Pats Pulpit
At one point in the late second quarter of their game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, it looked like the New England Patriots were cruising toward a sixth win in a row. Up 21-7 and with a chance to add to their total ahead of intermission, they appeared to be in full control. And then, momentum took a swift turn.
In the end, the Patriots sill managed to hold onto a 24-23 advantage to improve to 7-2 on the year, but the 60-minute performance was far from their best. There were some standouts, but on the whole there also was plenty of room for improvement as a look at our position grades shows.
Quarterback: For the first time in a while, Drake Maye looked like the young quarterback that he is. He did finish with 259 passing yards — the most allowed by Atlanta this season — and a pair of touchdowns, all while combining several high-level throws with timely scrambles. However, his fumble on a strip sack late in the second quarter in particular seemed to disrupt him for the remainder of the game. He finished with two giveaways and four total plays graded as turnover-worthy and also did not look like his usual comfortable self, holding onto the ball too often, moving into traffic and not being on the same page with his receivers. | Grade: C+
Running back: No Rhamondre Stevenson, no problem? Going up against a run defense that had been average over the first eight weeks of the season, Patriots running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Terrell Jennings combined to finish the game with 90 rushing yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Despite averaging only 3.6 yards per carry and finishing with 0.00 EPA, however, the team managed to make the most of its situation without the starter available due to a toe injury. It was a rather encouraging outing. | Grade: B
Wide receiver: Losing Kayshon Boutte and his deep field abilities to a hamstring injury in the second quarter negatively impacted the unit, but it still had a solid day overall mainly because of two men: DeMario Douglas and Stefon Diggs. The former had a career day despite losing his uncle on Saturday night, finishing with 100 yards and a touchdown on four catches. The latter found the end zone for a second straight week in a three-catch, 38-yard outing. The rest of the group, however, provided limited contributions: outside of Mack Hollins’ two receptions or 9 yards total, no other wideouts caught any passes. | Grade: B
Tight end: Hunter Henry continues to be possibly the Patriots’ most reliable offensive skill position player. On Sunday, he hauled in four passes for 51 yards with three of those receptions moving the chains on third down — including the game-ender in the late fourth quarter. He did have a miscommunication with Drake Maye on a fourth-quarter incompletion, but overall continued to play high-level football. The...
