Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover Thursday: New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills in Week Thirteen — 12/2/21

Episode Date: December 3, 2021

It’s Crossover Thursday heading into Week Thirteen of the the 2021 NFL Season. Join hosts Mike D’Abate of Locked On Patriots and Joe Marino of Locked On Bills for Crossover Thursday, as they preview this matchup between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on Monday, December 6.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.StatHeroStatHero is the first of its kind Daily Fantasy Sports platform where it’s YOU vs. the HOUSE in head to head fantasy matchups - winner take all. Sign up for FREE - RIGHT NOW - at StatHero.com/LOCKEDON and use promo code LOCKEDON for a One Hundred Percent Deposit Match. 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 Thursday, December 2nd, 2021. And that's right, folks. It's Thursday. It's Crossover Thursday. Crossing the streams, Locked On Patriots and Locked On Bill Style,

right here on 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, Locked On listeners, thank you so much for continuing to make Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms. And today's episode of Locked On Patriots is brought to you by StatHero. StatHero is the first of its kind daily fantasy sports platform where it's you versus the house in head-to-head fantasy matchups.

Winner take all. Sign up for free right now at StatHero.com slash Locked On. Use the promo code Locked On for a 100% deposit match. And greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here on this Thursday episode of the pod. Crossover Thursday, locked on bills, locked on Patriots. And in terms of regular season matchups, folks, they really don't get much bigger than this.

Monday night football national stage orchard park new york highmark stadium your new england patriots at eight and four take on the buffalo bills at seven and four for the right to call themselves top in the division and folks this is one we've been looking forward to for a while first meeting between these two divisional rivals and here today to break it all down from a Patriots perspective and a Bills perspective is my good friend and colleague Joe Marino, host of the Locked on Bills podcast. And Joe is among the best in the business when it comes to Buffalo Bills coverage. He'll give us all the information we need on the reigning AFC East champions.

And when it comes to the hottest and most resurgent team in the NFL right now, your New England Patriots, I've got you covered there as well. It's time to cross the streams here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Crossover Thursday. Joe Marino of Locked On Bills, yours truly of Locked On Patriots. Crossover Thursday starts next here on the Locked On Podcast Network when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, I know so many of you out there are fantasy fans.

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Buffalo Bills fans, New England Patriots fans, regular season matchups rarely live up to the hype, but we have a feeling here at the Locked On Podcast Network that this Monday night matchup, December 6th, the New England Patriots against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, New York. Highmark Stadium is definitely going to live up to it and likely exceed it. The division on the line basically at this point in this part of the season and this Monday's game is the first step toward deciding who may take that division title in 2020, which currently belongs to the Buffalo Bills.

I'm Mike DeBate, host of the Locked On Patriots podcast. And joining me is my good friend, esteemed colleague at the Locked On Podcast Network, the great host of Locked On Bills, Joe Marino. Joe, it's always a pleasure when we get a chance to do these crossovers. I'm fortunate, and I know you are as well, that we get to do two of these each year. But this is always one of my favorite ones of the year. Great to talk to you again, my friend. Yeah, it's good to be on the mic with you here today, Mike.

And it's interesting because the Bills have played the Dolphins twice. They played the Jets once, but have yet to face the Patriots. And so a big one here, but we get to turn it around and do it again in a few weeks. And so we'll get well acquainted with these two teams over the next month or so. Absolutely. And who would have thought after the Patriots started this season two and four that we would be talking about these two matchups as the deciding factors in the division.

And it really has been an amazing ride for new England. And I know you're going to put me on the hot seat here in just a moment and talk a little bit about the New England Patriots and how they're approaching this game. But let's start with the champs. And Buffalo right now, Joe, is a team that is striking fear into the hearts of a lot of the AFC simply because I don't think we've seen the best of the Bills just yet. And that's a scary thought, considering that they really have played great football this year on both sides of the ball. I know there are some concerns over the loss of a very dear member and a very key member of your secondary. And we'll get to Trey Davias-White in just a moment. But let's start with the man under center.

