There’s no thriller why the Patriots misplaced Week 3 to the Steelers.
Had the Patriots not misplaced 5 turnovers on Sunday, they simply would have beat the Steelers to start out the season 2-1.
Now, some Patriots followers are searching for penalties after working again Rhamondre Stevenson misplaced two fumbles and vast receiver DeMario Douglas ran backwards on an important fourth-and-1 reception late within the fourth quarter.
We’ll focus on how the Patriots ought to deal with Stevenson and Douglas and reply different questions on this week’s mailbag.
@patsguydude: I believe chopping Rhamondre can be a fully insane transfer proper now. benching him im fantastic with, demoting him I believe is totally mandatory, and it doesn’t matter what they want to ensure he alters the way in which he runs if he doesn’t need to get lower
I’m on board with not chopping Stevenson. Additionally, if the Patriots have been going to launch him, they’d have accomplished it by now.
I perceive the place the vitriol is coming from. Patriots followers don’t need to see one participant proceed to show the ball over in key moments. However he’s additionally the Patriots’ most reliable pass-blocking working again, and he was instrumental in serving to the staff get its solely victory this season in Week 2.
And the Patriots don’t have sufficient offensive firepower to willingly half with a official NFL starter, taking fumbles out of the equation.
I do consider the Patriots ought to scale back Stevenson’s workload and provides extra snaps and touches to rookie working again TreVeyon Henderson and veteran Antonio Gibson. Henderson does nonetheless have points in cross safety, nonetheless, and Gibson additionally fumbled on Sunday. So, making Stevenson inactive can be considerably of a rash transfer, since he can nonetheless make it easier to within the passing recreation.
If Stevenson continues to fumble, then the Patriots might need no selection however to launch him. I personally would look to probably add a working again from one other staff’s observe squad so as to add extra depth and expertise to the group. If the Patriots don’t try this, then Terrell Jennings can be the following choice off of their very own observe squad. There are some skilled working backs on observe squads like D’Ernest Johnson, Cam Akers, Jeff Wilson and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
@ClosewithChapa: Why are we so invested in Pop, we have to incorporate Chism and Williams extra. I like Boutte and Diggs however Pop shouldn’t be the man individuals at all times rave about.
The Patriots have to think about lowering vast receiver DeMario “Pop” Douglas’ workload additional after Sunday’s loss, as properly.
Douglas appears to battle getting on the identical web page as quarterback Drake Maye, he didn’t run his route at correct depth on the Patriots’ ultimate play, and he made the error of working backwards, fairly than knifing by means of defenders, when he did catch the fourth-and-1 cross.
The Patriots do have sufficient vast receiver depth to bench Douglas. They already gown Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism has been a wholesome scratch for the primary three video games of the season.
If Douglas is benched, then the Patriots have just a few totally different choices to take over his snaps. They might merely transfer Diggs to the slot after which give somebody like Williams extra outdoors snaps. Or they might make Chism energetic and provides him Douglas’ slot snaps.
I believe it’s price seeing what Chism can do within the offense. He was a playmaker in coaching camp and the preseason, doing sufficient to earn a job on the 53-man roster. Based mostly on the whole lot coaches have mentioned, he’s picked up the psychological facet of the sport. There’s just one approach to discover out if he can compete towards NFL beginning defenders.
Benching Douglas wouldn’t finish his Patriots profession by any means. I simply assume it might be helpful to let him sit for a few weeks to grasp the psychological facet of McDaniels’ system.
@Ollie_9: Wanting on the subsequent 6 video games and the outcomes from this week, ought to we expect to win 5 of these video games?
Ought to we anticipate them to win 5 video games? No. The Patriots have confirmed over the primary three weeks of the season that they will discover methods to lose any video games. Are 5 wins attainable? Positive. They’re favored by 5.5 factors over the Panthers, which appears excessive, however it’s the way in which Vegas oddsmakers view the matchup. Then they play the Payments, which is able to doubtless be a loss. However then they’ve a seemingly simple four-game stretch towards the Saints, Titans, Browns and Falcons.
If the Patriots can beat the Panthers, then it’s simple to really feel loads higher about them beating the Saints, Titans, Browns and Falcons. In the event that they lose to the Panthers, then something is on the desk.
It genuinely feels just like the Patriots might be 1-8 or 6-3 after Week 9.
@BabyMonsterfave: Can we begin blaming Drake Maye for costing us the video games now?
Clearly, followers can do no matter they need, however I don’t assume that’s solely truthful.
It appears like Maye has to raise his offense. On different groups, younger quarterbacks are elevated by the gamers round him.
I consider Maye has to repair his points with turnovers. He’s averaging 1.19 turnovers per recreation, which is simply too many and places him in some fairly poor firm amongst energetic gamers. Solely JJ McCarthy, Jameis Winston, Will Levis, Bailey Zappe and Sam Howell common extra.
@ashley1992__: Hello Doug, I believed the O-line yesterday was shaky at finest, what has your ideas been of this unit up to now this 12 months?
Shaky is an efficient adjective to make use of, however they’ve nonetheless been higher than I anticipated heading into the season.
Per PFF, middle Garrett Bradbury has but to surrender a strain this season. And cross safety was his largest knock on the open market. Jared Wilson and Will Campbell have been using the rookie rollercoaster, permitting 9 pressures and eight pressures, respectively. Morgan Moses has most likely been a bit of bit worse than anticipated, however he has been coping with an damage, and Mike Onwenu has been regular.
Wilson has but to let up a sack this season, per PFF, and Campbell has allowed one sack. Contemplating the cross rushers the Patriots have confronted by means of the primary three weeks, that’s positively not terrible. Maye was sacked 5 occasions in Week 3, however it additionally felt like he had sufficient time to function within the pocket. The O-line struggled in Week 1 however performed properly in Week 2.
