“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!!
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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
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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 in rushing Sunday. The Patriots’ 3.5 yards per carry ranks 29th in the NFL. And they’re winning despite those issues running the ball. [+6]
10th – Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): It took a while, but they’re back in control of the AFC East. [+4]
12th – Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): The Patriots avoided a potential trap against the Saints thanks to Drake Maye continuing his sizzling play as a downfield passer. Mike Vrabel is doing his share of defensive-minded and ace situational coaching. [+3]
13th – Nate Davis (USA Today): Mike Vrabel next takes his surging squad – off to at least 4-2 start for the first time since Tom Brady’s final year in Foxborough (2019) – to Nashville … where he won’t even get the satisfaction of beating the coach who was hired to replace him. [+2]
14th – NFL Nation (ESPN): Lesson learned: QB Drake Maye has taken the second-year leap. Maye passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns against the Saints, with a 140.1 passer rating. He became the fourth player in NFL history under 24 years old to record at least 200 passing yards and a passing rating of 100 or higher in five straight games, joining Patrick Mahomes (seven straight in 2018 and five in 2018-19), Dan Marino (six in 1984) and Dak Prescott (five in 2016). — Mike Reiss. [+3]
15th – Conor Orr (SI): In the last few weeks, the Bills have fallen off a cliff. The North Carolina Bills have sunk to an unfathomable level of embarrassment and incompetence, while the Patriots overcame a poorly officiated game to swerve into first place in the division. The autumn of Robert Kraft is truly upon us. [+2]
16th – Diante Lee (The Ringer): If there’s a dark horse for MVP to believe in, it’s Drake Maye. New England’s schedule has been so soft that it’s hard to make too much of its. 4-2 record. At the same time, from what I’ve seen through six weeks, I’m convinced that QB Drake Maye is the real deal. Maye. has been cooking defenses as a passer from the pocket and as a scrambler. While he showed flashes of excellence last season, he’s doing it much more consistently now, and his recent stretch of three games without turnovers has been the catalyst for the offense’s success. Maye’s processing is improving by the week, and we’re seeing him take more control of the offense as the year goes on. He’s taking quick throws against defenses that try to blitz him and pushing the ball downfield when he as time. Maye’s already one of my favorite top 10 QBs, and he’s climbing every week. [+1]
16th – Ralph Vacchiano (FOX Sports): There’s no doubt that Drake Maye is now part of the next generation of potentially great NFL quarterbacks. He has got 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions through six games so far this season. [+1]
16th – Eric Edholm (NFL.com): The Patriots are 4-2, and their next three games are against the Titans, Browns and Falcons. They also still have the Jets twice left on the schedule. Things are lining up quite nicely for this suddenly intriguing squad, led by star-QB-in-the-making — and dark-horse MVP candidate? — Drake Maye. With Joe Burrow already out of the running this year and Lamar Jackson perhaps not far behind Burrow, Maye’s heroics can’t be dismissed. In Week 5, it was Maye to Stefon Diggs. On Sunday, it was Maye to Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. There are limitations to the run game, and the defense still has some leaks, but the way things are going, the Patriots are steaming toward a winning season. [+2]
AVG RANK: 13.1 [+2.8]
