Patriots report card from 20-17 loss

It wasn’t pretty on any side of the ball, and Sunday’s loss told us everything we need to know about the 2023 Patriots. The offense only had three drives extend 5+ plays, and there were costly drops throughout the game. The defense had trouble containing Sam Howell and missed several tackles. And finally, the special teams unit made too many mental mistakes and were flagged on almost every punt return.

It’s a combination of all three units that made the Patriots lose the game, but it also can’t take away from the Patriots having one of the worst offenses in the NFL. They only scored 17 points against one of the worst defenses in the league – seven of which came off a turnover.

The last time Mac Jones scored 30+ points was against the Jaguars in Week 17 of his rookie year. It’s been more than two seasons since Jones has reached 30 points.

“We know where we’re messing up, and we know that we’re beating ourselves,” said Deatrich Wise. 

Let’s get into the grades for the week:

Quarterback – C

The loss wasn’t on Mac, but it wasn’t smooth sailing for the third-year quarterback. He began the game by missing Tyquan Thornton in the open field on a corner route on fourth down. On the subsequent drive, he went three-and-out and walked off the field to a loud stadium of boos. Afterward, Jones found Hunter Henry down the seam for a touchdown, which ended the Patriots best drive of the day.

However, returning from halftime, the Patriots struggled to do anything with the ball. Mac was almost picked off twice in ten minutes, and suddenly, time was trickling down, and it was nearing the end of the fourth quarter. Jones, trying to put the Patriots in field goal range to tie the game, delivered a catchable ball to JuJu Smith-Schuster, which deflected off his hands and was picked off by the Commanders.

It ended up being the last play of the game. Looking back at the stats, it’s still mind-boggling how the Patriots went 3-for-12 on third down (25%).

Jones finished with 220 yards (24/44) with a touchdown and an interception, earning him a C grade for the week.

Running back – B

Rhamondre Stevenson looked like himself again and forced three missed tackles in the game, his highest mark of the season. Stevenson looked fluent in the passing game as well and became a security blanket for Jones after his questionable drop in the first quarter.

In the passing game, he recorded four receptions for 42 yards. Although Stevenson had a huge 64-yard touchdown run, he couldn’t crack 100 rushing yards. He ended that day with only nine carries for 87 yards.

Meanwhile, veteran Ezekiel Elliott is still having a tough time getting acclimated to the Patriots offense and is struggling to muster anything on the ground. Elliott finished with six carries for 17 yards and three catches for 15 yards.

Stevenson’s run helps boost this grade, but the run game is still concerning.

Wide Receivers: D

If you had to pick one position group to point your finger at, it would be the receivers. Jalen Reagor drop was costly. Smith-Schuster drop ended the game. Tyquan Thornton was benched. It was all-around ugly. Starting with Thornton, the 2022 second-round pick struggled at the top of his in-breaking route, which caused Mac Jones to misfire on third down. After that play, the wideout never saw the field again and ended the game with 12 snaps.

Smith-Schuster was fine before the last play of the game, including one catch on a crucial fourth down. He also made an impressive 20-yard catch to start the second half. However, you can’t overlook his last play of the game. It’s unlike Smith-Schuster, and he took ownership of his locker after the game.

“The middle of the field was open. Ran an in-cut. It was a good ball; it went through my hands. Interception, game over,” Smith-Schuster said in the locker room. “It’s all on me. He put the ball in a good position. I just gotta make the catch, secure it, and now we’re in field-goal range. And obviously, I didn’t do that. Fell short.”

Meanwhile, Jalen Reagor, who was previously signed to the active roster, couldn’t hang on to a perfectly thrown 50+ yard pass from Jones and also had another costly drop. On the flip side, Reagor had a terrific block on the 64-yard touchdown run.

Demario Douglas is on pace to finish his rookie season with 538 yards, which would lead the Patriots receivers. That by itself is questionable, but nevertheless, with Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker out with injuries, Douglas was the Patriot’s number 1 option.

Tight end: B–

The tight ends struggled even with Bill O’Brien using a lot of 12 personnel and utilizing multi-tight end packages.

Mike Gesicki hasn’t panned out the way the Patriots hoped when they signed him in free agency last offseason. Gesicki played 55 snaps but didn’t haul in any passes and only saw one target.

Meanwhile, Hunter Henry recorded four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown catch was off a seam route Henry excelled at in his career. Meanwhile, Pharoh Brown didn’t see any targets on Sunday.

Offensive line: B–

Trent Brown didn’t suit up due to a knee injury, so the Patriots elevated Conor McDermott. McDermott reverted to the practice squad on Monday, but he could be promoted to the 53-man roster soon.

After a rough start to the season, the Patriot’s offensive line is on the upward track. Rookie Cole Strange opened up the big hole on the 64-yard touchdown run, and Sidy Sow did sufficient in pass protection. David Andrews is the only Patriots player to play every possible snap this season and, as always, led the offensive line well on Sunday.

Although the Commanders didn’t have Montez Sweat or Chase Young, the line didn’t allow a sack. That’s not to say Mac wasn’t pressured, but overall, the group gave enough time for Jones to get rid of the ball. The one sack the Commanders recorded was wiped off because of a roughing the passer call.

Bill O’Brien’s game plan involved a lot of quick passes, so it’s not a surprise there weren’t a lot of sacks against Jones.

Defensive line: C

The Patriots’ defensive front was mediocre all day. But, when you take into account their opponent, that dings their grade down a letter.

One of the more significant plays of the game came in the third quarter when Sam Howell scrambled his way out of a third-and-24. Deatrich Wise seemed to take responsibility for the mistake after the game.

Throughout the game, the Patriots had trouble pressuring Howell, which allowed the Washington quarterback to have time in the pocket. Christian Barmore and Lawrence Guy had good games and had a couple of tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Wise added a sack and two pressures, and Davon Godchaux had an additional pressure.

For the Patriots to have any success in the passing game, the defensive line is going to have to get much better to ease the workload off the defensive backs.

Linebacker: B+

After injuring himself last week, Ja’Whaun Bentley recorded 13 tackles, along with two sacks and two tackles for loss, along with two quarterback hits. Bentley is the play-caller on the defensive side of the ball, and when he’s on the field, it’s clear the Patriots are a better team.

Edge Josh Uche had one pressure but has struggled immensely without Matt Judon beside him. Jahlani Tavai forced a fumble and has been a weapon for the Patriots’ defense. The Patriots converted the turnover into a much-needed touchdown.

Along with Bentley, Uche, and Tavai, Anfernee Jennings saw decent playing time but was flagged for an offsides penalty. He also misses two tackles.

Secondary: D

The Secondary had a tough game, and besides Jabrill Peppers, everyone had sub-par performances.

Starting off with the obvious – both Jack Jones and J.C. Jackson were seemingly benched to start the game and didn’t play till the end of the first quarter. Former undrafted free agent Shaun Wade started in their place.

One of the biggest plays of the game came on a Jahan Dotson touchdown with Myles Braynt in coverage. On the play, there seemed to be miscommunication which led to the touchdown. Sticking with the defensive backs, after Jack Jones came back in the second quarter, he let up two crucial third-down catches. He was later beaten on a would-be touchdown, but Dyami Brown couldn’t secure the football.

Kyle Dugger also didn’t play at his best, missing two tackles, one on third down. Although, his interception late in the first half was an early Christmas present from Howell. Adrian Phillips and Jalen Mills each had missed tackles of their own.

There’s no question the Commanders have talent, but on Sunday, the Patriots made them seem like they had an All-Pro offense. New England will face off with another struggling offense on Sunday. Let’s see what happens.