The New England Patriots continue to look like one of the best teams in the NFL. On Sunday, they won their fourth straight game and third in a row on the road to improve to 5-2 on the year and stay in close
contact with the top of the AFC playoff picture.
Their 31-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans saw several noteworthy individual outings, as well as a solid team performance across the board. As a consequence, our weekly positional grades look the part.
Patriots position grades for Week 7
Quarterback: Seven weeks into his sophomore campaign, Drake Maye continues to play at a Pro Bowl level. He again distributed the ball well versus Tennessee, combined good decisions with outstanding throws to complete passes at a franchise record rate, and was in total command of the offense from start to finish even in light of increased pressure. Maye earned an A for his performance, and so did his backup. While Joshua Dobbs played only three snaps during the starter’s brief trip to the medical tent in the third quarter, he managed to keep an eventual scoring drive going thanks to a 12-yard pass to DeMario Douglas on 3rd-and-5. As far as backup play goes, Dobbs did his job. | Grade: A
Running back: Rhamondre Stevenson met the baseline for successful performance in a second straight game — not fumbling the ball — and then some. The veteran back finished with a season-high 88 yards plus a touchdown on 18 carries, looking quick through the hole and confident in his reads. It was a step in a positive direction for him and the running game as a whole. That includes practice squad elevation Terrell Jennings, who was solid down the stretch. On the flip side, second-round rookie TreVeyon Henderson continues to largely be a non-factor on offense. | Grade: B+
Wide receiver: Kayshon Boutte continues to make big plays for the offense, hauling in a 39-yard touchdown to give the Patriots their first lead of the day late in the second quarter. The rest of the wide receiver group also contributed in a positive fashion on Sunday. Stefon Diggs finished with seven catches for 69 yards, Mack Hollins with two for 49, and DeMario Douglas hauled in three passes for 17 yards, including an impressive one-handed grab on a fourth down conversion in the third quarter. The rookies — Kyle Williams and Efton Chism — were quiet, but New England doesn’t need them to step up yet. | Grade: A
Tight end: Besides helping the running game play its best game of the season, the Patriots’ tight end group also performed well in the receiving game. Austin Hooper made an impressive catch for an 8-yard touchdown in the second period, while Hunter Henry hauled in four of five targets for 33 yards. Fullback/tight end hybrid Jack Westover did not catch any passes, but he did play a season-high 19 snaps and served as a lead blocker on a majority of them. | Grade: A
Offensive line: It was a story in two parts for the Patriots’ offensive line on Sunday. On the one hand was the run blocking, with the unit moving bodies and creating lanes on a regular basis; Rhamondre Stevenson averaging 4.9 yards on the ground was a collaborative effort between the back and his blockers. However, pass protection looked leaky even against a Titans team whose most disruptive player, Jeffery Simmons, ended up playing only 12 snaps. In total, Drake Maye was sacked four times — three of which can be blamed on the blocking — and forced to either escape of move around the pocket on several other occasions. He did make the most of the situation, but it was one that might not be sustainable against superior opposition. | Grade: C-
Defensive line: Speaking of rushing the passer, the Patriots did a fine job against Cam Ward. Granted, he is a rookie making his seventh start in the NFL, but he is still a big body capable and willing to maneuver the pocket and keep plays alive. New England prevented him from doing that, registering five sacks on the day — including a K’Lavon Chaisson scoop-and-score in the third quarter that effectively helped put the game out of reach — and asserting its control of the flow of the game in the second half. In addition, the unit allowed Tennessee to gain only 39 yards on 12 carries. | Grade: A-
Linebacker: New England’s linebacker group felt like a liability earlier in the season, but it has managed to hit its stride. Robert Spillane continued to be solid and look decisive attacking downhill, while the rest of the group rotated in and out of the lineup to much success. Marte Mapu in particular deserves a mention after finishing with a game- and career-high eight tackles as well as a pass breakup. Most of his action came late — 7.5 of his tackles happened in the fourth quarter — but he showed he could become a factor beyond special teams, too. | Grade: A
Cornerback: The Patriots’ cornerback group was mostly solid, helping limit Tennessee’s passing game to 216 net yards and registering a fourth quarter interception courtesy of Marcus Jones. However, the unit also was burned three times in the first quarter to allow the home team and its young quarterback to get off to a good start; Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez both gave up catches, with Jones getting beaten deep for a touchdown. Ultimately, though, the group started settling down from the second quarter on. | Grade: B-
Safety: Once again without starter Jaylinn Hawkins, the safety group’s performance went hand-in-hand with that of the cornerbacks: there were some miscues early on, but it found its groove as the game progressed. Those early miscues were highlighted by a 38-yard Chimere Dike touchdown that saw rookie Craig Woodson run himself out of position to prevent the big play; had he been where he was supposed to be, Marcus Jones getting beaten might not have been a problem. File this one under “growing pains.” | Grade: B
Special teams: The Patriots’ special teams was a mixed bag on Sunday. On the one hand, Andy Borregales was perfect in his combined five kicks, while Bryce Baringer hit the ball well. On the other, the unit was responsible for two penalties and allowed kickoff returns of 31 and 29 yards that helped set up two of Tennessee’s three scoring drives as well as a 15-yard runback on a punt play. | Grade: C
At the end of the day, the Patriots did what was expected of them. Even though they made their life harder than it needed to be early on in the contest, they eventually pulled away and kept their opponent at bay down the stretch en route to a multi-score victory. Against what is an inferior opponent on paper, that is what teams with playoff aspirations need to do.
How would you grade the Patriots’ performance in Week 7, though? Do you agree with our assessment? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.
