Bye Week Report: The State of the Patriots
What a difference twelve months makes. At this time last year, the New England Patriots were fresh off an eleven point loss to the rival New York Jets with just two wins to their names. They'd finish the season as one of the worst teams in the NFL but with signs of promise due to the emergence of rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye has fully breached at this point, third in the NFL with twenty-one passing touchdowns and the Patriots head into their bye week with six wins and firmly in the AFC East title race and a wild card contender at worst. They've also got one of the NFL's best receivers after being void of talent at the position for nearly the past decade and defensively, they field one of the best units in the league.
Team Leaders
Passing: Drake Maye (62% completion, 1859 yards, 21 TD, 5 INT, 98.9 QB rating)
Rushing: Drake Maye (490 yards, 10 ypc, 2 TD) Rushing: Antonio Gibson (484 yards, 5.8 ypc, TD) Rushing: Rhamondre Stevenson (471 yards, 5.7 ypc)
Receiving: Cooper Kupp (41 receptions, 447 yards, 9 TD)
Defense: CB Marcus Jones (45 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 INT, 3 PBU)
PFF Offensive Line Grade
LT Will Campbell: 81.5 PFF grade
LG Layden Robinson: 57 PFF grade
C Drew Dalman: 75.6 PFF grade
RG Brandon Scherff: 69.7 PFF grade
RT Michael Onwenu: 77.8 PFF grade
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T Caedan Wallace: 77.8 PFF grade
G Sidy Sow: 65.3 PFF grade
C Jake Andrews: 63.8 PFF grade
Remaining Schedule
at NY Giants (1-7)
vs. Tennessee (2-5)
at Carolina (3-5)
at Cincinnati (4-4)
vs. NY Jets (6-1)
at Las Vegas (5-2)
at Buffalo (6-2)
vs. Pittsburgh (3-5)
vs. Buffalo (6-2)
Best player through weeks 1-8:
A sneaky MVP candidate, Maye's production has been nothing short of amazing halfway through the year. He is averaging nearly three touchdowns per game and is New England's leading rusher as part of the NFL's top ranked rushing offense.
He'll need to work on his efficiency and consistency as he is still prone to bouts of inaccuracy but when he's on, there are already few quarterbacks that are better than Maye with his ability to make all the throws, get out of pressure when needed and make plays with his legs.
Defensively, Benjamin St-Juste has been a timely pickup in free agency as the Patriots highest rated corner. Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones' draw tougher coverages so that factors into their lower grade than St-Juste but even with that caveat, he's been a very solid player for this secondary. Ja'Whaun Bentley, albeit in a limited role, has also been a standout.
Worst player through weeks 1-8:
Layden Robinson has taken a step back in his second season, struggling in both the running game and as a pass blocker. Maye is able to cover up a lot of holes but he still needs to be able to step up in the pocket and be able to make things happen.
Robinson is a young player and there's still time to turn things around but it has been a dissapointing year for the second-year player who New England was hoping would solidify one of the guard spots as they will likely need to replace an aging Brandon Scherff in the relative near future.
Most Impressive game so far:
W 36-6 at Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are scratching their way back into the playoff picture but even if they don't, this is still an impressive victory over one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Jackson was completely neutralized while Maye was uber efficient despite the Ravens taking away some of the splash plays that the Patriots look to spring with a mobile quarterback.
Least Impressive game so far:
L 9-7 vs. Miami Dolphins
After struggling in the opener on defense and still coming away with the win, New England had the perfect opportunity to sweep the Dolphins and more than likely end their AFC East championship hopes but were unable to do so despite the Dolphins never scoring a touchdown. The Patriots offensive line struggled, essentially turning New England's offense to a straight up drop back offense and their receivers were just unable to make plays down the field.
Contract negotiations at this point:
There's still a lot of football left to be played but there’s some important players headed to free agency for 2026:
LB Ja'Whaun Bentley - Bentley's role has diminished with Tyrel Dodson and Jahlani Tavai being the primary linebackers right now. Bentley could see an increased role coming out of the bye with Tavai's struggles but he's just not a fit for the modern NFL in terms of playing heavy snaps. Could he be back in a similar role next year? Absolutely but the days of Bentley being an every down player are likely over.
LB Sione Takitaki - Takitaki has been a recent uptick in playing time with the injury to Anfernee Jennings but he hasn't done much with it so its tough to see him back next year as the defense looks to get younger.
