The New England Patriots haven’t been the pushover team most expected them to be this season. They upset the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular season opener and came within a field goal in overtime of knocking off the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.
It’s important to keep in mind that the Patriots are a rebuilding team in their first season in 24 years without former coach Bill Belichick running the show. They’ve somehow figured out a way to remain competitive during the process, but the truth remains that it’ll take more than a year to get the team back on track.
Some of the personnel have continued to trend up during the season, while others have trended down. The Patriots still need plenty of work on both sides of the ball, even though the defense has by far been the more competitive unit.
Let’s check in to see who’s stock is up and who’s stock is down for the Patriots at this juncture.
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The Patriots are only two games into the season, and Keion White already has more than three times as many sacks as he had last season. He has dominated at the line of scrimmage in both outings against the Bengals and Seahawks. Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick even picked him as Inside the NFL’s “Football Guy” of Week 1.
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The receivers in the Week 2 loss to the Seahawks shockingly combined for only three receptions for 19 yards.
It’s a surprising stat line that puts into perspective just how bad things have been in regards to the inability of the offense to push the ball downfield. The entire offense has been built around running the football and feeding tight ends, and it has become far too vanilla.
They can change things up by working in screen plays and figuring out ways to get the ball into the hands of their best playmakers in space. The fact that a shifty, talented skilled player like DeMario Douglas wasn’t even targeted against the Seahawks is shocking.
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Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf was targeted seven times when facing Christian Gonzalez, and he came away with three catches for 24 yards. Keep in mind, Metcalf had a huge day, including a 56-yard touchdown reception on a blown coverage play, which safety Kyle Dugger admitted was his mistake. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but Gonzalez continued his weekly efforts of limiting one of the best receivers in the league….
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