The house stretch is about to start.
The Patriots emerge from their bye week with a marquee matchup in opposition to Josh Allen and the Payments at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. A win would secure the Patriots their first AFC East title since 2019. A loss would snap the workforce’s 10-game profitable streak and complicate its quest for the No. 1 seed.
What’s in your thoughts coming into Sunday’s showdown? Rather a lot, it seems. Let’s dive into your questions in a post-bye version of the Mailbag.
Editor’s Notice: Some questions have been flippantly edited for readability.
What’s the most regarding weak point of this Patriots workforce that nobody is noticing or speaking about? – @JosephKwiatek
I nonetheless assume it is the inconsistencies of their operating recreation, Joe.
I’ve said that for weeks now, solely as a result of I assume they will enhance their run protection when Khyiris Tonga and Milton Williams get again on the sphere. The bye week additionally would possibly give that entrance seven a bit of extra juice, which might assist once you’re speaking about ramping up your stage of physicality to cease hard-charging backs late within the season.
Being unable to run with a lot consistency is of larger concern, solely as a result of they won’t wish to put an excessive amount of on Maye in December and January. He’s handled everything thrown his way so far. However in opposition to higher defenses, within the postseason, in troublesome situations… you have got to have the ability to run the soccer.
Perhaps they will see extra optimistic outcomes by operating to the correct (as the following Mailbag query suggests) or possibly there is a tweak to their operating type they will make. I’ve puzzled just lately if they would not be higher off trying more wide zone attempts.
I requested middle Garrett Bradbury about any fixes for his or her run recreation they may’ve discovered throughout their bye week and he pointed to the truth that cleaner approach will yield higher outcomes.
“I believe there’s issues that we have achieved very well, and there is issues that we will enhance. Numerous it was approach issues,” he mentioned. “It wasn’t essentially scheme. We went by way of all these factors on sure varieties of run performs, ‘We may be higher right here and right here.’ Now we acquired to go on the follow area and we acquired to point out up Sunday and do these issues.”
Given their struggles within the run recreation, after they do run, why have not the Patriots tried to be extra right-handed since Morgan Moses and Mike Onwenu are their two greatest wholesome offensive linemen? – @MaineMurf
Good query, Murf. I attempted to dig into some numbers to see in the event that they have not been extra right-handed with their operating recreation than you would possibly assume.
Per Sports activities Information Options, they’ve run proper of the middle 157 instances for 4.8 yards per carry. That is a fairly good clip, contemplating they common 3.9 yards per rush total this season. They’re, nonetheless, twenty first in EPA per try when operating in that course.
However the Patriots have run left extra usually, and so they’ve been much less environment friendly. They’ve handed off and gone left 192 instances this season for 3.8 yards per carry. They’re twenty sixth in EPA per try when operating in that course.
Perhaps they will lean extra towards the facet of Onwenu and Moses down the stretch.
It’s stunning generally the display recreation has not been extra part of this offense because it’s historically been a McDaniels staple. Why is that? Ought to RB screens to TreVeyon Henderson be extra of a weapon to be an extension of the surface zone run recreation? – @qualitysmoke
It is a bit of stunning, QS. McDaniels has all the time had a multi-pronged display recreation that was featured, it appeared, on a number of events every week. This 12 months? Not a lot. They rank twenty sixth within the NFL in display makes an attempt this season, per Sports activities Information Options (27).
They don’t seem to be terribly inefficient on these performs, nonetheless. They’re sixth in yards per try on screens (6.8), and so they’re eighth in EPA (4.47).
Perhaps we’ll see extra screens down the road, however my guess is that one of many causes we have not seen too many is that McDaniels would favor to let his big-armed quarterback proceed to check defenses down the sphere.
If that is the case, laborious accountable him. It is an method that has labored effectively for them so far.
With all of the discuss of a younger inexperienced workforce heading in direction of the playoffs, has anybody spoke of the expertise this teaching workers has? They appears to know what it takes to not solely get there however win all of it. – @PatriotsLH1960
I believe the teaching workers has obtained plenty of credit score, however it’s honest to level out their expertise stage as one in all many causes they’ve had success this season.
Mike Vrabel has a Coach of the Yr honor beneath his belt and has been in and across the NFL for the reason that late Nineteen Nineties. Josh McDaniels has three Tremendous Bowl rings to his title. Doug Marrone has been enjoying and training offensive soccer at a excessive stage for many years.
There may be some new on this workers, too, although. Zak Kuhr is asking performs for the primary time on the defensive facet. Ashton Grant holds the quarterbacks coach title for the primary time in his profession. Two key positions there.
However, backside line, your level is an efficient one. It is a younger workforce that’s led by a second-year quarterback and has relied on plenty of snaps from rookies. However they’re coached by a workers that has seen so much of various situations over the course of their careers. Cannot damage.
Given the success of the Patriots’ season up to now, what are the probabilities that their teaching and entrance workplace staffs get raided within the offseason? – @patriots_harley
Attention-grabbing query, George. The primary title that involves thoughts can be McDaniels.
Is there an proprietor on the market who can be prepared to offer him another crack at a head coaching gig after seeing what he’s done to help Drake Maye take a massive Year 2 leap? The pool of potential candidates is not precisely overwhelming — there isn’t any Ben Johnson or Mike Vrabel obtainable this 12 months — and there are few traits valued extra extremely than having the ability to get the most effective out of a younger quarterback.
There are others who might garner curiosity elsewhere. Tight ends coach and pass-game coordinator Thomas Brown is a well-respected title with varied experiences within the teaching world — he was interim offensive coordinator and later interim head coach for the Bears final 12 months — who I might see getting calls this offseason to interview for promotions elsewhere.
The place ought to the Patriots be seeking to spend on the wage cap in 2026? Will they focus internally or take a look at including on the sting for a move rusher? – @DanoTria
Wanting internally, Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas will likely be eligible for extensions this offseason. However I would not be surprised if their offseason spending plan began with a giant extension for Christian Gonzalez, who will likely be eligible to signal a deal like that for the primary time within the spring.
Every little thing round that scenario — how they deal with Gonzalez, the timing of that extension supply, and the way a lot they’re prepared to supply — will likely be fascinating. Do they view a No. 1 lockdown nook as completely very important to their protection? In the event that they wish to combine in a wholesome dose of zone protection, if they do not all the time wish to journey their prime nook with the opposition’s prime wideout, is a No. 1 nook worthy of giant greenback figures?
My guess is they will not wish to let Gonzalez go wherever else. My guess is that they’ll wish to prolong him earlier than his contract is up in a few years and he turns into much more costly to maintain. (Since he was a first-round decide, the Patriots have the flexibility to select up Gonzalez’s fifth-year choice if he is not prolonged earlier than then.) However let’s examine how they deal with it.
Remember, the workforce will even wish to begin planning on an enormous extension for his or her quarterback within the close to future. Not that signing Gonzalez would preclude the Patriots from extending Maye, however in constructing round Maye, they could wish to allocate important sources to the folks defending him and catching his passes.
What ought to Santa carry the Patriots, Celtics, Bruins and Purple Sox this Christmas? – @MrEd315
For the Patriots? A wholesome return for Will Campbell.
The Celtics? A media member who can challenge their coaching staff in pickup.
The Bruins? A brand new meals processor for Charlie McAvoy.
The Purple Sox? Pete Alonso. Kyle Schwarber. Joe Ryan. …Alex Bregman?
Can be form of like getting your outdated bike re-wrapped and shoved beneath the tree on Christmas morning. However beggars cannot be choosers, I suppose.
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