Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Cleveland Rocked: Patriots Dominate Browns 45-7 in Week Ten — 11/15/2021

Episode Date: November 16, 2021

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones went 19 of 23 passing for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Fellow rookie, Rhamondre Stevenson, rushed for 100 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots were solid against the run, as well as the pass. Safety Kyle Dugger also intercepted Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield, as New England put forth a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, beating the Browns 45-7 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy as the duo break down the Pats Week Ten victory.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.GetupsideJust download the FREE GetUpside App and use promo code TOUCHDOWN to get up to 50¢/gallon cash back on your first tank.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast. It is Monday, November 15th, 2021, and it's not just hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. It is the fourth Victory Monday in a row here on Locked On Patriots, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots.

And of course, Pats fans, thank you so much for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is always free and available on all platforms. Thank you again, Foxborough faithful, for joining me here today on Victory Monday. And of course, hashtag LockedOnMurfMonday. Lots to cover here today, and I know you all are going to have as much fun as Murph and I will. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of

course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed, very much encouraged. So share that feedback. Send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there doing some Monday meddling through the Twitterverse, please by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there doing some Monday meddling through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots.

Don't look now, Patriots fans, but your New England Patriots are putting the rest of the NFL on notice. In what most of us thought would be a close game, I know if I'm being honest, I thought this was going to be a close one. The Patriots taking a page out of Dwayne the Rock Johnson's handbook and laying the smackdown on the Cleveland Browns. 45-7. Patriots move to 6-4 on the 2021 NFL season

as they continue to make their case to earn a spot in the 2021 postseason in the AFC. Mack Jones, masterful job in this one. His first multi-touchdown passing game of his career. Kendrick Bourne grabbed a touchdown. Incredible athletic grab. Hunter Henry, two touchdowns.

Ramondre Stevenson running for 100 yards. He put a touchdown in the end zone. And the Patriots' defense was equally as stifling. Solid in all three levels. Christian Barmore continues to be a beast up front. J.C. Jackson shutting everything down in the secondary. And, of course, Matt Judon, Kyle Van Noy playing solid at linebacker. Juwan Bentley making chip-ins.

Everything just seemed to go well for the New England Patriots on Sunday. But we're just scratching the surface when it comes to the Patriots' 45-7 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, because not only is today Victory Monday, it is hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. That's right. My main green man, Thomas Murphy, is here today, and we will break this one down from a Patriots perspective. Offensive highlights.

There were a lot of them. Defensive highlights. There were quite a few of those as well. Also, Murph and I will touch upon what the ceiling for this New England Patriots team might be. Could they be on some sort of a historic run? Murph and I will break that all down as we continue the era of good feelings here in Foxborough when this Victory Monday slash hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday Monday slash hashtag Locked On Murph Monday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

Locked On listeners, Bilt Bar, the most delicious, healthy protein bar you've ever tried, has so many delicious flavors. There's something for everyone. And when you talk to a Bilt Bar fan, and I have, folks, believe me when I tell you, there are a lot of you out there, they are passionate about their favorites. If you don't know about the Bilt Bar flavors, well, you're missing out. But the best part of Bilt Bar is not even just the delicious flavors they provide. It's the fact that in addition to them being delicious,

they're also one of the most healthy treats available today. Each Bilt Bar has between 17 and 18 grams of protein, calories ranging from 130 to 180 calories per bar, only four to five grams of sugar, and only four to five grams of net carbs. Amazing flavors, all tasty and all healthy. Flavors like coconut, cherry barcia, love that name, mint brownie, double chocolate, cookies and cream, and so much more. When you want a treat that's not only pleasing to your palate, but also great for your health, don't delay. Do it today.

Make Bilt Bar your go-to protein bar right now. Visit Bilt.com and use promo code LOCKED15 to get 15% off your next order. That's promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off at Bilt.com. Patriots fans, the taste of Victory Monday is always sweet, but it's a little bit more savory when you're able to enjoy a 45-7 beatdown of the Cleveland Browns by your New England Patriots yesterday, Sunday, November 14th at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts. Patriots putting the league on notice that they are a team to be reckoned with.

