Entering Week 7 in first place in their division, the New England Patriots are in prime position to extend their win streak to four straight victories and improve to 5-2 on the year. In order to do so,
they will need to beat a 1-5 Tennessee Titans team that fired its head coach just six days ago.
Before turning our attention to the game, let’s clean out the notebook from the week that was. Welcome to this week’s edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
Mike Vrabel downplays return to Tennessee
For Mike Vrabel, Sunday’s game will be a return to his old stomping grounds.
Between 20018 and 2023, he led the Titans as their head coach, posting a 54-45 regular season record with two AFC South titles and going 2-3 in the playoffs. However, despite his success — only Jeff Fisher and Bum Phillips won more games for the organization dating back to its inception as the Houston Oilers in 1960 — he was fired after posting back-to-back losing seasons in 2022 and 2023.
Now, he will get a chance to head back to Nashville for the first time. Does the return come with extra motivation, though? At least publicly, it does not.
“There is going to be, probably, a lot to be said about this. I think it would file under the category of, ‘Is it interesting or important?’ I would probably say this would be very interesting,” Vrabel said. “But in the end, not very important to our preparation or what we need to continue to try to do to improve as a team. But having spent six years there or seven years there, I think it’ll be nice to see some people that I haven’t seen in a few years that helped us win, players and staff. But we’ve got a huge job here to do as we prepare for them.”
Besides Vrabel, several other members of his staff have ties to the Titans. Acting defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr, wide receivers coach Todd Downing and Vrabel’s right-hand man, John “Stretch” Streicher, among others, worked with him in Tennessee.
The head coach’s message to them was the same he told the media and in fact the rest of the team: it’s business as usual.
“The way Coach Vrabel handles it is what leads into how we’ll handle it,” said quarterback Drake Maye. “He’s focused on this team and not worried about going back to a place he coached for a long time and had some great success. He’s not treating it like a big deal, so it’s kind of bleeding into us. We’re treating it like another week, another opponent, and treating it the same. The way he’s handling it is the right way.”
“We’re not really worried about the he-said, she-said,” added safety Jaylinn Hawkins. “I call it poison. It reminds you of poison. We’re not getting too high or too low. We’re trying to stay ready.”
Whether or not the tone will shift after the game, especially if the favored Patriots indeed emerge as victors, remains to be seen. Leading up to the contest, however, Vrabel keptdownplaying its importance throughout the week.
“We’re not trying to win one for the Gipper here,” he said. “We’re just trying to make sure these guys are focused on improving.”
Grant’s impact
Josh McDaniels is getting plenty of praise for the Patriots’ offensive improvements this season, and rightfully so, but the offensive coordinator is not the only one responsible for the unit’s jump in performance relative to 2024. A big part is quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, who like McDaniels also joined the team this offseason.
Since then, Grant has worked closely with both his OC and the team’s quarterbacks, primarily second-year starter Drake Maye. This week, McDaniels gave insight into their working relationship and how they share responsibilities developing Maye.
“Ashton’s a really bright young coach who does a great job,” he said. “A lot of little details, a lot of things that help bring the game plan to life. All of our study preparations, our cutups, coverage details, individual technique drills — a lot of little things that are big for the quarterback. Ashton does a tremendous job of putting all those together every week.
“And when he has individual time with the QBs, it’s always productive because he’s either helping them improve something technically or fundamentally at that position or helping us get closer to really understanding the opponent that we’re getting ready to play; sometimes my time is a little bit more big picture and global with the offense and the installation and all that stuff. … Ashton does a tremendous job with those guys. I have a lot of confidence in everything he does.”
Art of the back-shoulder pass
The Patriots’ win over the New Orleans Saints last week was iced on a well-executed 21-yard pass from Drake Maye to Kayshon Boutte. The young quarterback placed the ball well, while Boutte made an impressive back-shoulder catch to move the sticks on third down and allow New England to run out the clock.
The Patriots have had multiple successful back-shoulder plays this season, and for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels that is a testament to the chemistry between a quarterback and his receivers.
“There are a lot of little things that go into that,” explained McDaniels. “You have to have trust and confidence between two people. And it depends — there’s a few different various types of those. If the defender is not looking, then I think that gives you the ability to do that. If he’s staring at you is a whole different conversation. So, I think there are a lot of things that go into that.
“Back-shoulders are not called, they’re reactionary plays, so if you beat the guy on the go route, two guys really doing a good job of being on the same page in the moment. They have to make a split-second decision about whether there is or isn’t an opportunity for that. And then, certainly ball placement and the reaction by the receiver has always been so important to that play being successful, because he has to feel it being a back-shoulder, see the ball thrown as a back-shoulder and then do the hard thing which is to have body control, strong hands. Usually there’s some kind of contact, you have a contested catch, and then finish the play. ”
Early worm catches the… ball?
Efton Chism made his NFL debut last week versus the Saints, serving as the team’s new kickoff returner following the loss of Antonio Gibson. His offensive contributions, meanwhile, were non-existence outside of a pair of snaps in a kneel-down setting.
Nonetheless, the undrafted rookie is putting the work in to turn himself into a usable piece on that side of the ball as well.
