Jones, Pats attempt at glory falls short as Wilson, Seahawks complete comeback to win Super Bowl
With one yard to clinch the Super Bowl, New England offensive coordinator Marcus Brady and head coach Mike Tomlin opted to take a shot down the field, hoping to catch Seattle off balance.
It was only fitting in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX that the decision to pass with a yard to go would decide the game as Mac Jones' pass to Charleston Rambo fell incomplete, leading to Justin Tucker's missed kick and Russell Wilson's game winning 24-yard touchdown pass to Richie James Jr. to win his second Super Bowl.
"We thought we could take a deep shot," said Tomlin of the decision after the game, "It's a decision that falls on my shoulders and my shoulders only."
Tucker, who struggled all season long, had missed a kick earlier in the game. New England's offense initially lined up to go for it but as Mac Jones tried to draw the defense offsides, a flag was called for false start on the offense which led to Tucker trotting out onto the field.
His first miss came early in the fourth quarter as New England was trying to mount a comeback, down six points when Tucker missed a 52-yard field goal. It led to a Chris Magana touchdown that at the time seemed to be the game winner due to how much New England's offense had struggled and was now down twelve points.
It served as a wake up call to Jones and the offense who completed passes of 16, 33 and 13 yards before Jones found Kenny McIntosh in the flats for a catch and run touchdown to make it a one possession game.
Seattle was driving down the field, thanks to a questionable roughing the passer call, when Jaylon Smith -- who the team almost cut in the preseason, jarred the ball loose from Magana and it was recovered by Quincey Thompkins, a late add to the roster after the preseason.
Jones opened the next drive on a 28-yard completion to Rambo, the same play they tried to go to late in the game on 3rd and 1. Seattle's defense held in the red zone, forcing a fourth and goal from the six. New England opted to go for it with Jones finding mid-season addition Odell Beckham Jr. in the endzone for the touchdown. Jones would convert the two-point conversion on a touchdown pass to DeVante Parker, who was held to just one catch on the day.
New England's defense forced a three and out on the next possession and after a 13-yard pickup by Kenneth Walker on the first play, the writing appeared to be on the wall as New England got the ball the way to Seattle 30-yard line after a catch by Beckham Jr. on 3rd and 7 following the two minute warning. With Seattle running out of timeouts, Damien Harris got the ball to the 21-yard line, bringing up the 3rd and 1.
After the missed kick, Wlson completed a 34-yard pass to Kayhson Boutte and went back to Boutte for the 10-yard pickup, all of which were inbounds. With no timeouts left and six seconds left, New England's sideline contemplated calling a timeout but didn't want to give Seattle the chance to line up for the game tying field goal and instead forced them to go for the touchdown which they did.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[SEA] R. James Jr. 13 Yd pass from R. Wilson (12:19)
[NE] C. Rambo 7 Yd pass from M. Jones (6:36)
Quarter 2
[SEA] C. Magana, 1 Yd run (6:52)
[SEA] E. Pineiro, 35 Yd FG (0:39)
Quarter 3
[NE] J. Poyer, returned interception 34 Yds (10:52)
[SEA] E. Pineiro, 18 Yd FG (5:34)
Quarter 4
[SEA] C. Magana 5 Yd pass from R. Wilson -- 2pt failed (9:37)
[NE] K. McIntosh 10 Yd pass from M. Jones (7:37)
[NE] O. Beckham Jr. 6 Yd pass from M. Jones -- 2pt (4:12)
[SEA] R. James Jr. 24 Yd pass from R. Wilson (0:00)
---------------------------------------------------------------- New England Patriots
QB Mac Jones: 17 of 31, 235 yards, 3 touchdowns, interception, sacked once.
HB Damien Harris: 12 carries, 38 yards.
HB Kenny McIntosh: 10 carries, 69 yards, 1 reception, 10 yards, touchdown.
HB Kenneth Walker III: 7 carries, 23 yards.
