harris returns following a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the last two games, while Rhamondre Stevenson has been doing just fine as the leader of the rushing attack.

I suspect they will return to the committee style and share touches with one another, but Stevenson has certainly shown some flair and I would like to see more of him, especially as he’s the only one out of the two who’s currently under contract after this season.

Matthew Judon

With the Bears not really allowing Justin Fields to throw for some reason, limiting his productivity on the ground is key and I think Judon can play a big part in that.

Judon will need to ensure the edge is set well, not allowing Fields to break out to earn some easy yards rushing the ball. Along with limiting the run, I think Judon’s pressure will lure Fields into mistakes on the rare occasion he is in the pocket to pass.

Marcus Jones

The rookie has been electric as a returner so far this season and I have a gut feeling that tomorrow we could see a huge play by him, either on defense or a return. Don’t ask me why, but keep an eye on Jones.

Grizzly Bears

Justin Fields

I don’t really know what the deal is with Fields, it seems like he joins a list of young QBs that are being completely wasted by their franchises. Fields has attempted just 115 passes this season, for comparison, Mac Jones has attempted 95 passes, and Fields has played 3 more games.

The young QB is one to watch purely for his athletic ability alone, but if Chicago continues to shy away from letting him throw, he won’t develop.

David Montgomery

The Bears’ ground game has actually been decent so far this season, averaging 170.7 yards per game, the second-highest in the NFL. Montgomery will lead the attack with support from Khalil Herbert, this will be the only way I can see the Bears keeping this one close.

Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 6 vs Cleveland

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Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots are officially 3-3 after a great road win in Cleveland! Here are the Ups & Downs from yesterday’s win!

Ups ⬆️

Bailey Zappe

Wow! Are we seeing the emergence of a serious contender for Mac’s position as starting QB for the Patriots? Alright, maybe not quite yet, but the kid has seriously asked some questions for Bill Belichick to answer over the next week or so.

Zappe had a perfect game yesterday, completing 24/34 passes for 309 YDS and 2 TDs, and some of the throws were excellent. Now, I won’t lie about the fact that I am a big Mac Jones fan, and I still honestly think that Mac is the clear starter for this team, but, I think he is on a shorter leash when he returns from injury and I now think Bill knows he has a valid option at backup and potentially a future starter.

Kyle Dugger

Another solid game for Dugger yesterday, I saw him blowing up the backfield with some big hits, and he also secured an early interception which put the Browns on the backfoot from the off. A huge up for him!

Tyquan Thornton

The rookie scored his first receiving and rushing touchdowns in the same game, and boy did he look good out there. I don’t think we’ve really seen the express speed that Thornton has, but I think that is coming, both scores were totally different but confirmed my thoughts that he can be used in a variety of ways.

Let’s just try not to get him killed! Great game for the kid.

Rhamondre Stevenson

19 carries for 76 YDS and 2 TDs in a strong day once more for Stevenson on the ground. With no Damien Harris, Rhamondre really took on the responsibility in what was a difficult game for him at times to get the run game moving. He continues to impress.

Deatrich Wise Jr.

After a couple of quiet weeks, Wise was back on form, being a huge disruption for the Cleveland offensive line, he recorded his fifth sack of the season, en route to limiting Nick Chubb on the ground and forcing Jacoby Brissett into mistakes.

Downs ⬇️

I’ll defer again on downs as I thought this was a really solid win, but, there are for sure some honorable mentions, including Isaiah Wynn and the overall penalties given up by the team. But, for today, I’ll let them lie following a good victory.

LFG NEXT MONDAY!

The Patriots slam down on the Cleveland Browns!

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Photo: Nick Cammett/Getty Images

Within the first 30 seconds of the game Kyle Dugger with an interception. Yeah baby!

Good morning, afternoon, or evening to you on this Victory Monday as I write this, or whichever day you read this!

So, in case you missed it, the Patriots beat out the Browns at First Energy Stadium 38 to 15. 

There’s plenty for me to gush over to you today, but whilst a chunk of points win was something I sort of envisioned, my score prediction was a 30 – 10 Pats win, it wasn’t all perfection from the Patriots. 

Firstly, we have the same sentence to write/read in regard to Isaiah Wynn and those darn penalties. Wynn had his usual false start penalty. It’s as weekly as my game recap is folks. Wynn also allowed a sack on Zappe, and when you’re on your third string quarterback, that’s risky business!

The Patriots had 12 penalties against them in this game and predominately they were against Matty P’s offense.

We saw a monumental event, in a field goal miss by Nick Folk. Personally, I think that’s less on Nick and more on the commentator and his curse of “Nick Folk hasn’t missed…”

And to be honest you lovely lot, that’s about it. Sure, Bailey Zappe still has those little rookie trademarks, but again he showed poise. Throwing 24/34 completions, for 309 yards, two tuddies and no interceptions!

Can we just take a moment, to savour the utter deliciousness that was the tight endage in this game. Finally, we saw some movement down there!

Hunter Henry was in for 97% of the game, blocking like a crazy person, having some lovely catches, good ball security when he was taken to the ground, oh yeah and did I mention… A TIGHT END TOUCHDOWN!

Okay, maybe I hit the coffee too hard this morning, probably not, you lot know how much I love me some tight endage. 

And whilst I make no secret Hunter is my favourite, Jonnu Smith had himself a great game! We finally got to see his skills baby! The early third quarter catch and run may have been one of my favourites of the game. Follow that with a catch from Hunter, and a touchdown by Tyquan Thornton… hot, hot, hot!

The good stuff doesn’t end there folks. 

Rhamondre Stevenson continued his bulldozing ways, Cole Strange is always ready to step in to floor someone if need be, and DeVante Parker took flight on his early first quarter leap and catch, for a 29 yard pick up and a first down, oh! And then there was that hot and high grab in the second quarter!

But wait! I haven’t even mentioned the defense yet! Do I even need to?

Of course I do! 

They may have been the stars of the show for the Patriots lately, but they grinded it out on Sunday, and it paid off. 

Matthew Judon continues to be a thing of quarterback nightmares, only just beating out Deatrich Wise for the top scary spot of Sackman. 

Meanwhile, it’s proving difficult to keep up with the Jones as Jack and Marcus are hungry for interceptions!

Speaking of hungry, Carl Davis had himself a fumble recovery, although he didn’t exactly run that far for the return, it was delicious! Check the tape, the guy couldn’t stop rubbing his tummy.

And finally, I need to mention Brandon Schooler, schooling again with the end over punt recovery!

So there you have it you lovely lot, Patriots victory Monday never tasted so sweet! Until next time… Go Pats!