Patriots report card against the Colts

The New England Patriots soundly beat the Colts 26-3. Here is a closer look at how each unit performed.

Quarterbacks: C

Mac Jones wasn’t great, but it was his first complete game without throwing an interception in seven weeks. It’s difficult to find the culprit of New England’s offensive struggles. Is it the protection, the receivers not getting open fast enough, the erratic throws and decisions from Mac, or the playcalling? Well, It’s a little of all of them, but to put it on the quarterback isn’t right. On average, Jones held onto the ball for 2.58 seconds before throwing; that was the fifth-quickest amount for all quarterbacks in Week 9. Mac averaged 4.4 yards per attempt, the second lowest of his career. The sophomore quarterback finished 20 of 30 for 147 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for a passer rating of 89.2. Another issue is the lack of success on third down; the Patriots were 6-17 Sunday. On first downs, the Patriots ran the ball 66% of the time. This caused New England to be in second and long situations all game long. The quarterback play will have to improve, but so will the surrounding units on the offense. We’ll go there next.

Running backs B

Rhamondre Stevenson was the lead back again in Damien Harris’s absence. He played efficiently enough, but his stat line won’t wow you. Stevenson ran for 60 yards on 15 attempts averaging 4.0 per carry. In the passing game, Stevenson finished with three receptions on seven targets for 10 yards, including a one-handed catch touchdown. Mac Jones was often unsuccessful when targeting Stevenson and overthrew him on a wheel route which could have turned into 6. However, with the poor blocking and line play, Stevenson’s performance was positive. J.J. Taylor was called up to the practice squad and was the backup back; he had one catch for eight yards and ten carries for nine yards. Taylor’s best play came when he recovered a Kendrick Bourne fumble.

Wide receivers D+

The wide receivers had trouble getting open against a tough Colts secondary on Sunday, as the unit combined for 58 yards on 14 targets. Jakboi Meyers was a lone bright spot as he led the pass catchers with five receptions for 42 yards. However, he did fumble on the second play of the second half. Kendrick Bourne hauled in three catches for 11 yards but also fumbled (recovered by Taylor). Rookie Tyquan Thornton, Nelson Agholor, and recently elevated Lynn Boyden combined for one reception for 5 yards. It was the worst game thus far for the receivers, but the expectation is DeVante Parker will return after the bye week.

Tight ends B

Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith were both equally involved against the Colts. The game’s biggest play came when Mac Jones hit Hunter Henry on a seam pass for 30 yards. Henry would end up finishing with four receptions for 50 yards. However, Henry did miss an assignment on a block on Kwity Paye on a second-and-goal attempt late in the game. Fellow tight end Jonnu Smith caught three passes on four targets for 21 yards. All of Smith’s targets were screen passes or caught behind the line of scrimmage as New England tried to find ways to get the ball to the tight end.

Offensive line F

FLUNK! The offensive line had its second-to-worst performance last week (slightly better than last week), and their production wasn’t much better this week against a tough Colts front. Mac Jones was sacked four times for 14 yards and was hit seven times. The Patriots only averaged 2.7 yards per carry and were only successful on 6/17 third-down attempts. Additionally, the Patriots had eight negative yardage plays and committed four penalties. Cole Strange was benched for the second consecutive week, returning late in the fourth quarter. Strange has seemed to hit the “rookie wall,” and it doesn’t help that David Andrews was inactive for the second consecutive week. Andrews, the longest-tenured lineman and a team captain, has been out since he suffered a concussion during Week 7. Fresh off the injured reserve, Yodny Cajuste started the game at right tackle in place of Isaiah Wynn and had a tough time early but seemed to improve as the game proceeded. Right guard Michael Onwenu continued his constant success; he is now PFF’s 2nd highest-rated guard.

Defensive line A

The Patriots defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage as they limited the Colts running backs to 78 yards, of which 19 came from quarterback Sam Ehlinger on a scramble. The Patriots did not let a Colts running back gain more than 5 yards and was often in their backfield. Three Patriots set a franchise single-game sack record of nine sacks with a combination of stunts and post-snap movements. Davon Godchaux made his presence known as he contributed to a couple of run stuffs. The only plays that keep the grade from an A+ are a pair of penalties committed by Daniel Ekuale, most notably a roughing the passer flag, which negated another Judon sack.

Linebackers A

Led by Matthew Judon, the linebacker unit dominated the game for the Patriots. 8.5 of the nine sacks were from the linebacker unit. Additionally, they racked up ___ tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 11 QB hits. Judon had three sacks, four QB hits, and three TFLs. No other player in the NFL has more than 8.5 sacks, and Judon is making his case for DPOTY. Judon is also on pace to break Andre Tippett’s single-season Patriots sack record of 18.5 sacks. The third-year Michigan product Josh Uche also had a good game with three sacks, two QB hits, and three TFLs. Jahlani Tavai contributed to half a sack, and Raekwon McMillan had a sack and QB hit of his own.

Secondary A

Jonathan Jones showed why he should be the No. 1 corner for New England with a pick-6 that closed the game for the Patriots. As a group, the Patriots limited the Colts to 103 yards passing and did not let them convert on third down. Jalen Mills didn’t allow a signal reception and had two pass breakups. The veteran Devin McCourty almost had an interception but had two passes defended, and Jack Jones also broke up a pass. Jabrill Peppers also had a couple of run stuffs of his own, which led to a turnover on downs. The Patriots will be tested after their bye week as they will face above-par wideouts in Justin Jefferson, Stefon Diggs, Devante Adams, Deandre Hopkins, Ja’marr Chase, and have a rematch with the best receiver duo in the league, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Special teams A

Many Patriots players were determined to play better on special teams, as the Colts dominated New England in that area last season. As Always, Nick Folk remained consistent, hitting all four of his field goals, and is now 19/21 on field goals and 21/21 on extra points. In the second quarter, special teamer coach Cam Achord had the perfect play call, letting Jonathan Jones go unblocked and block Matt Haccek’s punt. Rookie Brendon Schooler recovered the block, giving the Patriots an instant red zone possession. Marcus Jones continued his stellar performance with a 32-yard kick return and a 23-yard punt return. However, the grade isn’t perfect because of Jake Bailey’s continuous mishaps. Bailey started the game with a huge 58-yard punt but then went downhill. Next, he registered punts of 36 yards and an embarrassing 7-yard shank.

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