HB Rhamondre Stevenson: 7 carries, 20 yards.
WR Charleston Rambo: 4 receptions, 69 yards, touchdown.
TE Darnell Washington: 4 receptions, 68 yards.
WR Odell Beckham Jr: 3 receptions, 33 yards, touchdown.
LT Patterson: 88.3 PFF grade | LG Onwenu: 79.7 PFF grade | C Alexander: 59.1 PFF grade | RG Tomlinson: 79.7 PFF grade | RT Brown: 66.6 PFF grade
S Malachi Moore: 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss (95.7 PFF grade)
S Jordan Poyer: 7 tackles, interception (38.0 PFF grade)
LB Trez Marshall: 7 tackles, tackle for loss (78.0 PFF grade)
LB Gio Whitfield: 7 tackles, tackle for loss (92.2 PFF grade)
LB Jaylon Smith: 5 tackles, tackle for loss (98.0 PFF grade)
IDL Quincey Thompkins: 2 tackles, tackle for loss, sack, fumble recovery (75.6 PFF grade)
IDL Quinnen Williams: 1 tackle, tackle for loss, sack (76.1 PFF grade)
EDGE Von Miller: 1 tackle, tackle for loss, sack (65.8 PFF grade)
Seattle Seahawks
QB Russell Wilson: 20 of 31, 287 yards, 3 touchdowns, interception, sacked 3 times
FB Chris Magana: 22 carries, 56 yards, touchdown, fumble, 3 receptions, 34 yards, touchdown
HB Jerrion Ealy: 3 carries, 7 yards
WR Richie James Jr: 6 receptions, 62 yards, 2 touchdowns
WR Kayshon Boutte: 5 receptions, 82 yards
TE Gerald Everett: 4 receptions, 37 yards
WR Tyler Lockett: 2 receptions, 72 yards
S Quandre Diggs: 14 tackles
S Jamal Adams: 10 tackles, tackle for loss
LB Quavaris Crouch: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
LB Jordyn Brooks: 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, interception
DE Jesus Gibbs: 3 tackles, tackle for loss, sack
Yeah, should have ran it and had Damien Harris wide open in the flats on the last offensive play, seals the game.
It's a formula in a spreadsheet that I created and he allowed a few big plays, including a touchdown so that brought his score way down. Since turnovers in general are a bit of "luck" at times, I don't have them weighted that much so someone giving up 10 catches with a few of them being big plays/touchdowns with an interception is always going to have a lower grade than someone that only surrendered 3 or 4 small gains. Same for other positions as well.
Super Bowl LIX Result
NE (16-5) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 15 || 29 SEA (14-7) | 7 | 10 | 3 | 13 || 33
--------------------------------
QB Mac Jones (NE): 17 of 31, 235 yards, 3 touchdowns
S Jordan Poyer (NE): 7 tackles, interception, touchdown
QB Russell Wilson (SEA): 20 of 31, 287 yards, 3 touchdowns, interception
S Quandre Diggs (SEA): 14 tackles
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach Hirings
Minnesota Vikings hire head coach Mike Vrabel
Tennessee Titans hire head coach Matt Campbell
Miami Dolphins hire head coach Joe Judge
Arizona Cardinals hire head coach Robert Saleh
Detroit Lions hire head coach Arthur Smith
New York Jets hire head coach Matt Nagy
New York Giants hire head coach Vic Fangio
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Retirements
TE Rob Gronkowski
WR Antonio Brown
LB Bobby Wagner
EDGE Von Miller
T Lane Johnson
EDGE Chandler Jones
C J.C. Tretter
HB Melvin Gordon III
C Ryan Jensen
LB Lavonte Davis
S Micah Hyde
QB Taysom Hill
CB Casey Hayward Jr.
S Harrison Smith
WR Adam Thielen
OLB Kyle Van Noy
Last edited by Soapy on 07 Oct 2022, 15:27, edited 1 time in total.