And here today is a guest that is here to be reckoned with. My friends, you all know that it's not just Victory Monday here on Locked On Patriots. It is hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. And we wouldn't have it any other way because he is here. He is ready to roll. Your favorite and mine. My benefactor in this business and the only guest with his

very own branded hashtag on this pod, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked on Patriots. Thank you for coming to me in friendship. Thank you for joining me today, Don Murph. Always my pleasure, Port.

Always my pleasure, especially on another Victory Monday. This is getting fun. It is. It might be a tad bit addictive, you know. I think so. I'm enjoying this. We ain't had this in a long time. Yeah, it's true.

We really have in four in a row, and the Patriots looking dominant in all three phases uh definitely a great offensive performance yesterday arguably Mac Jones best game as a pro we're on Andre Stevenson looking fantastic as always uh I shouldn't say as always because there was a time where he was on that Belichickian equivalent of double secret probation let me me tell you something, buddy. He keeps playing like this. He's not on double secret probation anymore. He's going to be Senator Ramondre Stevenson riding off in that Cadillac at the end of the movie. It just looked like they did in Animal House.

Yeah, Senator and Mrs. John Blutarski. Yeah, he's going to be living it. And believe me, he can ride and steal that yesterday from Romandre. Great game from him. I thought another solid game from your guy, Brandon Bolden. You flip it over into the defensive side of the ball. Christian Barmore continues to be a total beast in this defense. Just an era of good feelings for New England right now.

And the coaching staff really deserves, I think, some kudos for this. I thought Josh McDaniels called an excellent game on Sunday. I thought defensively Steve Belichick had these guys ready to be able to anticipate the run and be able to stop it. He had a good game plan going in. I'm feeling good about this one, Murph. But I don't want to steal your thunder. What were your thoughts on Sunday's game?

What were your biggest takeaways from the field? Cleveland could have used another wide receiver. They could have used the obvious. I love it. Yeah, there you go. Get that right out of the way. My take is, is just like you said, Josh came into this with a plan. He stuck to the plan and it was it. It went in a way that that none of us thought that that it was going to. It worked as well as as it possibly could have on both sides of the ball. beautiful thing. This team was a Jerry Rice sticky glove on Devin McCourty away from shutting out a very good Browns team. They hung 45 points. They punted once in this game against a formidable defense. Not just a good defense, not a decent defense, a formidable defense. And it was fantastic. All of my keys were turned on Sunday, and

you can see what happens when people listen. I told you that. You turn the keys, you go to the top. You don't turn the keys, you're never heard from again. I completely agree with you. I noticed that the Patriots did turn those keys, as they should, as they do every week. We all know they do, but we're finding more and more evidence to support that. And we're glad to bring that to you here on Locked On Patriots. But no, all kidding aside, but I think you're absolutely right. They came in with a mindset and the game plan that this was a must win, whether or not it was a true must win in the literal sense of the word. Well, you can make

the argument that maybe it wasn't. There's still plenty of time left in the season, but you look at the odds. And I wrote about this a little bit for Sports Illustrated. I saw Ryan Hannibal of WEI tweet this out a few days before that, that if the Patriots went on to win this game, which they did, it increases their chance of making the playoffs to 68 they don't win and it drops to 32 that is a pretty solid indicator that this was a must win bill belichick knows statistics very well despite of the stats are for losers uh soundbite that circulates throughout patriots media regarding him he's very much in tune with stuff like this and i know that he was definitely hammering that point home to his team this week and the patri Patriots came out, and they came out very, very aggressive.

I'm sorry, go ahead. They did. It was an aggressive game plan. It was on both sides of the ball. A little, as I talked about with our good mutual friend and my partner, Steve Balistrieri, on One Patriot's Place earlier this morning, that after the first drive, you know, the Patriots got out of what they were doing, and it was kind of vanilla, to steal a phrase from Steve, and really started to get after it. They really got the pressure that they needed to to make Baker uncomfortable and keep him that way. It was a beautiful defensive game plan to watch.

