Having won five straight games to improve to 6-2 on the season, the New England Patriots are quickly closing in on matching their win total from the last two years combined. On Sunday against the Atlanta
Falcons, they will be in prime position to get one step closer: whereas the Patriots are running hot right now, their opponent is coming off back-to-back losses that dropped them to 3-4 on the season.
Naturally, a lot of our attention over the last days was on that upcoming game (although a couple of trades demanded to be analyzed as well). For anything else, let’s open up the notebook from the week.
Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
Josh McDaniels proving himself a home run hire
The first half of last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns was a dogfight for the Patriots offense. Facing a relentless pass rush led by future Hall of Famer Myles Garrett, the unit managed only nine total points. While that was enough to take a close 9-7 lead into the locker room at intermission, it was not one to feel comfortable about.
Coming out for the third quarter, therefore, the goal was clear: blow the game open by starting fast and scoring the first touchdown of the afternoon. That is precisely what happened, in large part because of who was calling the shots from the sidelines.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was in his bag on the opening drive of the second half versus Cleveland, seemingly outmaneuvering his opponent on every down. The result was a seven-play, 77-yard series that took just four minutes and saw no third downs before being capped by a touchdown pass from Drake Maye to a wide-open Hunter Henry.
“His demeanor at halftime, you could tell that he was calming us down. He knew that we were good,” said Maye after the game. “Just classic Coach McDaniels drive. He’s just dialing it up multiple times and getting guys open and really making it easy for me”
For McDaniels and his offense, that drive was a turning point in that particular game; the Patriots ended up winning 32-13. Looking at the entire season so far, however, it was just the latest impressive display from a unit that had been one of the worst in football last season.
McDaniels’ arrival alongside head coach Mike Vrabel this offseason is not the only reason for the unit’s improvement from 2024 to 2025, but it did serve as a catalyst: the veteran OC bringing vast experience and a scheme he has refined for a quarter century has allowed both the unit and its young quarterback to take a major leap forward.
“He’s done it his whole life,” said Maye. “I feel like he was put on this earth to be an offensive coordinator.”
“I feel like he is always one step ahead when it comes to anything,” added wide receiver Kayshon Boutte at his locker this week. “On Sundays, we kind of got a good understanding of what they are going to run on certain down and distances. It’s always an advantage for us and I think he does a tremendous job of putting us in situations to be great.”
McDaniels has being doing that since the mid-2000s, when he was promoted to Patriots offensive coordinator by then-head coach Bill Belichick. His meteoric rise gave way to his first head coaching opportunity, but he flamed out in Denver and via a brief stop in St. Louis found his way back to New England. After his return, he coordinated three Super Bowl-winning offenses and showed that he can succeed even without Tom Brady running the show.
In 2020, after Brady’s departure to Tampa, he adapted his offense to fit what Cam Newton brought to the table. A year later, he guided Mac Jones to one of the better rookie quarterback seasons in recent memory.
His work during his second stint as Patriots OC allowed him another head coaching opportunity (or, if we are being fully accurate, two, but he turned down Indianapolis at the last moment). Once again, however, he proved that being one of the best coordinators in the game does not necessarily translate to being a good head coach; McDaniels was fired halfway through his second season with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023.
Spending 2024 out of football, McDaniels had a chance to recalibrate and prepare himself for the next opportunity. That opportunity came via a former Patriots player whom he had worked with before, former linebacker/part-time tight end Mike Vrabel.
McDaniels was not the only candidate to interview for the vacant position on Vrabel’s staff; the team also talked to Thomas Brown, Marcus Brady, Grant Udinski and Eric Bieniemy. However, he was seen as the clear frontrunner ever since his name was first mentioned and his hire being announced nine days after Vrabel’s was no surprise: McDaniels and Vrabel reuniting had been a possibility since before the Patriots’ head coaching job even opened up.
Eight weeks into the season, hiring McDaniels might have been Vrabel’s most consequential personnel move this offseason. And while there have been adaptations to his scheme based on personal and input form the team’s new-look offensive staff, the basis is the same it has been for the last almost 25 years.
