Ahead of this year’s training camp, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel explained that he was looking at his team’s performances in three categories. There is the good, the bad, and, as he called
it, the s—t that gets you beat.
On Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, Vrabel’s team again showed more good than bad en route to a convincing 31-13 victory. That said, if the coach wants to look at the Patriots through the three categories he established, who are we to disagree? So, let’s break down the Week 7 game in exactly that manner.
The good: Run game progress
There are several areas deserving of a mention here. Drake Maye breaking a Tom Brady franchise record, his backup Joshua Dobbs briefly stepping in and getting the job done, the defense registering two takeaways — all worthy inclusions on a list of good things from Sunday’s game.
However, the resurgent run game is our choice.
The Patriots entered Week 7 as one of the least efficient rushing attacks in the NFL, ranking near the bottom of the league in most basic and advanced statistical categories. Versus Tennessee, however, they managed to show some signs of life for the first time all year.
Led by Rhamondre Stevenson, the unit ended the game with a combined 177 yards on 34 rushing attempts — an average of 5.2 yards per attempt. Stevenson had his best game of the year, finishing with 18 carries, 88 yards and a touchdown; meanwhile, Drake Maye added 62 yards himself, with even practice squad elevation Terrell Jennings chipping in 18 as a “five-minute back” late in the game.
“There were some running lanes and when there weren’t, we were able to take it downhill and be able to push some piles,” said head coach Mike Vrabel after the game. “We had some double-digit runs. We had some dirty runs. It was great to see us finish there at the end. So I think it’s always a combination. We took care of the football, and that’s really the formula. They made a mistake there that we were able to capitalize on.”
Not all was perfect about the Patriots’ ground game on Sunday — they had two more negative runs while rookie TreVeyon Henderson continues to be a limited factor (2 carries, 5 yards) — but overall it was a step in the right direction.
The bad: Pass protection hiccups
While the run blocking was solid all day, pass protection was a different story. The stat sheet doesn’t quite show it with Drake Maye still managing to complete 91.3% of his passes, but he was sacked four times and pressured on several other dropbacks resulting in a season-high eight scramble attempts.
Most of the problems occurred on the left side of the line, manned by rookie tackle Will Campbell and rookie guard Jared Wilson. While the former surrendered a sack and six total pressures, via NFL Next Gen Stats, the latter gave up two sacks and five combined disruptions. Add center Garrett Bradbury also being at fault for a sack and three pressures, and you get a challenging situation for the passing offense to operate in.
(For completeness’ sake, right guard Mike Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses gave up one pressure each)
So far this year, pass protection has been one of the pleasant surprises for the Patriots — particularly compared to the issues they have had the last few years. Against Tennessee, however, the unit showed some cracks.
The s—t that gets you beat: Slow start
In the end, it did not end up mattering. The Patriots kept playing their game, and eventually prevailed due to superior execution and an overall better roster from the quarterback spot down.
Still, they had another slow start on defense and as a consequence fell behind 10-3 in the first quarter.
New England started the ball on defense, and promptly allowed rookie quarterback Cam Ward to march his troops down the field; Tennessee gained 34 yards in six plays to set up a 49-yard Joey Slye field goal. The Patriots answered with a field goal drive on their own — 10 plays, 47 yards — but it was not enough to fully grab momentum. The defense, after all, continued to look out of sync against the Titans’ opening script: the next series was a three-play, 59-yard drive that culminated in a 38-yard touchdown.
“They did a nice job early on. Glad our guys settled down,” said Mike Vrabel.
That settling down allowed the Patriots to force a punt on their next defensive drive followed by a Titans field goal thereafter. In the second half, the defense started putting the clamps on Ward and company.
Despite the promising ending, however, the beginning was not up to standard. Giving up three big passing plays in the first quarter alone — gains of 20, 18 and 38 yards — is not a recipe for success, and neither is allowing scores on three of the first four drives in the first half. The Titans might have only come away with 13 points on those series, but other teams might be better equipped to turn those opportunities into multiple touchdowns.
And if they do, the Patriots are playing an entirely different game.