G Brandon Scherff - The 33-year old free agent pickup has helped solidify New England's offensive line when he's been healthy this year. The only problem is that he's already missed three games this year and on the wrong side of thirty, an extension could be risky for the Patriots. They could look into the free agency market and see if another option like Scherff, but younger, is available but would not rule out him coming back.
IDL David Onyemata - He's been good, not great. He's not much of a factor as a pass rusher as New England was hoping for, coming off a six sack year in Atlanta the year prior. On the season, Oneymate has only one tackle for loss on the year and at a $14 million cap hit, you'd want more than that.
FB Patrick Ricard - The Patriots, despite not using a lot of formations with a fullback, have used Ricard plenty this year. He's played 236 snaps this year which is more than Rhamondre Stevenson, Xavier Restrepo and Barion Brown. He only has seven touchdowns on the season but two of those are for touchdowns and as a blocker, he's a big component of their running game. He should be back next year in the same role which has helped opened up their running game even more.
Week 9 NFL Top Stories From first to last, Arizona's losing streak continues as they drop to 4-5 following 4-1 start Jalen Hurts makes MVP case with 346 yards and three touchdowns in premiere matchup against Josh Allen and the Bills Ravens continue to surge from slow start with two-point win over Vikings to move closer to .500 record Despite down day from Kenny Pickett, Jets keep it rolling with win over Buccaneers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFC Playoff Picture
1. NY Jets, 7-1
2. Jacksonville, 7-1
3. Las Vegas, 5-3
4. Cincinnati, 5-4
5. New England, 6-2
6. Buffalo, 6-3
7. Kansas City, 5-4
-- Miami, 4-4
-- Indianapolis, 4-4
-- Baltimore, 4-5
-- Houston, 4-5
NFC Playoff Picture
1. Green Bay, 7-2
2. Philadelphia, 7-2
3. San Francisco 5-4
4. Tampa, 4-5
5. Detroit, 6-2
6. Dallas, 6-2
7. Seattle, 4-4
-- LA Rams, 4-4
-- Washington, 4-5
-- New Orleans, 3-5
-- Atlanta, 3-5
-- Carolina, 3-6
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week QB Jayden Daniels: 20-26, 289 yds, 3 TD, 10 car, 33 yds, TD CB Darius Slay Jr: 3 tkl, 2 INT, TD QB C.J. Stroud: 23-30, 317 yds, 4 TD CB Jaylen Watson: 11 tkl, INT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Injuries HB Zack Moss: 5 weeks (tailbone) DE Trey Hendrickson: 4 weeks (collarbone) QB Kyler Murray: 4 weeks (knee) LB Zaven Collins: 9 weeks (shoulder) HB Isiah Pacheco: 5 weeks (hip) HB Jonathan Taylor: Season (tibia) DE Zach Sieler: Season (knee) OLB Brian Burns: Season (elbow) HB Jahmyr Gibbs: Season (shoulder) WR Puka Nacua: 7 weeks (ankle) HB Tony Pollard: Season (pectoral)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Draft Big Board -- Offensive Tackle Francis Mauigoa | 6'6", 315lbs | 1st ranked OT, 3rd ranked player Spencer Fano | 6'6", 309lbs | 2nd ranked OT, 4th ranked player Blake Miller | 6'5", 316lbs | 3rd ranked OT, 7th ranked player Kadyn Proctor | 6'7", 369lbs | 4th ranked OT, 14th ranked player Elijah Pritchett | 6'6", 327lbs | 5th ranked OT, 15th ranked player
Last edited by Soapy on 01 Nov 2024, 10:13, edited 1 time in total.
‣ NFL 2025 Regular Season, Week 10 - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey (6-2) New England Patriots at New York Giants (1-7)NE | 3 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 34 NYG | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16
Drake Maye, Patriots escape near scare against last place Giants
It wasn't Drake Maye's finest performance, completing just 57 percent of his passes, but when it mattered the most, the dark horse MVP candidate came through with clutch plays in the Patriots' 34-16 win over the New York Giants in the Meadowlands on Sunday.
The Giants had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter after converting a fourth and five from the New England 39-yard line but were forced to settle for a field goal to make it a four point game with 9:12 remaining. On the second play of the ensuing drive, Maye found Demario Douglas for a 48-yard completion for the biggest play of the day for the Patriots passing offense that had struggled. Antonio Gibson would find the endzone on the very next play on a fifteen-yard run that would prove to the dagger.