Yeah, it really was. It really was a beautiful defensive game plan to watch. And we're going to get to the defense in a little bit here on Locked On Patriots. Talk a little bit about that solid performance on the front seven, the linebacking core really aiding the run defense, and of course the secondary not getting a whole lot of love this week, didn't get a whole lot of action, but they were solid, and we'll go over some of that in just a moment. But the offense is getting the lion's share of the headlines today, Murph,

and I move them up in the rotation simply because everyone outside of New England is talking about Mac Jones and a perfect passer rating uh really asserting himself as the type of quarterback that is not captain check down he's someone that can test the ball downfield he threw into tight windows yesterday that touchdown to Kendrick Bourne was amazing I mean that was really a great throw by Mack is a great catch by Kendrick deserves a lot of it a lot of the credit when it comes to that uh finding Jacoby Myers at times of course Brian Hoyer was the one that found him for his touchdown but they have developed a nice synergy and of course the um relationship that he has with uh Hunter Henry is still a thing to beauty to watch. And that's

just in the passing game and the running game. The Patriots were just as effective, if not more from Andre Stevenson rushing for a hundred yards, his first hundred yard rushing game of his career, Brandon Bolden chipping in, giving solid contributions. Also Kendrick Bourne. Once again, I called it the code run yesterday kendrick order the code run you're goddamn right i did um but uh that's i could see josh mcdaniel's uh you know at the post-game press conference that was a missed opportunity one of us should have asked him that um but well we'll talk to him tomorrow on tuesday so maybe i'll get that in but there you go um yeah that would not endear me to the patriots media team if I asked that question.

But all kidding aside, this Patriots team looked like it was clicking on all offensive cylinders yesterday. Murph, is the era of good feelings with the Patriots offense something that's warranted? Or was this just one of those games where the planets aligned and there's still some things that need to be worked out where are we in terms of the grand scheme of things when it comes to this Patriots offense I I think we're a little behind schedule as to compare to where we uh we where the Patriots usually are but uh no it's definitely earned and it's definitely um uh deserved in thinking that this is definitely a playoff team, that this is a team that could make some noise in the playoffs and can stick with any team in the NFL right now. I'd really like to see how the Patriots fare against teams like the Buccaneers right now,

like Dallas right now, the teams that they lost to earlier in the season, that's how clicking on all cylinders they are. Yeah, absolutely. And it does begin and end with Mac Jones. Obviously, everybody was very much impressed by what the rookie did yesterday, and I was. I was impressed by the poise coming back really after a couple of games in which I think he slumped a little bit.

He really came back and showed a command of this offense. He had a lot of, you know, had a good, for lack of a better term, he had a good amount of confidence yesterday. He was playing as if he really was out to prove something. And in a way, I think that's good for a rookie quarterback to get that on his shoulders every now and then. Maybe the noise earlier in the week with the Brian Burns stuff and whatnot kind of gave him a little taste of what negative publicity can be in New England and beyond I think Mack was out to show that you know what I'm going to let my talking I'm going

to do my talking on the field and he definitely did that yesterday before we move on to the defense bud you know we love to talk the guys up front and offensive line is probably your favorite topic. So I'm going to let you wax poetically on this for a little bit. Eyebrows were raised a little when Michael Wayne was, I don't want to say benched because he wasn't, but Ted Karras got the start at left guard. And a lot of people were surprised by that. Trent Brown, obviously coming back into the lineup, 46 snaps yesterday on offense, really solidified, I think, that line.

And you saw Mack be able to complete passes with a lot more confidence, a lot more time. The running game looked so much more efficient. Your opinion on the offensive line yesterday, is it really just the Trent Brown factor, or are the Patriots just hitting on everything they're doing, including utilizing Ted Karras more than they utilized Michael Wainer yesterday? The Trent Brown factor is humongous. on everything they're doing, including utilizing Ted Karras more than they utilized Michael Wainin yesterday.