No more training wheels; with a new contract and a Super Bowl appearance in tow, New England needs Mac Jones to be elite
The Boston sports ecosystem have plenty of fodder for the off-season after New England rallied back only to choke away a Super Bowl to the Seattle Seahawks thanks to poor field goal kicking, poor play calling decisions, poor reads by Mac Jones on the final play and the team's highest paid defensive play getting burnt toast on the final play to lose the Super Bowl.
All of these will overshadow the fact that Jones has yet to miss the playoffs and each year, the team has gotten better and closer to lifting the Lombardi Trophy. New England signed Jones to a six year deal worth $216 million to make him one of the NFL's highest paid quarterbacks and frankly, Jones didn't play like it coming down the stretch.
There were a few mitigating factors such as New England's pass catchers struggling with drops during the final stretch of the season and a conscious effort on the part of offensive coordinator Marcus Brady to turn New England into a run first offense, which yielded positive results for the entire team.
After throwing 41 and 46 times in game against Buffalo and Miami, Jones wouldn't throw the ball forty times for the rest of the team's final eight games with his high being 34 against Tennessee and in four of those games, he threw the ball less than 30 times.
Whether it was New England gaining faith in their running game or losing it in their passing game, it's a very hard brand of football to try to win with at the highest levels. The Patriots offense was stuck in a complete rut against Seattle and a competent and explosive offense, led by it's passing game, would have blown that game wide open as Seattle's offense was also stalling.
Jones has shown the ability to improve year over year, fixing his turnover problems this season and with him locked up for the next six years, the quarterback position is in good hands. Here are the biggest questions marks heading into next season:
Is Charleston Rambo that guy?
When he's on, Rambo is among the NFL's best deep threats, averaging 22.3 yards per reception this season and nine touchdowns.
Similar to Mac, he's gotten better each season but still remains a boom or bust type of player. He finished nine games this season with less than 3 receptions and 30 receiving yards with five games over 100 yards. Part of that is on the play calling, part of it is on Mac not hitting Rambo deep but some of it falls on Rambo who needs to do continue developing his game and becoming a more complete receiver.
Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Parris Campbell are all set to test free agency, making a once crowded room incredibly scarce. New England could decide to bring them back but none of them were real difference makers this past season, particularly Meyers who caught 108 passes in 2022 and just 64 in the past two seasons combined.
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What happened to Jaire Alexander?
The former All-Pro went from one of the NFL's premier corners to a liability late in the season, surrendering the game winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.
Alexander also got called for a few big penalties in the playoffs albeit some of which were questionable. He ended the regular season strong with a two interception performance against Minnesota but then continued to struggle at times in the playoffs, giving up big plays which is uncharacteristic of him.
He still finished with a more than decent PFF grade of 77.5 on the season but at some point, he was their fourth best corner and that's inexcusable giving his cap hit. He's still a relatively young and talented player with three more years on his contract so New England will need to figure out how to get him out of his funk this off-season.
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The 310-pound and $16 million question
Isiah Wynn missed all of the playoffs and New England didn't miss a beat with rookie Tyler Patterson playing outstanding through the playoffs for an average PFF grade of 85.7 in the four starts.
It's a small sample size but even in the regular season, Patterson outplayed Wynn in his nine starts, often asked to play different positions from week to week as New England's offensive line was dealing with injuries across the board with Patterson getting starts at left tackle, right tackle and left guard.
New England reportedly tried to deal Wynn last off-season but talks never went far. It remains to be seen what they decide to do this offseason as paying Wynn $16 million next year to be an average left tackle and miss half of the season isn't optimal.
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The defense will need some retooling
New England's defense had six starters or rotational level guys that were big part of their defense from last season that are on the wrong side of age 30 in DE Deatrich Wise Jr (31), NT Akiem Hicks (35), LB Jaylon Smith (30), EDGE Von Miller (36), CB Jonathan Jones (31) and S Jordan Poyer (34).