“Efton Chism’s in here at 6 a.m. every single morning and I’m sitting there with a cup of coffee waiting on him,” said wide receivers coach Todd Downing. “If he’s not there at 6, I’m worried about him.”
Chism’s work ethic is laudable, but Downing made sure to praise the entirety of his position group.
“They all work very, very hard,” he said. “And the key is going to be staying hungry, staying committed to the process. When it gets later in the season and guys are feeling sore, they’re feeling more tired and weather changes and all that, can they stay consistent? Can they stay hungry? I believe they will, and I’ll be here to serve them.”
Kayshon Boutte, first down machine
Last week against the Saints, Kayshon Boutte hauled in all five of the passes thrown his way (including the aforementioned back-shoulder catch to ice the game). All five of them went for a first down, putting the third-year wideout at 16. conversions so far this year — tops in the NFL among wide receivers 0f more than 10 catches so far this season.
‘Full-tilt‘ Jeffery Simmons a major challenge
The Titans’ roster may not be one filled with many star players, but there is one notable exception: defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, one of the most disruptive defenders in the entire league.
The Patriots know about his game-wrecking potential.
“This guy’s one of the best players in the league, period,” said offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. “The number one thing that’s that stands out to me with Simmons is how hard he plays on a snap-to-snap basis. There are other great players where there’s a bit little bit of an ebb and a flow, and to this guy there is none. It’s all the time, full tilt. … Very powerful, disruptive, really good teammate, too, because he’ll do some dirty work and help somebody else. There’s not enough superlatives to describe this guy in terms of how he plays and how effective he is.”
“Jeffery’s an excellent player with great play demeanor,” added Mike Vrabel, who coached Simmons for five years in Tennessee. “Plays physical, has multiple moves and techniques.”
The problem with Simmons is not just his skill, but how challenging it is to prepare for him. Teams don’t just have a spare Jeffery Simmons lying around.
“I can’t do anything physically to recreate what he would do,” said Vrabel. “Try to just show them as much tape and try to explain to them how he’s going to play, the style and do everything that we can to hopefully not allow him to affect the play.”
“Everyone of our guys may have to block him at one time or another, which is a huge challenge,” said McDaniels. “As you get ready to play the game, it’s not like the right tackle’s got to get ready for him or the left guard. It’s basically everybody across the front. That presents a challenge in terms of time management and understanding the matchups and how he plays and all the rest of it.”
Roster spot considerations
The Patriots continue keeping an open spot on their 53-man roster, and they do not seem to be in an immediate rush to fill it. It appears, there are two options on the table.
One is promoting a player like running back Terrell Jennings from the practice squad once his standard elevations run out; in Jennings’ case that might happen as early as next week. He has now already been elevated twice, to provide additional running back depth in Weeks 6 and 7.
Another option might be keeping a spot open for a trade acquisition. New England is reportedly looking at cornerback and pass rush among other spots, and the team might feel confident in its ability to bring talent aboard before the No. 4 deadline.
New signing insight
Whereas their active roster has been quite steady so far this year, there has been quite a bit of turnover on the practice squad. Among the latest moves was signing tight end Thomas Odukoya, a member of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.
Odukoya is no stranger to the Patriots, at least in theory: he spent two seasons under Mike Vrabel in Tennessee.
“Thomas has been with us when we were in Tennessee. He’s continued to improve, great teammate, practices extremely hard,” said Vrabel about the 28-year-old.
“He’s improved. Was a very good blocker but has improved just his overall body control and ability to run routes for a wide tight end. It’s not like some receiving tight end, but he knows what his role is. He contributes on special teams, and he’s gotten better. We just weren’t able to get him before. He would go back [to Tennessee], and that was his prerogative. Hopefully, he can continue to improve, be a valuable member here with the International Program and be ready, like everybody else on this practice squad prepare as a starter.”
Defending the East
For the first time in nearly four years, the AFC East is running through Foxborough again. Thanks to the Patriots winning three straight games and the Buffalo Bills losing two in a row — including one to the Patriots — Mike Vrabel’s team holds the divisions lead on a tiebreaker.
There is still a long way ahead for both teams before a champion is crowned, but New England has one advantage on its side beyond winning the first head-to-head: an easier schedule, as illustrated by Sharp Football Analysis:
While the Bills also have a relatively soft schedule the rest of the way, New England’s is still quite a bit easier. Of course, just because that is the case on paper does not mean the Patriots are set to cruise to their first AFC East title since 2019.
Week ahead
The Patriots remain on a standard Sunday-to-Sunday schedule heading into Week 8. The only difference is that they will finally stay home after three straight road contests.
- Monday, Oct. 20: Mike Vrabel media availability
- Tuesday, Oct. 21: Players’ day off
- Wednesday,Oct. 22: Practice, First injury report
- Thursday, Oct. 23: Practice, Second injury report
- Friday, Oct. 24: Practice, Final injury report
- Saturday, Oct. 25: Pre-game walkthrough, Practice squad elevations
- Sunday, Oct. 26: Game day
The Patriots will host the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium next Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