The Trent Brown factor is humongous, pun intended. This is a large man that you could see completely affected everything that the Patriots wanted to do in this game. They were able to run to the right side like they haven't been all year long. I was a little taken aback at Karras still getting the start at right guard, but he's been fantastic there. And Bill doesn't give a hang where you're drafted, what your contract is or anything else, the best players play.

And they were able to do that. And I just want to give a huge shout out to another member, a de facto member of the offensive line and the job that he did on Sunday. And that was in Keel Harry. I put in my keys last week, where's Waldo? And Waldo was Miles Garrett. What they had to do was find Miles Garrett, make sure there was a body on Miles Garrett, run at Miles Garrett, and throw over Miles Garrett. And N'Keal Harry allowed that to happen. He had a fantastic job. He did a fantastic job, had a great game against one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL today. And I really have to tip my cap to him. Absolutely. I'm so glad that you mentioned that.

First of all, very few players live up to the defensive hype that they're given. And we can go into names all day long. I'm not going to do that right now. We could go on for days. But Miles Garrett is one of those names that does deserve the credit that he gets. That's how good he is in terms of being able to set a defensive front and be able to do the things that need to be done. What the Patriots did yesterday to neutralize him is something that really, in my opinion, cannot get enough press. And it does have a lot to do with McKeel Harry and the run blocking and the scheming that the Patriots utilized him in yesterday.

Bill Belichick talked about that a little bit on Monday morning when he met with the media, stating that McKeel has great size. He's got great physicality. He looked like Gronk out there. Yeah, he really did. He did. And, you know, those are two traits that I don't think he gets enough credit for, you know, especially when it comes to the production on the field and, you you know the vomit emojis that fans throw around when it comes to him if you really take a look at what this kid can do on the field and really the contributions that he could make um yeah i guess the i guess the discussion for whether or not he was worth the first rounder is one for another day but to say that this guy has no value uh to the team is a blatant blatant disregard of any type of normal football sense.

And if you actually are a student of the game and you don't just care about the sprinting down the field, you'll see exactly what he did. And he did just that yesterday. So a lot of definite praise heaped his way. Saw Julian Edelman tweeting that out. Players, you know, yesterday, whether it be, you know, Kendrick Bourne or whether it be Jacoby Myers, everybody was so complimentary with what McKeel Harry did yesterday,

and that's something that he's definitely enjoying today, and he should, every bit of it. And I agree with what you said on the offensive line, bud, without any question. They did. They really came together. With Trent over there on the right-hand side, everybody was just clicking. What he does to that room and to that group, knowing that you have a man of this caliber standing next to you, covering your backside, and taking up just so much room. You have no idea, folks, how important that is. It was brilliant to watch this offensive line yesterday go up and manhandle a defensive squad that is one of the better ones in the NFL. Yeah, without any question. And they did manhandle that team. And they also were able to keep a relatively under-the-radar potent offense of Cleveland in check yesterday as well.

They're known primarily for their defense. But this is a team that is capable of putting up points. And I know the first reaction to everybody is, oh, well, they didn't have Nick Chubb. They didn't have Kareem Hunt. They didn't have Dmitry Felton. I agree with you. And Murph is going to tell us why we don't want to hear it when we talk defense and the potential of what this 2021 Patriots team might achieve. All this and more when this Victory Monday, Locked On Murph Monday episode of the Locked

On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, does this sound familiar? You've got one device that lets you catch the game live, another device that lets you stream your favorite shows, you're watching sports highlights on your phone, and you've got your neighbor's best friend's login for the good stuff. Well, I want to tell you about a simple way to get all that entertainment you love without the hassle, and a great way to finally get your TV together.

It's called Direct TV Stream, and it brings your live TV and on-demand favorites together like never before, so you can watch your favorite sports, movies, and shows all in one place. That means no more juggling remotes and no need to buy another device ever again. And the best part? There's no annual contract. So get rid of the clutter and the confusion and get your TV together with Direct TV Stream. You can learn more at directtv.com

That's D-I-R-E-C-T-V dot com. Compatible device required. Content varies by package. Locked On listeners, we're back and better than ever. All eyes are on the gridiron as teams are back to start another football season.