In the case of Wise and Smith, there are some developmental guys behind them in Quincey Thompkins and Gio Whitfield that are good candidates to potentially replace that production. Roger McCreary bounced back from his sophomore slump to have a very productive third season, making him the likely long term replacement for Jones at nickel, where they split reps last season.
The big question marks are at nose tackle, edge and safety where Hicks, Miller and Poyer were the clear starters at their position. Micah Webb was productive as a rookie but is far from an elite pass rusher while the Ronnie Perkins and DeAngelo Malone projects are approaching failure status. New England will need to reload at the position with Miller's retirement.
At safety, Ashtyn Davis was hot and cold throughout the season and saw his playing time dwindle as the season went on, playing over 40 snaps just twice after week three after starting the season with a 56 snap game against Jacksonville and 58 snaps against Arizona in the first three games of the season.
-
Do they bring back Rhamondre Stevenson?
Stevenson was their best option out of the backfield in 3023, posting career highs in carries, yards, yards per carry and touchdowns as he he team in rushing.
He still managed to rush for over four yards per carry last season after failing to reach the mark in his first two seasons but he didn't get as many touches with a career low 140 carries and just one touchdown.
He's probably New England's most complete running back with the ability to run with power and explosiveness while also being a quality pass catcher out of the backfield. He finished third among the running backs in snaps played and Kenneth Walker III, who finished fourth, started coming on strong towards the end of year.
The Patriots can probably bring him back cheap but with Walker's emergence and Damien Harris locked up through 2026 in combination with Kenny McIntosh starting to look like a potential Pro Bowl level running back, there just might not be room for Stevenson.
Expiring Contracts
K Justin Tucker, Age 35, 85 ovr
WR Jakobi Meyers, Age 28, 80 ovr
FB Patrick Ricard, Age 31, 80 ovr
CB Jonathan Jones, Age 31, 79 ovr
G Laken Tomlinson, Age 33, 79 ovr
DT Akiem Hicks, Age 35, 78 ovr
TE Jonnu Smith, Age 30, 78 ovr
S Jordan Poyer, Age 34, 77 ovr
S Jalen Catalon, Age 24, 76 ovr
IDL Quincey Thompkins, Age 21, 75 ovr
HB Rhamondre Stevenson, Age 27, 75 ovr
HB Kenneth Walker III, Age 24, 74 ovr
TE Nick Boyle, Age 32, 74 ovr
DE Deatrich Wise Jr, Age 31, 72 ovr
WR DeVante Parker, Age 32, 70 ovr
C Robert Hainsey, Age 27 69 ovr
WR Parris Campbell, Age 27, 68 ovr
EDGE Ronnie Perkins, Age 25, 67 ovr
IDL Robert Nkemdiche, Age 30, 66 ovr
G Nick Ford, Age 26, 64 ovr
DT Johnathan Hankins, Age 33, 61 ovr
2024 New England Patriots Stats Passing
QB Mac Jones: 323 of 544, 4672 yards, 33 TD, 14 INT, 96.6 passer rating, sacked 14 times.
Special Teams
K Justin Tucker: 40 of 51 FG, 33/36 XP, 61 FG Lng
P Blake Gillikin: 80 punts, 3925 yards, 44.8 Net Avg, 39 punts inside the 20, 9 touchbacks
R Kenny McIntosh: 48 kick returns, 1058 yards, 35 punt returns, 176 yards
Examining the top players at Patriots' position of needs following the NFL Combine
After losing in the Super Bowl, New England is back to a familiar spot, picking in the back end of the draft at Pick No. 31 of the first round where there promises to be still be plenty of talented players available.