And that in itself is a problem, as Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich explained this week.
“He knows exactly where your weaknesses are, his strengths are,” Ulbrich said about McDaniels’ offense. “A good friend of mine, Todd Downing, is on the staff there and he’s really made the statement, which I completely believe in: he knows his offense. It’s not just that it’s innovative. It’s not just that it’s efficient. It’s not just that it’s been successful for a long, long time. He knows it like the back of his hand. He knows every snake in the grass. He knows every pivot. He knows everything defenses have done to him over the course of 25 years.
“And then he knows his answer to that test. So, it’s a guy that’s got a PhD in his offense, knows how to run it at a high high level, and knows how to pivot within the game based on what you’re doing, how you’re trying to attack him. It’s a great challenge.”
Given the respect he still enjoys among his peers, and the fact that he has once again proven himself capable of developing young quarterbacks, one naturally has to wonder what the future holds for the 49-year-old. While another head coaching opportunity coming his way seems unlikely given how his first two stints went, all it takes is one of 29 teams to make the call.
For now, however, McDaniels seems happy with where he and — a large part of every discussion when it comes to his future — his family are.
“I love this. I love football. I love coaching here, working for Vrabes,” he explained this week. “I’ve said this before, but I learn something every day, every week. It’s just cool for me watching that whole process. The way he’s really kind of spearheaded the vision that he has for our team and our staff has been great. And then just this group of players, they come to work every day with a great approach and great attitude. It makes your job fun.”
Kayshon Boutte, non-traditional deep threat
The Patriots’ vertical passing game is the most efficient in the NFL this season, in large part due to Drake Maye being the best deep thrower in football right now: according to Pro Football Focus, he has gone 18-of-23 for 549 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions on passes of 20-plus yards.
A big portion of that production has come courtesy of Kayshon Boutte. The third-year wide receiver has caught nine of 10 deep targets for 236 yards and five scores, leading the NFL in deep touchdowns and deep catch percentage (among qualifying WRs).
What is most impressive is Boutte doing it without having a traditional deep threat profile.
A lack of prototypical build or speed is not a hindrance for Boutte, however. Instead, he sees technique as being more importance than having natural advantages.
“I tell people, the deep ball is not always about speed,” he explained. “A lot of guys think just because maybe you run a 4.3, 4.2, you can’t always take the top off. I don’t think that’s really part of the game because I think technique beats speed, honestly, if you ask me. It’s just knowing how to run routes and get a good understanding on how to get open. I think I do a tremendous job of that because I’m not the fastest, but I always find away to get past.”
‘Crazy’ Robert Spillane setting the tone on defense
While a lot of the attention the Patriots are currently getting is, unsurprisingly, focused on Drake Maye and the offense, the other side of the ball has played equally impressive football as of late: New England enters Week 9 ranked fourth in the NFL in points against per game (18.3) and fifth in takeaways (11).
That is the result of a full-team effort, but one being led by linebacker Robert Spillane. The offseason signing has fully embraced his role as defensive leader, and his presence is setting the tone for the rest of the group.
“We love Rob. He’s crazy in a good way,” said defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga. “Great vet. He knows the game so well, especially in the run. He’s always giving us alerts up front what he feels like is coming. And so we’re hearing that at the same time as we’re watching the play develop. So, it goes both ways. But he’s a dawg. We love having him back there.”
Following two straight seasons in which he led the Raiders in tackles, Spillane joined the Patriots via a three-year, $33 million free agency pact in March. He was brought in to be a cornerstone of the rebuilt defense under Mike Vrabel and coordinator Terrell Williams, and has lived up to that billing ever since.
“He’s got good instincts,” said Vrabel about him. “He stays square on contact. He plays with his hands, doesn’t get tied up on too many blocks, and can kind of see things and fit things, whether that’s a gap scheme, outside zone, inside zone, all the different run schemes. He sees them well.”
Spillane himself knows about his status as a captain and leader on that side of the ball. For him, however, the collective is what makes the group successful.
