Ahead of their game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, we identified several X-factors that would be important for the New England Patriots to come with a victory. Given that they ended up beating
the NFC South team with a final score of 42-13, it is safe to say that they succeeded in those key areas.
Let’s revisit them to find out where and how the Patriots managed to do it.
X-factor vs. Panthers: Ball security
After turning the ball over five times in Week 3 against Pittsburgh, the Patriots put an emphasis on ball security heading into Week 4 against Carolina. It paid off: the team did not seriously put the ball in harm’s way at any point in the game, with an incomplete third down pass from quarterback Drake Maye on New England’s opening drive probably the most dangerous play of the afternoon.
Overall, however, Maye made sound decisions with the ball and looked decisive with his reads and rushing attempts. Meanwhile, the running backs also deserve praise: Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson both fumbled versus the Steelers, but the two veterans played a clean game a week later; the same also was true for rookie back TreVeyon Henderson.
“It was really good,” Henderson said after the game. “I think we did a good job as a group at holding one another accountable, encouraging one another, pushing forward, and not dwelling on the past. Coming to work this week, especially Rhamondre and Antonio, seeing how they approached practice this week, really encouraged me.”
The win over Carolina was the second game this year that saw the Patriots not turn the ball over. The sample size is admittedly small, but we’re going to say it nonetheless: they are 2-0 in those games.
Other X-factors in Week 4
Perimeter run game: New England’s running game had yet to find its rhythm entering Week 4, but the group did have a solid day against Carolina to finish with 106 yards on 26 carries — an average of 4.1 yards per run — and a pair of touchdowns. A significant portion came on runs to the outside, i.e. away from stalwart defensive tackle Derrick Brown: the Patriots had 75 yards when attacking horizontally and averaged 6.3 yards per carry on plays like these. Misdirection concepts played a big role in that.
TE Hunter Henry and TE Austin Hooper: The Panthers entered Week 4 as one of the worst teams in the NFL at defending tight ends, and the Patriots did take advantage of their insufficiencies in that particular area. Henry and Hooper combined to catch three passes for 63 yards and a touchdown on the day — not a massive output, but still important production on a day that saw the team take to the air just 17 times.
RG Mike Onwenu and RT Morgan Moses: The aforementioned Derrick Brown was a potential problem along a Panthers defensive line that had been inconsistent to start the year. However, New England’s offensive line kept him in check due to the use of quick game, play action and screen passes. He still registered two hurries and was solid as a run defender from his spot over the right side of the offensive line, but the Patriots managed to neutralize him for much of the day.
D-line discipline: Even though he is not the most prolific quarterback in the NFL and he ended up having an unspectacular day against New England, the Patriots defense mentioned Bryce Young’s ability to extend plays from the pocket. The “jitterbug,” as defensive tackle Milton Williams called him leading up to Week 4, had some moments doing so on Sunday as well. For the most part, however, the defense kept him contained and played a disciplined game.
LB2: The Patriots’ second linebacker spot next to team captain Robert Spillane was a question mark entering Sunday, and the team addressed it by going into rotational mode: Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens and, to a lesser degree Marte Mapu all saw action as LB2. There were some ups and downs from the trio, including Elliss missing his ninth tackle of the year, but it was far from the liability it could have been both against the pass and the run.
CB Christian Gonzalez: In his first game back from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for seven weeks, Gonzalez was matched up against a variety of wide receivers. His highest-profile opponent was Panthers first-round rookie Tetairoa McMillan, who ended up catching two passes for 31 yards against the second-team All-Pro. Despite those receptions, New England’s No. 1 cornerback played a solid overall game against both McMillan and the rest of Carolina’s receiving group.
KR Antonio Gibson and KR TreVeyon Henderson: Carolina’s much-discussed “dirty kickoffs” were not much of a factor. Neither Antonio Gibson nor TreVeyon Henderson mishandled the balls coming their way, while the latter even had a 28-yard return to the New England 40-yard line (that was wiped out because of a penalty away from the play). This was another part of the Patriots winning the special teams battle.
