The Patriots lost their home opener to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. New England had many chances to win, but turnovers, penalties, and poor communication led to a 37-26 defeat. There were some positives to take away, as New England scored 20+ points for the first time this season. However, Mac Jones left the game early with an apparent ankle injury.
Here are eight takeaways from the New England home opener:
1. Turnovers are costly
The Patriots committed four turnovers yesterday, Including three interceptions thrown by Mac Jones in the second half. After the Ravens took a 28-20 lead late in the third quarter Jones threw an interception to Ravens linebacker Josh Bynes, he was targeting DeVante Parker. The Ravens turned the interception into 3 points with a Justin Tucker 56-yard field goal.
When Jones had his second Interception of the day, the Ravens had a two-point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter. Mac tried to hit DeVante Parker in the back of the endzone but threw high and hit Ravens Cornerback Marlon Humphrey instead.
The last interception came at the two-minute mark when Mac Jones threw too high trying to connect with Kendrick Bourne. That turnover iced the game for Baltimore. Mac Jones then hobbled off the field and went straight to the locker room with an apparent ankle injury.
Although one of the most costly turnovers happened when Nelson Agholor came up with a huge reception but had the ball punched out by rookie safety Kyle Hamilton.
If the Patriots want to compete and beat high-quality teams. First, they have to clean up their ball security. They have committed eight turnovers in three games and are 28th in the league in turnover differential.
2. Deatrich Wise is making a huge jump
First-year captain Deatrich Wise is making a substantial six-year jump. He sacked quarterback Lamar Jackson three times yesterday,, tying his sack total from last season, where he played 16 games. He became the first player since Chandler Jones to sack a player three times in one game. Jones last did it on September 20th, 2015, against the Bills. Wise also had four tackles for losses and five solo tackles.
Wise, signed a $22 million contract extension in the 2021 NFL offseason. Matthew Judon spoke on Wise Improvement and said, “Deatrich has been putting in so much work off the field. Countless hours that nobody’s seen, and it’s just showing up now… It’s so much work during practice, and it’s films, studying by himself that he’s getting better.”
3. DeVante Parker is alive
Wide receiver DeVante Parker had a huge day yesterday for the Patriots. He racked up five receptions for 156 yards, four yards short of a career-high. Furthermore, every reception he had yesterday went for 20-plus yards. Parker had one reception for nine yards in the first two weeks of the season.
New England acquired Parker via trade with the Miami Dolphins this offseason. If Parker can repeat what he did on Sunday, the Patriots offense should start seeing improvement.
4. Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews Dominate
Quarterback Lamar Jackson was unstoppable on Sunday, playing at an MVP level. He completed 18 of 29 pass attempts for 219 yards with four touchdowns and one interception against the Patriots, in addition to 107 rushing yards and one more touchdown. The Patriots defense seemingly played well while surrendering 37 points. However, they could not defend Lamar Jackson’s ability to run and pass.
Furthermore, Mark Andrews had a spectacular game himself. Andrews, who finished with eight receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns, made multiple big plays for Baltimore’s Offense.
The Patriots were without Safety Kyler Dugger, who was greatly missed Sunday. New England has held tight ends in the last two games to a combined five receptions for 25 yards and one touchdown.
5. Rhamondre Stevenson RB1
Rhamondre Stevenson looks like a running back one on Sunday. He had 12 carries for 73 yards (6.1 yards per attempt) and one touchdown. Stevenson also contributed in the passing game; he was targeted five times and had four catches for 28 yards.
Damien Harris is in his contract year, and it’s not looking promising for an extension. Stevenson is looking better each game. Stevenson saw 62% of the snaps, while Harris only saw 38%. Stevenson’s ability to break tackles has kept him on the field thus far.
6. Welcome back to Gillette, Jonathan Jones
Jonathan Jones made quite the comeback to Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Jones suffered an ACL injury last season,, and Sunday was his first time playing at Gillette since 2020.
Lamar Jackson attempted one throw during the first half to a receiver, and Jones picked off that throw. Jackson was targeting Rashod Batman over the middle of the field when Jonathon Jones intercepted the ball and gave the Patriots excellent field position at Baltimore’s 32-yard line. New England ended up turning the turnover into points.
Later in the fourth quarter, Jones punched a ball out of wide receiver Devin Duvernay’s hands. Peppers recovered the ball giving New England another chance to score.
Jonathan Jones is PFF’s highest-rated cornerback, and if he can keep up his play, he will look for a significant contract extension in the off-season.
7. Tough game for Mac Jones, where he exits early
Mac Jones had a challenging game Sunday; he completed 22 passes for 321 yards but had zero touchdowns and three interceptions. However, Jones is getting more comfortable throwing the ball downfield as he averaged 10 yards per completion. Mac is also using his legs more. He ran five times for 31 yards and a touchdown.
The bigger storyline is Mac headed straight to the locker room in pain after his third interception when it looked like 320-pound Callias Cambell landed on his ankle. The diagnosis is a high ankle sprain. It is unclear at the time whether Mac Jones will miss any games. Jones said in his press conference that he is “day to day” and will treat his ankle during the week. While many NFL analysts like Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter are reporting he will be out much longer. Many estimate Jones will go on the IR and be out for four weeks. Brian Hoyer should be under center if he cannot suit up.
8. Moving on to Green Bay
The Patriots will head to Green Bay as 11 Point underdogs. Many expect Brain Hoyer to be the quarterback.
If the Patriots can squeak out a win against Green Bay,, they are in a great spot moving forward. The following opponents are Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and New York.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