“We have a room full of guys that view themselves as impact players, view themselves as game changing players, and that’s where it starts,” he explained. “If you don’t believe that you’re going to be a game changing player, you never will be. We have a room full of guys that want to go out there and make plays, want to help this team win. We’re just going to continue to come together, mesh together, and try to be the best defense we can be.”
Stefon Diggs looking good for contract incentives
The three-year, $63.5 million contract Stefon Diggs signed with the Patriots this offseason is heavily packed with contract incentives. On top of the base value, he can earn an extra $5.5 million between 2025 and 2027. A majority of that sum — $4.5 million in total — is on the line this year, and the veteran wide receiver is on his way to earn a significant portion of it.
Standing at 42 catches for 470 yards through eight games, he is on track for 89 catches and 999 receiving yards this season. That would amount to an extra $1 million coming his way at the moment, but 1 extra catch and receiving yard would double that sum: if he hits the 90-catch, 1,000-yard mark, he would bring in $2million in incentives for this season.
Given his hot start and heavy involvement in the Patriots’ passing offense, reaching those plateaus is not an unreasonable prediction.
Interior pressure masterclass
The upcoming game between the Patriots and Falcons will feature the three most disruptive interior defensive linemen in football. On the one hand, you will have New England’s potent pairing of Christian Barmore and Milton Williams; on the other hand, Atlanta’s Ruke Orhorhoro has been similarly disruptive so far this season.
Needless to say, the two interior offensive lines will be a key to the game and their respective offenses’ success come Sunday afternoon.
Joshua Farmer a ‘sponge’ along the D-line
Last week’s contest against the Browns was a career day for rookie defensive tackle Joshua Farmer. The fourth-round draft pick got his first career start and ended up playing a career-high 39% of defensive snaps.
The circumstances played a part in that — Christian Barmore was benched for undisclosed disciplinary reasons — but his uptick in playing time did not happen entirely by accident either. Instead, Farmer has solidified himself as a valuable member of the Patriots’ defensive tackle rotation.
“Young pup. He is a sponge, just taking everything in,” said fellow DT Khyiris Tonga. “You can see that as each week goes by, he’s just slowly picking up the game. It’s definitely different from college and he knows that — the pace of the game. It’s fun to see him slowly get into that and get into being comfortable and into what he can be. Joshua’s doing well.”
One of the veterans in the room, Tonga has been impressed by his young teammate’s development both on and off the field.
“He’s a good guy,” he said about Farmer. “He’s hilarious. He’s my locker roommate, so I’ve always got to give him stuff. Rookie, so he feels like a little brother. But he just comes in and works every day and he’s definitely just earning respect from the guys around him and in the locker room. We love to see that and just just seeing him grow into who he needs to be.”
Making sense of the Kyle Dugger, Keion White trades
Despite the NFL trade deadline is not coming up until Tuesday, the Patriots decided to get in on the action early. They traded defensive lineman Keion White to San Francisco and safety Kyle Dugger to Pittsburgh earlier this week, with the news being reported within an hour of each other.
The fallout of the moves has been discussed at length, but the “Why?” remains a topic of debate — one Mike Vrabel was not willing to shed light on during his press conference the day after the moves were made public.
From what we can tell, there are two main reasons at play: outlook and investment.
In White’s case, the outlook no longer justified keeping him on the team. A former starter as an inside-out hybrid, he had a hard time adapting to a different, more edge-focused role in the Patriots’ new defensive scheme. As a consequence, he lost his starting position to K’Lavon Chaisson and by Week 8 was made a healthy scratch — a move already hinting toward a potential parting of the ways.
As far as Dugger is concerned, he too had lost his starting role earlier this year. The longest-tenured Patriot entered training camp as one of the top safeties alongside Jabrill Peppers; within two months of each other both were let go to end up with the Steelers. Even though he had served as the No. 3 safety behind Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson, Dugger’s outlook was also not favorable particularly relative to his contract. And while New England will swallow a portion of it, the team did end up gaining cap space in 2025 ($4.18M), 2026 ($4.7M) and 2027 ($18M) as a result of the move.
At the end of the day, those gains plus some extra draft capital made moving on from both him and White worth it in the eyes of the team.
