The Patriots are 9-2, using an eight-game successful streak and set to face off in opposition to a depleted Bengals workforce.
Let’s reply your questions in our weekly Patriots mailbag.
@ted_mcgregor: Pats have had unbelievable damage luck thus far. What’s the one place group (outdoors qb) we’d see fast downturn in play if starters began to fall?
That’s a very good query. As you stated, Drake Maye is probably the most irreplaceable participant on the roster.
Behind him, primarily based on depth, I believe Christian Gonzalez, Will Campbell and Robert Spillane is perhaps probably the most invaluable starters.
The Patriots misplaced their solely two video games of the season with out Gonzalez. If he or Carlton Davis suffered accidents, it could imply extra snaps outdoors for Marcus Jones and a top-three cornerback position for Charles Woods.
Campbell’s backups at left deal with are Vederian Lowe and Marcus Bryant. Morgan Moses additionally deserves a spot on this listing, but it surely’s considerably simpler to get by and not using a beginning proper deal with.
And Spillane is way and away the Patriots’ finest linebacker. The protection would endure fairly a bit if Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens or Jahlani Tavai had been requested to play his position, although they’re all strong of their secondary roles within the protection.
Past these gamers, Stefon Diggs, Marcus Jones, Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Harold Landry III and Okay’Lavon Chaisson would all be missed, however the Patriots have higher depth at vast receiver and defensive deal with.
@Patsfan19838268: I’m nonetheless terrified of Denver at Denver irrespective of who their QB is predicated on our historical past on the street there within the playoffs. Do you suppose that may be a legitimate concern this yr and I’m proper to be rooting in opposition to Denver exhausting every week so that they need to play us at dwelling if it got here to that?
I personally don’t put a number of inventory into workforce vs. workforce efficiency if not one of the gamers or coaches are nonetheless round. I don’t actually care how the Patriots carried out in Denver in 2013 or 2015, as a result of Peyton Manning was the quarterback, and Gary Kubiak and John Fox had been the top coaches.
I don’t suppose there’s something explicit about taking part in in Denver in January that ought to make a winnable matchup harder. That 2013 Patriots workforce wasn’t as proficient because the 2014, 2016 and 2018 squads, plus they didn’t have Rob Gronkowski. The 2015 workforce was injury-ravaged, as properly. There have been plenty of key gamers on injured reserve by the top of that season.
Finally, the No. 1 seed within the playoffs has by no means been extra useful since just one workforce per confernence will get a bye, and also you get home-field benefit all through the postseason. So, you ought to be rooting in opposition to Denver and any workforce that might take that away from the Patriots.
@NEspiders: Is Harold Landry taking part in injured? He began off the season sturdy with sacks/pressures and since his damage he has not been a lot of an element on the move rush.
Landry hasn’t been listed on the damage report since Week 7, when he was questionable with an ankle damage. I do know he had what gave the impression to be a scary knee damage in opposition to the Saints in Week 6, however he returned to that sport.
He hasn’t had greater than 4 pressures in a sport since Week 5, however he’s taking part in rather a lot. He’s performed the eighth-most defensive snaps of any edge defender within the NFL, he’s 29 years outdated, and the Patriots haven’t exhausting their bye week but.
I’m curious to see if he can produce extra this Sunday in opposition to the Bengals, because the Patriots obtained a mini bye coming off of the Thursday evening sport in opposition to the Jets.
Landry has nonetheless be a strong defender, regardless of the low sack numbers in latest weeks. I wouldn’t thoughts seeing Elijah Ponder and probably Bradyn Swinson blended in additional over the ultimate third of the season.
Ponder, an undrafted rookie, now has sacks in consecutive weeks. Swinson was signed off of the observe squad this week. There’s no assure that he’ll be energetic on Sundays, however he was a really disruptive pass-rusher throughout his senior season at LSU, registering 60 whole pressures.
He had the fifth-highest pass-rush productiveness amongst edge defenders in his draft class, per PFF, and his pass-rush win price additionally ranked fifth.
Expectations needs to be tempered since Swinson didn’t even make the roster out of coaching camp and spent the primary 11 weeks of the season on the observe squad, however there’s some upside there.
@KickRaeble: At first of the season, making the playoffs was the aim. How far will we transfer the goalposts for this workforce after the shocking first 11 weeks?
If the aim originally of the season was to make the playoffs, then it was a reasonably lofty one. The Patriots went 4-13 in back-to-back years, and their over/beneath win whole was simply 8.5 video games.
I believe making the playoffs most likely turned the aim after beating the Payments. That’s at the least once I began speaking about playoffs in earnest.
Now, I might say the aim is to win at the least one playoff sport. There’s nonetheless time to boost that ceiling once more by the top of the season.
@Mettwurscht12: How do the Pats use their safeties? Do they play a number of Cowl 2 or is Woodson extra of a FS?
The Patriots combine their coverages fairly evenly.
Right here’s the breakdown, by way of Sumer Sports activities:
Cowl 3: 26.30%
Cowl 1: 25.72%
Cowl 2: 21.10%
Cowl 4: 16.76%
Cowl 6: 3.76%
Redzone: 2.60%
Cowl 0: 2.02%
Cowl 2 Man: 0.87%
Misc: 0.87%
They’re in publish security (one security deep) appears 52.2% of the time, break up security (two safeties deep) appears 41.1% of the time and different 6.7% of the time.
Jaylinn Hawkins is aligned as a free security on 67.4% of snaps, whereas Craig Woodson is aligned as a free security on 59.8% of his snaps.
So, to reply your query, the whole lot is fairly even. Hawkins performs a better share of snaps at free security, however Woodson’s price continues to be over 50%. They’re each safeties. There’s not a standard sturdy security and free security. If something, they’re each extra free security varieties than sturdy security varieties.
