“It feels good. … Losing sucks in this league, and winning is awesome. It’s hard to win. It’s hard to win on the road…That was a big one.” — TE Hunter Henry on winning games.
The rebuilding Patriots returned to relevance this week, surging up the ranks (again!) after Sunday’s victory in New Orleans. This was the Pats’ third win in a row — the first time that’s happened since Tom Brady’s final year in New England five years ago. Thanks to the Bills’ loss to the Falcons on Monday night, the Patriots also surged to the top of the AFC East. Good times. This team finally found a solid foundation to build a future on with head coach Mike Vrabel and QB Drake Maye.
The win over the Saints wasn’t flashy, but it was efficient and turnover free. No surprise that’s part of the formula Vrabel laid out when he was hired: Eliminate the mistakes that get you beat, correct the bad, and enhance the good while emphasizing ball security and situational awareness. It’s also evident the Pats have grown quite a bit since the losses in Weeks one and three, and while there is still plenty to work on, steady improvement is what matters this year. The run game is the current weakness on offense, but there’s good reason to expect to see gradual improvement in that area too as the season unfolds.
Up next is another road game. Mike Vrabel returns to Tennessee for the first time since he was let go. Interestingly, the 1-5 Titans just fired Brian Callahan, the head coach who was hired to replace him. Feels like ownership did not want to have their mistakes highlighted by having that coaching matchup as a storyline. And just as the Saints had potential to be a trap game coming off an emotional Sunday Night win in Buffalo, the Patriots can’t take the Titans lightly. I believe Vrabel will have his team ready to go and predict the Pats will return home with another road win. That would feel pretty good indeed.
GO PATS!!
******************************************************************
Around the AFC East:
New England Patriots (4-2) at Tennessee Titans (1-5)
Buffalo Bills (4-2) – Bye
Miami Dolphins (1-5) at Cleveland Browns (1-5)
New York Jets (0-6) vs. Carolina Panthers (3-3)
AFC Matchups:
Indianapolis Colts (5-1) at Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) vs. Los Angeles Rams (4-2)
Denver Broncos (4-2) vs. New York Giants (2-4)
Kansas City Chiefs (3-3) vs. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4)
Houston Texans (2-3) at Seattle Seahawks (4-2)
Baltimore Ravens (1-5) – Bye
******************************************************************
9th – Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): Mike Vrabel has done a nice job with this team, and Drake Maye is growing into a franchise quarterback. They are 4-2 and a real threat to the Bills. [+4]
10th – Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): *It’s hard to find too much fault with the Patriots, but their run game needs to improve. Drake Maye led the team...