The Giants offense, led by rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers, would go four and out on their next two possessions. Maye would find Cooper Kupp for Kupp's second touchdown of the day and eleventh touchdown of the year for good measure. Scoring Summary Quarter 1 Andre Borregales, 40 Yd FG (8:22) Jake Bates, 44 Yd FG (4:36) Wan'Dale Robinson 71 Yd pass from Quinn Ewers (0:36)
Quarter 2 Hunter Henry 24 pass from Drake Maye (8:57) Jake Bates, 36 Yd FG (0:04)
Quarter 3 Cooper Kupp 3 Yd pass from Drake Maye (7:58) Andre Borregales, 20 Yd FG (2:54)
Quarter 4 Jake Bates, 33 Yd FG (9:08) Antonio Gibson 15 Yd run (7:49) Cooper Kupp 3 Yd pass from Drake Maye (3:35) Player Stats QB Drake Maye: 20-35, 212 yds, 3 TD, INT, 4 att, 66 yds QB Quinn Ewers: 23-63, 313 yds, TD, INT, sacked once
TE Hunter Henry: 4 rec, 42 yds, TD WR Cooper Kupp: 3 rec, 15 yds, 2 TD WR Demario Douglas: 2 rec, 52 yds WR Xavier Restrepo: 2 rec, 46 yds WR Darius Slayton: 7 rec, 101 yds TE Theo Johnson: 7 rec, 68 yds WR Wan'Dale Robinson: 3 rec, 94 yds, TD WR Malik Nabers: 2 rec, 21 yds
LT Will Campbell: 92.3 PFF grade LG Layden Robinson: 72.8 PFF grade C Drew Dalman: 65.4 PFF grade RG Brandon Scherff: Did not finish game RT Michael Onwenu: 94.8 PFF grade
Week 10 NFL Top Stories Jalen Ramsey shuts down Atlanta's Drake London, holding him to just eight yards in an incredible performance in the win for the Dolphins Jordan Love had no problem handing the Broncos' defense, throwing for four touchdowns Joe Burrow throws for 305 yards in win over Browns to keep AFC North lead No one wants to win the NFC South as Tampa drops three straight and yet still remains atop the division with 4-5 record
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFC Playoff Picture
1. NY Jets, 8-1
2. Jacksonville, 7-2
3. Las Vegas, 6-3
4. Cincinnati, 6-4
5. New England, 7-2
6. Buffalo, 6-3
7. Kansas City, 6-4
-- Indianapolis, 5-4
-- Miami, 5-4
-- Baltimore, 5-5
NFC Playoff Picture
1. Green Bay, 8-2
2. Philadelphia, 8-2
3. San Francisco, 6-4
4. Tampa, 4-5
5. Dallas, 7-2
6. Detroit, 6-3
7. Seattle, 5-4
-- Washington, 4-5
-- Arizona, 4-5
-- LA Rams, 4-5
-- New Orleans, 3-6
-- Atlanta, 3-6
-- Carolina, 3-7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week HB Saquon Barkley: 19 car, 91 yds, 2 TD, 3 rec, 20 yds, TD S Tyler Nubin: 9 tkl, INT QB Will Levis: 25-34, 322 yds, 2 TD, 6 car, 14 yds, 2 TD LB Trenton Simpson: 6 tkl, 2 INT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notable Injuries HB Zack Moss: 4 weeks (tailbone) DE Trey Hendrickson: 3 weeks (collarbone) QB Kyler Murray: 3 weeks (knee) LB Zaven Collins: 8 weeks (shoulder) LB Nick Bolton: 4 weeks (knee) HB Isiah Pacheco: 4 weeks (hip) HB Jonathan Taylor: Season (tibia) DE Zach Sieler: Season (knee) OLB Brian Burns: Season (elbow) HB Jahmyr Gibbs: Season (shoulder) WR Puka Nacua: 6 weeks (ankle) HB Tony Pollard: Season (pectoral)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL Draft Big Board -- Interior Offensive Linemen Dylan Fairchild | 6'5", 316lbs | 1st ranked OG, 74th ranked player Earnest Greene III | 6'4", 320lbs | 2nd ranked OG, 79th ranked player T.J. Ferguson | 6'4", 330lbs | 3rd ranked OG, 85th ranked player Cayden Green | 6'0", 316lbs | 4th ranked OG, 88th ranked player Giovanni El-Hadi | 6'5", 310lbs | 5th ranked OG, 93rd ranked player
Way Too Early New England Patriots Mock Draft: Patriots continue to load up on the meat and potatoes
The New England Patriots, barring a complete collapse, are likely heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. For the past three seasons, it's been mostly about the offseason and draft positioning by this time of the year and while the focus is now squarely on the field, there is still a talent acquisition component that the Patriots front office must continue to attack no matter how this season ends.