As always, BetOnline is your number one spot for all the pro and college football action this season. With a new updated site and interface, even more odds, props, and contests, BetOnline.ag continues to be the number one source for everything football. Head to the website or use your mobile device to sign up today to receive your 100% welcome bonus. That's double your initial deposit just for signing up. Don't forget to use the promo code NFL100. From football, basketball, boxing, right to your favorite Vegas casino games, don't wait to take advantage of all the amazing offers available for the 2021 season.

Bet online, the fastest and easiest way to bet all of your favorite sports. Bet online, your online sportsbook experts. Patriots fans, it is Victory Monday, but more importantly, it is hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. A green legend himself joins me here on the hot seat, my good friend Thomas Murphy. Murph, we talked a lot about the offensive output for the Patriots yesterday. And we sung the praises of Mac Jones and Ramondre Stevenson. And we talked a little bit about the offensive line and how they were able to provide stout protection both in the run and in the pass.

We didn't get too much into the tight endage because we're going to save that for a little protection both in the run and in the pass we didn't get too much into the tight endage because we're going to save that for a little bit later in the week that's strategically done folks um but um one thing that i really want to give a lot of credit for is the patriots defensive strategy yesterday steve belichick has gotten his share of dirt on the uniform when it comes to vitriol being thrown his way by the fan base, by the media. The kid's not ready. You know, he's not like his dad. We hear that a lot. But bottom line, I thought he actually called a very solid game yesterday. I thought he mixed up the coverages very well. There were some disguises, kept Baker Mayfield off guard, and it kept them off balance by using the defensive backfield to

take away his passing lanes. But this front seven has really emerged to me, Murph, as one of the top units in the league. And it really begins and ends with Christian Barmore. And his presence as a rookie is just amazing to see. When you look at this defensive front, how impressed were you with the entire unit and what stood out to you defensively and made the Patriots so successful? Immensely impressed. You took the words right out of my mouth with Barmore. about an offensive, defensive rookie of the year candidate that has a defensive MVP candidate standing right next to him, and that's Matthew Judon. What they are doing right now is a beautiful thing to watch. The aggression, the gap integrity that they're showing, eliminating an opponent's best

option. It's fantastic. It all starts up front. We all know how thin things are in the Patriots' defensive backfield right now. And what they're able to do up front in speeding up the game for the opponents and as to what they need to do and the linebackers bumping guys off of their route, the DBs on the outside bumping guys off their routes. It's is i i hate to keep going back to the keys but this was a key to the game that that i wrote on on thursday and uh and they twisted it it slipped right into that lock and twisted like absolutely with no resistance whatsoever absolutely and please by all means do not by any stretch of the imagination feel bad about turning those keys and mentioning the keys because they are relevant.

They always are. And that's why we encourage everyone here on Lockdown Patriots to read the keys before going in. This really, to me, is such an important part of what the Patriots are doing. That solid presence on the defensive front is something that the great Patriots teams of the early dynasty, the early Brady Belichick days, and even the, uh, the latter part of the dynasty, which was known a little bit more for its offense. Those guys always had a solid presence in the middle

of having someone like a Christian Barmore. And we talked about this when Christian was drafted and stating that this had the opportunity to really be one of the best um you know well you know defensive classes excuse me one of the best uh draft classes in quite some time and really to get bar more as a steal in the second round as a defensive pick a lot of people were talking about him going at number 15 to the new england patriots and at this point if that was indeed the case and he's playing at the level he's playing at i don't think you're going to find many people that are going to argue about that. When you take a look at the fact that 1-2 and just a little bit down the line, they were able to grab Mac Jones, Christian Barmore, and Ramondre Stevenson in this draft.

Bill Belichick, it's not a good week for the Bill can't draft contingent. Exactly. This has really shut up the the bill the gm versus bill the coach um two sides of the same coin crowd and and and i'm loving it they're what these guys are doing and this front seven is so good ronnie perkins can't get on the field and that's another great pick that they made this year and and i'm just waiting for him to be unleashed. The big round guys up front, not Barmore because he's big, but he's not around.

