The New England Patriots dominated the Carolina Panthers on a gorgeous day in Foxborough on Sunday. While they did fall behind 6-0 to start the game, they rebounded with a bang and ended up winning with a final
score of 42-13 — a convincing way for the Patriots to improve to 2-2 on the year and for head coach Mike Vrabel to earn his first W at Gillette Stadium.
Here are some lessons learned from the blowout.
The Vrabel Way is taking shape
Mike Vrabel has been under fire from some people in the media recently, but I like what he’s been doing, and I think what he values, and what he wants his guys to do, is starting to come through. What does Vrabel value? Mental toughness and committing to the team.
That was evident in Week 2, when he gave a game ball to Andy Borregales after he hit a big field goal to extend the Patriots’ lead over Miami after previously missing two extra points earlier in the game. Then, after last week, Rhamondre Stevenson and DeMario Douglas could have been guys to quit on, but instead, Stevenson got the most touches among the team’s running backs on Sunday. Douglas didn’t have a target, but Vrabel went out of his way to praise him for his blocking on the touchdown to Hunter Henry.
Mistakes are going to be made, that is the nature of the game. Vrabel, a former player as you might have heard, is well aware of the toll those mistakes can take, so he is starting to build a support structure and culture that is quite simple to understand: as long as you don’t quit on the team, the team isn’t going to quit on you.
New England could be 4-0 or 3-1 if not for their miscues, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. Still, the Patriots and their head coach look like they might be building something for the future.
Marcus Jones is a crazy person
The Patriots played a terrible game last week, and they started out Sunday playing terrible as well. However, they were able to force a punt on the second Panthers drive, and that’s when the entire contest changed thanks to one man: Marcus Jones.
Jones fielded the Panthers’ punt at the 13-yard line, broke a tackle, and then took the ball to the house to give his team a 7-6 lead. The most notable part of the play might not have been his moves — we know what he can do with the ball in his hands — but the fact that he did not call a fair catch even with multiple Panthers surrounding him. As he said after the game, he’s “ruthless.”
He also runbacks of 61 and 19 yards later in the game, and in doing so broke the team’s single-game punt return record with 167, eclipsing Mike Haynes’ 156 from 1976. It remains to be seen whether or not that first big punt return was a turning point for the season, but it was certainly was a turning point for this game.
Drake Maye is turning into an elite QB before our very eyes
The Patriots are hoping that Drake Maye can become an elite quarterback in this league, and Sunday was an indication that he could be headed in that direction. He was incredibly efficient with the ball, and spread it around all game.
He also had a 5-yard touchdown run, while his 31-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Henry was a similar play and the linebacker had to step up to protect the run, so he threw it behind him to Henry, who took it to the house. Maye only threw the ball 17 times, but he was excellent, and made the correct read on most plays.
Stefon Diggs is officially back…
Speaking about the Patriots passing offense, Stefon Diggs looks like he’s back from the ACL injury he suffered last October. Drake Maye hit him six times total, including on a big completion on a 3rd-and-15 in the third quarter and a back-shoulder pass to convert a 4th-and-3 in the fourth.
With the aforementioned DeMario Douglas seeing a reduction in playing time on Sunday, Diggs moved into the slot for most of the day, and feasted. When all was said and done, he had his first 100-yard game in almost two years and was a major factor for the Patriots even without finding the end zone.
If they can get that kind of production from him as the season continues, their passing offense is going to be a problem.
…and so is Christian Gonzalez
The Patriots definitely missed their All-Pro corner in the first three games of the season, but he was back on the field for the first time this year on Sunday. For the most part, he shut down the Panthers’ stud rookie receiver, Tetairoa McMillan, and played almost every meaningful snap until they put the backups in because of the blowout nature of the game.
Gonzalez didn’t have any true standout plays, but it was positive to see him out there two months after suffering what turned out to be a nagging hamstring injury. He and Carlton Davis did a nice job of covering on the outside and making life difficult for Bryce Young and the Panthers offense. You’d have to assume that bigger and better things await the 23-year-old moving forward, but this was a nice start to his season.
Ball security was encouraging
Despite turning the ball over five times last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Patriots still almost won that game. This week, they didn’t have any turnovers and ended up winning 42-13. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason they won on Sunday, but it was still good to see them hold onto the ball after last Sunday’s debacle.
“It is complex but simple. It’s just hold the ball,” said Rhamondre Stevenson one week removed from a two-fumble outing. “You have to hold the ball every time you come up with it. We held onto it today, had no turnovers and got a good win.”
The subs step up
Linebacker Jack Gibens and interior offensive lineman Ben Brown both saw their playing time increase this week. Gibbons because Christian Elliss didn’t play great last week, so they wanted to give him more snaps; Brown because Jared Wilson was out with ankle and knee injuries.
Both of them played well on Sunday, and may have earned a closer look moving forward. Obviously, Wilson has been the starter at left guard, but Brown might be one of the five best offensive linemen the Patriots have, which means they should find a way to get him on the field.
As for Gibbons, he just comfortable on the field, and the coaching staff might have to figure out some sort of rotation with him, Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, and soon-to-return Jahlani Tavai. Marte Mapu has played admirably as well, and should continue getting some snaps on defense, too. After looking like a major liability earlier this season, the linebacker group might be taking shape.
The defense is hitting its groove
The Patriots started this game by giving up a seven-play, 76-yard touchdown drive that did not even see a single Panthers first down. In fact, the best play of the drive from their perspective was rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald doinking the extra point off the left upright.
That series was not indicative of what was to come for the rest of the afternoon.
The Patriots wouldn’t give up another score until garbage time when the backups were playing. They only had one sack on the day, but did a pretty good job pressuring Bryce Young, and keeping the opposing offense off rhythm
If the Patriots are going to be competitive this year, they’re going to need their defense to be solid. If they continue to play the way they did on Sunday, that’s just what they’re going to be.
Christian Barmore isn’t putting up numbers, but he’s a beast
It can be frustrating for a guy to not be able to put up the actual stats. On Sunday, Christian Barmore wasn’t even credited with a single tackle and he now only has seven tackles, and four assists, on the year. However, he has had an impact in every game he has been in.
Against Carolina, he was in the backfield all day pressuring Bryce Young, and should have drawn multiple holding calls. For people just checking the box score, it is hard to see the impact of Barmore this year so far, but for anyone who has watched the game, you can clearly see what he does on the field. You have to assume that impact is going to turn into stats at some point.
For Sunday, I thought it was worth mentioning that even though you might not see the stats Barmore was having a solid game to continue a really good season. He and Milton Williams are starting to look like the dynamic duo inside that the Patriots thought they could be.
The Patriots are ready for primetime
Next week, the Patriots face a tough divisional matchup in Buffalo on Sunday Night Football. The Bills have played close games the last two weeks against subpar opponents, but you know that they are going to come ready to play next week and at 4-0 have proven themselves arguably the most complete team in the AFC.
It will be a major test for the Patriots, playing their first game of the season against an elite team. They have a real chance to send a message to the rest of the NFL that they’re for real. If they can hang with the Bills, or possibly even win, it would go a long way to prove just how far they have come — and what to expect in the future.