New England enters the off-season with glaring needs at receiver, edge rusher and safety with the team losing starters at all three positions due to retirement and pending free agency. Let's take a look at how the top players from each of those positions fared at the NFL Combine this past week:
The Texas receivers steal the show at the Combine, potentially performed out of being available at No. 31
Entering the week, there was a cluster of potential first round picks at receiver in Texas' John Griffin and Paul Hicks followed by Florida's Micah Stanley and Ball State's Joey Martin, whose a rising prospect.
Martin's 4.46 forty time at 226 pounds was impressive as he's a bigger receiver that is physical at the top of his route but his struggles catching the ball against air was a concern that will likely keep him out of the first round. Hicks and Griffin, meanwhile, solidified themselves as bonafide first round picks.
Teammates in Austin, they have very drastic playing style and athletic profiles with Hicks measuring in at 5-foot-9, weighing in at 182 pounds and running a 4.38 forty. Hicks' attributes aren't those of your typical first round receiver but he's the sort of gadget play that New England covets but he more than likely won't be there when they pick.
Neither will Griffin, who is possibly going to be the first name off the board at six-foot-four and 229 pounds with 4.47 speed. Griffin is from the Brandon Marshall bold of a big, physical receiver that does a lot of work after the catch. He'd be the perfect DeVante Parker replacement and would likely be an upgrade but New England will likely have to trade up to get Griffin, something they've never done for a receiver as both Hicks and Griffin are projected to go in the late teens of the draft.
Another name to watch that the former Bill Belichick regime would have loved is receiver George Abraham out of North Dakota State whose best attribute might be his blocking on the perimeter, something the former coaching staff and front office loved from their receivers. Abraham's 4.62 in the forty likely killed any chance of him being a day two pick but in day three, it's the type of pick that New England might make and use him as a versatile piece in their heavy run offense.
Georgia's Keilan Britt is as good as advertised
New England has had luck drafting some Dawgs in recent years with the selection of Trez Marshall, Darnell Washington and Kenny McIntosh in recent years, all of who have become key players.
Britt might be next in line after a 12-sack junior season for Georgia which he followed up with an impressive combine, finishing in the top six at his position in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump and 20-yard shuttle.
An explosive athlete with a great motor, Britt might be the "easy" decision for New England if he's there in the first round. If he's not, another option is Illinois' Joe Addison whose production in college wasn't outstanding but has the physical tools to be a potential elite pass rusher at the next level.
Navy's Tony Hagans is another player that the former staff would have coveted but his limited athleticism could hinder him throughout the process. It's a bit of a drop off after that although Villanova's Bryce Bingham and UCF's George Marshall could be options in the second and third round to address edge rusher.
Clemson's Josh Tatum whose up at the combine at 262 pounds after playing much of his college career at Clemson in the 300-pound range as a five technique. He ran a very impressive 4.66 in the 40-yard dash and finished top two among defensive end in the vertical jump, broad jump and 3-cone with a third place finish in the 20-yard shuttle and 5th in the bench press.
Could poor combine make Matias Nava an option for New England?
Nevada's Matias Nava was a darling of the scouting community during his junior and senior season, emerging as a sleeper Group of 5 prospect that could be a first round pick. Nava struggled at the Combine in the positional drills as he didn't look fluid despite running a 4.5 forty at 205 pounds.
It could have been an off-day for the four-year starter but while he struggled, Alabama's De'Veon Etienne made himself a lot of money with his performance. He caught every pass thrown his way during the positional drills and looked like an explosive athlete when going through the testing. He's a taller safety at six-foot-two and there are some coverage concerns that can't be answered at a combine or pro day but he put on a performance that warrants going back to the tape for a rewatch.
Where will Aaron Donald retire as Donald, Mack look for their swan song
Aaron Donald has speculated that retirement was around the corner for a few years now so when negotiations broke down last summer between him and the Los Angeles Rams, many speculated Donald would ride off into the sunset.
He's not and the reigning DPOY will be testing his free agency as perhaps the biggest name on the market alongside some other notable veterans in Khalil Mack, Stephon Gilmore, Xavien Howard and David Bakhtiari.