What they're able to do, you're now seeing Donta Hightower be able to do more things and play more like Donta Hightower. He's playing faster. He's playing looser. Jawan Bentley, the same way. What Kyle Duggar did yesterday was fantastic. This all starts up front. It all starts with this group of guys.

And it's a beautiful thing, people. So sit back and enjoy it. This is the football of my youth. And it's taken me back. It's reinvigorated me. And I can't wait for Thursday night., and I can't wait for Thursday night. Yeah, I can't wait for Thursday night as well. This is going to be a very good team to gauge that progress. Before we move on from the defense, I just want to give a little bit

of love to the secondary as well. This is a unit that has been much maligned, the trade of Stephon Gilmore, the loss of Jonathan Jones for the rest of the year. I've been very critical about that outside, that secondary outside piece of the outside cornerback position in the secondary. Patriots have done a very good job, and you've got to give a lot of credit of that to J.C. Jackson, who has really held it all together. J.C. may not have logged an interception yesterday, folks, but allowed zero catches on five targets, zero yards, credited with two pass breakups. 0.0. 0.0, I love it. You know we spend a lot of time together, folks. Yeah, definitely.

That's it. The synergy is there, folks. You just can't deny it. And that's one of the reasons why people love listening to us on Monday because we add to whatever type of demented movie choices they love to utilize. But yeah, give some credit to the secondary as well. Jalen Mills coming out for a little bit yesterday with the left arm, came right back in. Thought had a decent, solid game.

Took 40 snaps, primarily at outside corner, but did slip into the slot a little bit. Miles Bryant continues to do that as well. And Jawan Williams filling in on the outside for Mills. He was out taking 28 snaps there as opposed to 10 on special teams. So he continues to show his value on this team as well. And the Patriots are just clicking on all cylinders. And that leads me quite nicely into my final question for you today. But in that, a 45-7 victory definitely puts the rest of the league on notice.

I had the opportunity to join a couple of different shows here on the Lockdown Podcast Network yesterday evening post game talking about the Patriots chances of contending in the AFC, where their place was. And now it's almost like the national media is starting to catch on to something that we started to see a couple of weeks ago where this team was starting to look like the Patriots teams of old. Six and four in the conference right now in the league. Right now they sit in second place in the division, but they have a chance, I think, at this point, not just to contend for a division title, but most importantly to contend for

a conference title, but most importantly to contend for a conference title as well. When you look around the AFC, despite of what we saw from Kansas City last night and, you know, when Tennessee continues to win, this is an opportunity for the Patriots, I think, to show that they can hang with anybody, including the big boys in this league. What is the ceiling for this team, Murph, at six and four? Is this a surefire playoff team? Do they have, you know, conference title aspirations or are we just better off here as an England Patriots fans to just take this one game at a time? That's a great question, Michael. Buffalo, after reading their own press for a few weeks slid a little bit.

Tennessee is Tennessee. It's a fantastic defense. They keep going out there and doing it. But, no, the Patriots, their biggest problem is they're not going to sneak up on anybody anymore. Now, I don't think that they were to begin with. I think most of that was, yeah, I'm going to get back at Bill. Bill doesn't have the talent right now, and we're going to go back, and we're going to take it out.

A lot of that came from the week one loss to Miami, but right now they are not sneaking up on anybody. I do believe that they have a division title within their reach. Everything is going to hinge on those two Buffalo games right there. And I do think that they can make some noise in the playoffs. This is definitely a playoff team. I'm not going to go out and say that it is a Super Bowl winning team. But once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen. Bill knows how to beat these teams that he's going to face off with in the playoffs. He has the pieces to move around and make some serious noise.