The Patriots will likely be drafting not only at the bottom of the draft in terms of draft order, they also only have two picks in the top 100 after trading away their second round pick for receiver Cooper Kupp, a trade that is aging like fine wine.
Projected Draft Picks (subject to change) ‣ Round 1, Pick 28 OT Riley Mahlman | 6'8", 308lbs | 12th ranked OT
Brandon Scherff is set to be a free agent and even if the Patriots opt to resign him, he's already missed several games and is set to be thirty-four years old next season. Michael Onwenu has been formidable at right tackle and was certainly paid like one but in a draft full of tackles, why not draft whoever slips out of the top-twenty and slide Onwenu inside as tguard?
Enter Riley Mahlman who has established himself as one of the most promising offensive line prospects in college football. With his blend of size, strength, and technique, he has demonstrated an ability to neutralize top pass rushers in the Big Ten. Mahlman’s height gives him a natural advantage in the passing game, as his long arms allow him to keep defenders at bay and shield his quarterback effectively. Although he’s primarily known for his pass protection, Mahlman’s run-blocking skills are impressive, particularly in Wisconsin’s run-heavy offense where he’s opened lanes for some of the top rushers in the conference.
‣ Round 3, Pick 92 LB T.J. Quinn | 6'1", 235lbs | 8th ranked ILB
The Patriots have struggled to find consistency at the linebacker position, particularly in coverage and in containing mobile quarterbacks. Quinn’s football IQ, paired with his ability to read offensive schemes, could make him a valuable asset in both the pass and run game. He has also shown a knack for generating pressure on the quarterback, something the Patriots have looked to improve in recent years.
Drafting Quinn would bring youthful energy to a linebacking corps that has seen key players age and deal with injuries. His experience in a competitive Big Ten environment suggests he’s prepared for the physical demands of the NFL. For New England, adding Quinn could solidify the front seven and provide the defensive spark they’ve been missing.
From first to last, Arizona's losing streak continues as they drop to 4-5 following 4-1 start
Jalen Hurts makes MVP case with 346 yards and three touchdowns in premiere matchup against Josh Allen and the Bills
Ravens continue to surge from slow start with two-point win over Vikings to move closer to .500 record
Despite down day from Kenny Pickett, Jets keep it rolling with win over Buccaneers
QB Jayden Daniels: 20-26, 289 yds, 3 TD, 10 car, 33 yds, TD
QB C.J. Stroud: 23-30, 317 yds, 4 TD
CB Jaylen Watson: 11 tkl, INT
HB Zack Moss: 5 weeks (tailbone)
HB Jonathan Taylor: Season (tibia)
DE Zach Sieler: Season (knee)
OLB Brian Burns: Season (elbow)
HB Jahmyr Gibbs: Season (shoulder)
WR Puka Nacua: 7 weeks (ankle)
HB Tony Pollard: Season (pectoral)
Francis Mauigoa | 6'6", 315lbs | 1st ranked OT, 3rd ranked player
Spencer Fano | 6'6", 309lbs | 2nd ranked OT, 4th ranked player
Blake Miller | 6'5", 316lbs | 3rd ranked OT, 7th ranked player
Kadyn Proctor | 6'7", 369lbs | 4th ranked OT, 14th ranked player
Andre Borregales, 40 Yd FG (8:22)
Jake Bates, 44 Yd FG (4:36)
Jordan Love had no problem handing the Broncos' defense, throwing for four touchdowns
No one wants to win the NFC South as Tampa drops three straight and yet still remains atop the division with 4-5 record
Dylan Fairchild | 6'5", 316lbs | 1st ranked OG, 74th ranked player
T.J. Ferguson | 6'4", 330lbs | 3rd ranked OG, 85th ranked player
Cayden Green | 6'0", 316lbs | 4th ranked OG, 88th ranked player
Giovanni El-Hadi | 6'5", 310lbs | 5th ranked OG, 93rd ranked player
OT Riley Mahlman | 6'8", 308lbs | 12th ranked OT
LB T.J. Quinn | 6'1", 235lbs | 8th ranked ILB