With a weak quarterback class once more, Donald and Co. figure to potentially cash in one more time as high price free agents in what likely be one of their final landing spots.
Top Free Agents
QB Teddy Bridgewater, 32 yo » 75 ovr
QB Jared Goff, 30 yo » 72 ovr
QB Carson Wentz, 32 yo » 72 ovr
QB Ryan Tannehill, 37 yo » 71 ovr
QB Matthew Stafford, 37 yo » 71 ovr
HB Trey Sermon, 26 yo » 83 ovr
HB Travis Etienne Jr, 26 yo » 82 ovr
HB Nyheim Hines, 28 yo » 81 ovr
HB Michael Carter, 26 yo » 79 ovr
FB Patrick Ricard, 31 yo » 80 ovr
FB Andy Janovich, 32 yo » 77 ovr
WR Rondale Moore, 25 yo » 85 ovr
WR Rashod Bateman, 25 yo » 82 ovr
WR Darius Slayton, 28 yo » 82 ovr
WR Deonte Harris, 27 yo » 82 ovr
WR Kenny Golladay, 31 yo » 80 ovr
WR Jakobi Meyers, 28 yo » 80 ovr
WR Dyami Brown, 25 yo » 79 ovr
TE Tommy Tremble, 25 yo » 82 ovr
TE Jonnu Smith, 30 yo » 78 ovr
TE Mo Alie-Cox, 31 yo » 75 ovr
T David Bakhtiari, 33 yo » 91 ovr
T Garrett Bolles, 33 yo » 83 ovr
T Taylor Lewan, 34 yo » 79 ovr
G Laken Tomlinson, 33 yo » 79 ovr
G Alex Cappa, 30 yo » 79 ovr
G Ereck Flowers, 31 yo » 77 ovr
C David Andrews, 33 yo » 80 ovr
C Chase Roullier, 32 yo » 77 ovr
EDGE Khalil Mack, 34 yo » 84 ovr
EDGE Jadeveon Clowney, 32 yo » 81 ovr
EDGE Matthew Judon, 33 yo » 74 ovr
IDL Aaron Donald, 34 yo » 93 ovr
IDL Stephon Tuitt, 32 yo » 86 ovr
IDL Fletcher Cox, 34 yo » 81 ovr
IDL Michael Pierce, 32 yo » 80 ovr
IDL Dre'Mont Jones, 28 yo » 78 ovr
IDL Akiem Hicks, 35 yo » 78 ovr
ILB Nick Bolton, 25 yo » 80 ovr
ILB Eric Kendricks, 33 yo » 78 ovr
ILB Malik Harrison, 27 yo » 74 ovr
CB Stephon Gilmore, 34 yo » 89 ovr
CB Xavien Howard, 32 yo » 87 ovr
CB Kenny Moore II, 30 yo » 84 ovr
CB James Bradberry IV, 32 yo » 84 ovr
CB Byron Jones, 32 yo » 81 ovr
CB Jonathan Jones, 31 yo » 79 ovr
S Kevin Byard, 32 yo » 84 ovr
S Jimmie Ward, 34 yo » 78 ovr
S Jordan Poyer, 34 yo » 77 ovr
K Harrison Butker, 30 yo » 89 ovr
K Justin Tucker, 35 yo » 85 ovr
K Younghoe Koo, 31 yo » 84 ovr
K Will Lutz, 31 yo » 84 ovr
K Tyler Bass, 28 yo » 82 ovr
K Rodrigo Blankenship, 28 yo » 81 ovr
K Evan McPherson, 26 yo » 80 ovr
P Jack Fox, 29 yo » 87 ovr
P Corey Bojorquez, 29 yo » 83 ovr
P J.K. Scott, 28 yo » 82 ovr
P Tress Way, 35 yo » 81 ovr
P Johnny Hekker, 35 yo » 81 ovr
