Following the New England Patriots’ 33-26 loss over the Minnesota Vikings, I will take a deep dive into which position groups excelled. The defense and special teams struggled, while Mac Jones had the best game of the season. Here is a look at position grades from Week 12:
Quarterbacks: A
Mac Jones had the best game of his young career Thursday, tossing for a career-high 382 yards, completing 28 of 29 passes for two touchdowns, and 0 interceptions for a 119.8 passer rating. Those are the type of stats that are supposed to win you games. His first throw of the game was a 26-yard dime into double coverage right off the bat. Then he finished his first drive hitting Nelson Agholor down the seam for a 34-yard score. The sophomore quarterback has dealt with injuries, resulting in a decrease in numerous stats. However, he gave the offense some power on Thursday and looked like his normal self. Jones hasn’t thrown an interception in three straight games, the longest streak of his career. Against the Vikings, he committed 0 turnovers worth of plays, a step in the right direction. However, there were some times when the game caught up with the quarterback. Before halftime, Jones went down for a sack instead of throwing the ball as a way to stop the clock. In primetime, the quarterback has a big game next week against division-rival Buffalo Bills. If his clean football continues, the Patriots may have a chance at an upset.
Running backs B
The running back depth took a hit on Thursday as Damien Harris left the game with a thigh injury and was seen in the locker room with crutches. Harris has been dealing with injuries since Week 13 of last season and is coming up on his contract year. Rhamondre Stevenson continues to show his strength in both the receiving and running games. Stevenson caught nine receptions for 76 yards and ran the ball for 36 yards on seven carries. The sophomore running back had 85 yards after contact against the Vikings and continues to be a tough player to take down. During the broadcast, analyst and former coach Jason Garrett shared vital information about Stevenson. In a production meeting with Patriots coaches, he heard Belichick compare Stevenson’s growth to Larence Taylor’s and Tom Brady’s. That’s high praise from Belichick, and it continued when Tony Dungy reported that Belichick talked about Stevenson as one of New England’s most dependable players. On the season, the running back has 151 carries for 68 yards. And four touchdowns. Additionally, he’s caught 50 receptions out of the backfield for 359 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receivers A-
The Patriots’ receivers all contributed on Thursday and had one of their best games of the season. With Jakboi Meyers in and out of the game with injuries, DeVante Parker had his best game since Week 3. Parker caught four passes on four targets for 80 yards. Parker is arguably one of the best receivers regarding contested catches, which continued in Minnesota. Nelson Agholor caught the game’s first touchdown and six passes for 65 yards. The key to the offense is the receivers, and if they can continue their production, it will result in games like Thursday. However, there is some concern about Meyers’s health, which would be a crucial loss for the Patriots.
Tight ends B-
It was another good game from Hunter Henry, who caught three receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown. It was almost two touchdowns if it were not for poor officiating. Henry caught a career-high nine touchdowns last season, but Matt Patrica has had trouble getting Henry action in the red zone. After the game, Henry said, ” I believe I caught it, and he said it hit the ground, but I believe my hand was under the ball.” If the call stood on the field, it would have given the Patriots a 30-23 lead. However, the Patriots had to kick the field goal. Jonnu Smith was quiet throughout the game, with 0 receptions on 0 targets and posing as a blocker most of the game.
Offensive line B+
The offensive line had a bounce-back week and got back on track after recent struggles against the Jets and Colts. Center David Andrews and tackle Isaiah Wynn were both inactive, but the line remained solid, with James Ferentz filling in for David Andrews and Yodny Cajuste filling in for Wynn at right tackle. The entire night Jones had a clean pocket which resulted in chunk plays, and the line gave big holes for the running backs to run through. Although with a couple of minutes remaining, Trent Brown tried to cut block defensive linemen on a deep pass–a big no-no. The group allowed two sacks, and they will need to replicate that performance for a good 60 minutes against a tough Bills front.
Defensive line C+
As we get to the defense, most of the grades will plummet as they had a tough time guarding Kirk Cousins and the Vikings’ offense. The defensive line limited Dalvin Cook to 42 yards on 22 carries, averaging just 1.9 yards per rush. However, there was no pass rush. Through 11 weeks, the Patriots had sacked opposing quarterbacks 33 times, tied for second in the league, and have been a dominant force. However, the unit only committed one sack Thursday as Josh Uche sacked Kirk Cousins in the second half. Against a weak offensive line, the hope was New England would make life uncomfortable for Cousins and limit the deep passes, but that was not the case. The line will have to have a bounce-back week and try to limit Josh Allen Thursday night.
Linebackers B-
Matthew Judon leads the league with 13 sacks but had 0 on Thursday and was double-teamed most of the night. The unit managed four QB hits–not nearly enough. As we mentioned before, Josh Uche notched up a sack. Raekwon McMillan has played well as of late; he tackled Dalvin Cook before the line of scrimmage in the first quarter. Ja’Whaun Bentley had trouble most of the night in pass coverage. There was no pass rush from the linebackers, and that will need to change against one of the best offenses, the Buffalo Bills.
Secondary D+
Justin Jefferson was the difference maker in Minnesota as he tallied 139 yards on nine receptions and a touchdown. Jonathan Jones had the tall task of covering Jefferson and recorded an interception. However, he committed two face mask penalties. Kirk Cousins threw for 299 yards completing 81.6% of his passes. That’s the second-highest percentage against Belichick, per ESPN. Jalen Mills didn’t have a great game either, letting up an easy touchdown to Adam Thelin in a 1v1. Myles Bryant committed a bad, unnecessary roughness penalty, which gave the Vikings extra set-up downs and gave up a couple of chunk plays. Kyle Dugger struggled against T.J. Hockenson most of the night and allowed Hockenson to open in the end zone for an easy one-yard touchdown. Finally, veteran Jabrill Peppers was in no man’s land on a 25-yard completion. With all that being said, this group had its worst performance yet.
Special teams D
After winning the game for the Patriots last week, the Patriots special teams unit was disastrous against the Vikings. Punter Michael Palardy had a pair of short punts, and returner Marcus Jones made a questionable decision to field a punt at the Patriots’ one-yard line. Although Jones did return a kick 46 yards to midfield, the rookie struggled. The Patriots’ kickoff coverage team let up a 97-yard touchdown, which Belichick categorized as a breakdown in multiple units. Rookie running back Pierre Strong Jr. ran into the punter on fourth down to give the Vikings an extra set of downs, resulting in a game-winning touchdown for Minnesota. Belichick said after the game, “Too many mistakes they took advantage of.” At the same time, Nick Folk bounced back from an ugly game against the Jets, where he missed two field goals. After going 4/4, the veteran now has 100 made field goals, with the Patriots becoming the fifth player in franchise history to reach that mark.
The Patriots turn their attention to the Buffalo Bills as they face off with their division foe at Gillette on Thursday at 8:20 p.m.
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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.
