The New England Patriots returned to the win column on Sunday, and they did so in dominant fashion. Despite falling behind 6-0, they quickly gained the upper hand over the Carolina Panthers and ultimately
managed to cruise to a 42-13 victory that was effectively wrapped up by the early third quarter.
Naturally, the Patriots’ first home win of the season (as well as Mike Vrabel’s tenure as head coach) saw plenty of noteworthy performances. A look at our weekly positional grades, meanwhile, shows that the team as a whole performed at a high level.
Patriots position grades for Week 4
Quarterback: Going up against his childhood team, Drake Maye played one of the best games of his young career. Besides completing 82.4% of his pass attempts (14 of 17) for 203 yards with a pair of touchdowns, he also scored on the ground. In general, he looked comfortable operating the offense, made smart decisions, and mostly managed to keep the football out of harm’s way. There were a few misses, including the first third down of the day (an inaccurate near-interception intended for Kayshon Boutte) and his lone sack (coming off tight end Austin Hooper perhaps a bit too quickly), but overall the second-year QB and his team can feel very good about his performance. | Grade: A-
Running back: Last week, after losing three fumbles against Pittsburgh, the Patriots’ running back group earned the first F of the season. This week, the group managed to rebound nicely. Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson and Antonio Gibson did not just take care of the ball, they also had one explosive run each. While their is room for improvement as far as being involved in the passing game and productive in pass protection are concerned, this was a much-needed step in the right direction. | Grade: B+
Wide receiver: Even though only three of the five wide receivers dressed for the game touched the ball, the group as a whole had a strong outing. The leader of the pack was Stefon Diggs, who registered his first 100-yard game in two years and had multiple big connections with Drake Maye; he looked every bit like the WR1 he is being paid to be. Besides the veteran, Mack Hollins scored his second touchdown of the year while DeMario Douglas — who did not see a single target and played only eight snaps — managed to earn a shoutout from head coach Mike Vrabel for his blocking. | Grade: A
Tight end: New England’s tight end group continues to be arguably the most consistent unit on offense. Playing 76% and 65% of snaps, respectively, Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper both had positive contributions in the passing game — catching a combined three passes for 63 yards and a touchdown — and some solid blocks on the ground. Even though the blocking still has room for improvement and Hooper received a 15-yard facemask penalty, that is a minor nitpick relative to what was another strong outing for the two-headed attack. | Grade: A-
Offensive line: Despite missing left guard Jared Wilson due to knee and ankle injuries, the Patriots offensive line played a good game against Carolina. The starting unit of Will Campbell, Ben Brown, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses managed to keep Drake Maye mostly clean, and also opened up some holes on the ground: all three of the aforementioned backs averaged more than 4 yards per carry, a testament to the blocking up front. What also stands out is that the group was not flagged for a single penalty. | Grade: A-
Defensive line: The stat sheet might not show it, but Christian Barmore and Milton Williams continue to be a handful for opposing offenses. The two veterans were disruptive all day particularly against the pass, and helped set the tone for the rest of the defense. New England also got solid contributions out of edges Harold Landry, K’Lavon Chaisson and Keion White, who combined to register 11 quarterback pressures. If there was one negative for the unit, it was stopping the run: Carolina gained 129 yards on 28 carries for an average of 4.6 yards per run. | Grade: B
Linebacker: Robert Spillane might have turned the corner. After playing some rough football in Weeks 1 and 2, the team captain has now looked good in back-to-back games; against Carolina, he was repeatedly around the ball and also managed to deliver on all 10 of his tackle attempts. The snaps alongside him, meanwhile, were split between Christian Elliss, who missed another tackle, as well as Jack Gibbens and Marte Mapu. The group, including Spillane, also had a hand in the Panthers’ success on the ground, though. | Grade: B
Cornerback: Getting Christian Gonzalez back allowed the Patriots to reshuffle the deck at cornerback, and the results looked encouraging. With Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones as the top three, Carolina’s wide receivers were mostly held in check throughout the day; Tetairoa McMillan led the team with 62 yards on four catches. Outside of a pair of penalties against Davis, the group played a rather clean game and is trending in the right direction now that it is finally complete. | Grade: A-
Safety: The Patriots’ safeties were not quite on the same level as the cornerbacks on Sunday, but they still played a perfectly adequate game. The positives included Craig Woodson making a pair of plays on third down, with the negatives including the rookie missing a pair of tackles and being targeted on both Panthers touchdowns, twice falling victim to picks. Meanwhile, Jaylinn Hawkins departed in the third quarter with a hamstring injury, but he a) was solid before getting banged up, and b) Kyle Dugger looked OK filling in. | Grade: B-
Special teams: The kickoff return game was mostly a non-factor again and the group was flagged twice, but those miscues pale in comparison to the unit’s overall impact on the game. Led by standout punt returner Marcus Jones, special teams was critical in the Patriots beating the Panthers. Jones finished the day setting a new franchise single-game record with 167 punt return yards, including an 87-yard touchdown in the first quarter that very much turned out to be the contest’s turning point. In addition, Andy Borregales made all six of his extra points, Bryce Baringer looked good punting the ball, and Brenden Schooler and the coverage team delivered as well. | Grade: A-
Last week, the Patriots were beaten by one score despite turning the ball over five times. This week, they managed to hold onto the football and suddenly the result looked a lot better. While the game is more complex than that, the glass-half-full view from the loss to Pittsburgh in Week 3 was that a cleaner game against the Panthers could very well lead to a win. That did indeed happen, and in a way that saw all three units contribute.
How would you grade the Patriots’ performance in Week 4, though? Do you agree with our assessment? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.