2024 contract extensions revisited
Bill Belichick had left the Patriots with some significant capital to rebuild after his departure following the 2023 season: besides the third overall draft pick, which was eventually spent on Drake Maye, the team also had massive amounts of cap space available (prompting Belichick’s successor as head coach, Jerod Mayo, to make the now-infamous “burning some cash” statement).
So, what did the team do? It made some investments, with a large focus on re-signing or extending in-house talent under new de facto general manager Eliot Wolf’s “draft and develop” mantra. In total, 11 noteworthy contracts were handed out, including one to the aforementioned Kyle Dugger.
With Dugger off the team less than halfway into his deal, let’s revisit those deals:
- RB Rhamondre Stevenson: 4 years, $36 million
- WR Kendrick Bourne: 3 years, $19.5 million
- TE Hunter Henry: 3 years, $27 million
- C David Andrews: 1 year, $6.5 million
- G Mike Onwenu: 3 years, $57 million
- DT Christian Barmore: 4 years, $84 million
- DT Davon Godchaux: 2 years, $18 million
- ED Anfernee Jennings: 3 years, $12 million
- ED Joshua Uche: 1 year, $3 million
- S Kyle Dugger: 4 years, $58 million
- S Jabrill Peppers: 3 years, $25 million
Out of those 11 deals, five are still active. Rhamondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry, Mike Onwenu, Christian Barmore and Anfernee Jennings are the only players who were not moved one way or another since extending with the Patriots last offseason. The others were all either released (Bourne, Andrews, Peppers) or traded (Godchaux, Uche, Dugger).
Insight into the new guys on the 53
Following their trades of Kyle Dugger and Keion White, the Patriots had two spots open on their 53-man roster. Despite some speculation about potential follow-up trades, none have happened so far. Instead, the open spots have gone to two players most recently on a practice squad: the Patriots’ own Terrell Jennings, and the Miami Dolphins’ John Saunders Jr.
This week, Mike Vrabel gave insight into both.
“He’s a great teammate. I believe that, I know that, I’ve seen that,” he said about Jennings. “He cares about his teammates. Plays hard, unselfish, and then he runs hard. I think he’s improved. He’s improved his skillset from the time that we’ve gotten here in the spring. He’s taking advantage of his opportunities, whether that be on the special teams unit – he had a couple tackles last week and was excited. Everybody was excited that he got one of those special teams game ball recognitions. He’s done a good job when he’s been in there. So, excited to see him continue to play.”
Jennings originally arrived in New England as a rookie free agent last offseason. After seeing minimal action as a rookie, he started his 2025 campaign on the practice squad but was promoted three times to help replace injured running back/kickoff returner Antonio Gibson.
Saunders Jr, on the other hand, started his career as an undrafted rookie with the Dolphins. Despite having shown a knack for finding the football, he too was unable to make the club’s initial 53-man team and started out on the practice squad. Eight weeks into the season, he is now joining Jennings on the Patriots’ active roster.
“John’s a fantastic guy,” said his new head coach. “We loved our pre-draft visits with him as a person. He’s learning, trying to learn our system, learn how we do things. Everybody does something a little different. So, we’re excited to work with him.”
Setting up the week ahead
Between signing Marcus Jones to a contract extension, trading the aforementioned Keion White and Kyle Dugger, and filling the open spots on their roster — plus preparing for the Falcons — the Patriots have had a busy few days. Chances are, another active week awaits.
The main date on the calendar, of course, is the NFL trade deadline. By 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 4, all trading for the rest of the season will cease — and the Patriots could very well be among the teams making moves to strengthen a roster potentially headed toward the playoffs.
Likewise, on Wednesday, the league will update its waiver system. Starting that day and through the postseason, all players released will be subject too the waiver wire regardless of experience.
Along the way, New England will also prepare for their upcoming road game against the Buccaneers. They will practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before a Saturday morning walkthrough and flight to Tampa. Kickoff remains set for 1 p.m. ET, despite the game at one point being considered a candidate to be flexed into a later window.