And also, you never know. These hot teams during the season, when they run into the playoffs, we've seen it time and time again, they're the ones that end up stepping over their own feet and handing a win to you. And just handing one win to you could be enough to vault you into contention for a trip to the Super Bowl and a trip out to L.A. Yeah, without any question. And I think you absolutely hit the nail on the head. And look, to me, the most important and the most, I guess, impressive part of the Patriots win yesterday is something that we talked about right at the onset here on locked on Patriots. It was all about getting a win when you need it most treating a game like a

must win and then going out there and getting that win the good teams of the past. And I'm not just talking Patriots folks. I'm talking any NFL team that is a championship contender. They win those games. They win the games that they need to win because they find a way to do it yesterday Yesterday, it wasn't even that the Patriots had to grid out a win like this. They went out and took it to a team that a lot of people thought were going to, I don't want to say just have it easy with the Patriots because I don't think anybody thought that Cleveland was going to blow them out, but there were quite a few national pundits that were, you know, finding this to be a game that Cleveland could definitely dominate.

Right. This was going to be a get right game for Cleveland with a lot of people out there. A lot of people were talking about even during the game that if the Patriots had to to string together a 90 yard touch, a 90 yard scoring drive, that that's the reason that they can't win a game like this. And they went out and they did it three times. Three times. Absolutely. A 90-plus-yard scoring drive. It was fantastic. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

And I don't think I will ever take this game off my DVR. No, definitely. This is one you want to go back and you want to watch. This is a feel-good game that you can always go back to and you can just yeah you can enjoy this one from start to finish just clicking on all cylinders and i'm glad that you mentioned uh the 90-yard drives one of them engineered by brian hoyer doesn't get a whole lot of love here on locked on patriots but you gotta give him credit i mean you know the guy comes out there, he still does his job. He still knows how to be able to dictate the tempo and the flow and you know, finding, you know, Hunter Henry on that you know, excuse me, finding Jacoby Myers for his first NFL touchdown was something

that you know, I know Jacoby will remember for the rest of his career. But it's something that I'm sure Brian was glad that he was a part of that as well. So all around good things for the new England Patriots, but a quick turnaround here on lockdown Patriots, because Thursday night, Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons will host the new England Patriots. Bill Belichick had plenty to say about Ryan, about the, the Falcons this morning had a lot of glowing things to say about former Patriot Cordero Patterson, and we'll continue to break that all down for you leading up to kickoff on Thursday night.

But in the meantime, folks, it is always our honor, always our privilege when I get a chance to welcome my good friend here to the pod. He lends his wisdom and counsel like no other. Buddy, that's why you are the Don here on Locked On Patriots, the true head of the family. So I thank you for joining me on this episode. Folks, keep in mind that you should always be following this man on

Twitter, and I know most of you are, but for the benefit of our new listeners, please follow my good friend, the legendary Thomas Murphy, on Twitter at TMurph207. We make tongue-in-cheek jokes about the keys all the time, but let me tell you, if you do read these keys, and you should be every single week,

they are point, click, and learn material, and 99.9 times out of 100, Murph is spot on. So definitely be sure to check out those keys and all the great work this man does on E2GSports.com. Always make sure to check out one patriots place one of the best patriots podcasts out there my favorite listen of the week with our great mutual friend steve balistrieri the countess of clads herself miss claire clazy claire cooper and of course the great man here himself thomas murphy buddy thank you again

honored and humbled as always by your presence. Oh, always my pleasure, Michael, especially on a Victory Monday. It is always great to see you. And let's hope you get a Victory Friday episode coming up. Absolutely. We're looking forward to Victory Friday. If it happens that way, definitely can't take too much for granted. You know, Bill Belichick is going to have this team. It was an if thing. Exactly. He's going to have this team taking every game, every moment, one at a time. And that's exactly what the Patriots do. But until the next time you join us here on Locked on Patriots, buddy, continue to stay safe, stay well.

And we look forward to talking ball with you again here once again on Locked on Patriots real soon. You too, my friend. Go Pats. And so, Patriots fans, one down, but a ton of Pats coverage still to come here on Locked On Patriots. Don't forget, a quick turnaround for your New England Patriots as they take on the Atlanta Falcons this Thursday in Atlanta, Thursday night football, 8.20 p.m. So, as we continue to wrap up Week 10

and the Pats' victory over the Cleveland Browns and take a look ahead into week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots and making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms.

Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.