Pats Pulpit
Having lost two of their first three games this season, the New England Patriots are already under some pressure to perform entering Week 4. While a loss to the Carolina Panthers would not be the end of the world as far as the team’s playoff hopes are concerned, it would put head coach Mike Vrabel and his men in a challenging position heading into a three-game road stretch that starts in Buffalo in Week 5.
So, how do the Patriots avoid entering that portion of their schedule at 1-3? By improving across the board relative to last week’s loss versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, and by being able to come away on top in most of the key areas against a Panthers team that also has just one win under its belt at this point in time.
Football is an inherently complex game, but every now and then it can be quite simple. As simple as: the team that turns the football over five times will usually come out the loser.
The Patriots experienced just that last week against Pittsburgh, when Drake Maye (1 interception, 1 fumble), Rhamondre Stevenson (2 fumbles) and Antonio Gibson (1 fumble) all gave the ball away in what ended up a one-touchdown loss. It goes without saying that that is not a recipe for success regardless of opponent, be it the Steelers or the Panthers this Sunday.
As for the upcoming game against Carolina, it will feature a Panthers defense that has successfully taken the ball away on five occasions — tied for fourth in the NFL through Week 3. Four of those turnovers came in the form of interceptions, with starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson and Chau Smith-Wade catching one apiece, and edge defender D.J. Wonnum hauling in the other. In addition, safety Demani Richardson recovered a fumble.
The Patriots’ issues holding onto the ball were a new problem in Week 3. In the previous two games, one Drake Maye interception in Week 1 was the only giveaway. The problem, from that perspective, does seem like a fixable one.
As Mike Vrabel pointed out this week, however, they are not leaving it up to chance either.
“We just put some more time into it,” he said. “I’m going to remind you that everybody else’s job is to protect the guy with the ball. We’ll have to practice that too, because that wasn’t good enough. Again, the easy thing to say is that we had three players fumble the football, which is obvious. We have to use great technique and then everyone else needs to strain to protect the player with the ball. And that’s what we’re going to get accomplished.”
Perimeter run game: On paper, the Patriots have the right mix to be successful on the ground. They have a mobile quarterback, potent trio of running backs, and a physical offensive line (albeit one that will be without one of its starters). And...