And Josh Allen continues to be among the league's elite quarterbacks, having a very good season, spreading the ball around. His ability to extend plays with his legs is truly phenomenal and really is a dual threat type of quarterback. And one of the key cogs in what the Buffalo bills do on offense, whether they're running the ball or whether they're, you know, utilizing their aerial attack, this guy essentially does it all. And he really is the straw that stirs the drink for lack of a better term. For the benefit of our listeners on Locked On Patriots that may not have their sharp eye on

Josh Allen. And if you haven't, I strongly recommend doing that this week, but Joe is the best in the business of being able to bring you up to speed. What have you seen in Josh Allen this year that shows you that he has not only taken a step from what was a very good 2020 season, but really taking that next step to being in the MVP conversation right now? Well, I think the encouraging thing with Josh Allen, considering the leap that he took last year in 2020 and all the production and finishing second in the MVP voting and what he's done this year the most encouraging thing is that he's continued on that same trajectory there has not been any regression in the play from Josh Allen in fact he's got the exact same number of touchdowns through 11 games this year as he did last year and he has about 10

more total yards per game and so the production has been very very very similar and so while some people thought well Josh Allen in front of state you know stadiums that are full of people will impact his performance or you know the rest of the NFL getting the opportunity to study this Bill's offense and game plan against it you know for an entire offseason that there would be some type of dip in Josh Allen's production. Well, that hasn't happened. And so I think that's the most encouraging thing is that Josh Allen has continued to play at the level that the Bill saw him last year, which includes accuracy and continuing to use his legs and being able to push the football down the field.

Josh Allen has been outstanding in terms of connecting with targets down the field, but also continuing to work those intermediate passes and show off that big arm. And so all the things that made Josh Allen the quarterback that he was last year for Bill's team that went 13 and three and won the division and went to the AFC championship game and saw him finish second in the MVP race. You're seeing a lot of that replicated again this year when there was some concern over a regression. Yeah, absolutely. And again, one of the biggest things about quarterbacks, especially a quarterback like Josh, who started off kind of inauspiciously and really grew into the role that he's received. And now, again, among the elites in the game is that progression, that poise, that pocket presence,

but not just the pocket presence, his command over the offensive line and the skill position players. These players play hard for him. They go to the wall for guys like Josh Allen. And you see that so much in the successful teams in the league. And you've seen it obviously in New England for a number of years under Tom Brady. Those guys really went above and beyond to play at the highest level they possibly could for their quarterback. And to me, that's one of the most interesting intangibles of playing the position is when you can demand that kind of respect and that kind of loyalty from your players you know you're doing something right so Josh is going to be a handful to contain and Wingman Patriots definitely have had their issues uh you know

containing mobile quarterbacks and dual threat quarterbacks in the past and although the defense is playing at a high level this may be their toughest test to date. As much as Josh Allen has been a tremendous part of this offense in Buffalo Joe, he's surrounded by a pretty strong supporting cast of skilled position players. The wide receiver position, obviously it starts with Stephon Diggs. He continues to be the crown jewel in that wide receiving core, but he's also getting some great contributions from Emmanuel Sanders, newcomer player that Patriots fans are very much familiar with in terms of what he can do, both with Pittsburgh or with Denver. I mean, Emmanuel has always been one of those guys that seems to be right there in the thick of things causing problems for the New England Patriots. Gabe Davis is someone that gave them a few difficult looks last year at the wide receiver position.

Devin Singletary continues to be a strong running back. I know Buffalo's run game hasn't quite been what they've hoped it would be all season long, but he continues to run the ball well. And then, of course, a position that I always love to be able to break down, and that's the tight end position, and Dawson Knox having a tremendous season. When you look at Buffalo being able to spread the wealth around and what they do offensively, what has been the most, I guess the best way for me to put it is what has been the most impressive aspect of what Buffalo is doing offensively and where are the areas that you think they might need to maybe give a little bit something extra this week against the tough defense? Well, I think you've seen a lot of the ingredients from last year carry over to this

season, but the layer that is different is Dawson Knox at tight end and his emergence. You know, his first couple of seasons in the NFL, you saw some really flashy moments, but overall he was inconsistent. There was a lot of drops, some missed assignments as a blocker, and he really focused in on his game this offseason, and he has developed wonderfully. And, in fact, he leads the NFL right now in receiving touchdowns among tight ends with seven, which is actually tied with Hunter Henry. And so you've got the two most productive touchdown-catching tight ends

in the NFL going head-to to head here on Monday night. And so being able to introduce an X factor like Dawson Knox to a offense that is wide receiver centric, where it's all about throwing the ball to, you know, Cole Beasley. And you mentioned Emmanuel Sanders and of course, Stefan Diggs and Gabriel Davis. And so you've added that wrinkle to it. And now the bills in, in recent weeks, over the last two weeks, they've gotten Matt Brita more involved in this offense. And he's a really explosive running back, which is different than Devin Singletary and Zach Moss, who are more cerebral runners that are power type backs that kind of thrive in condensed spaces where Matt Brita has brought a speed dynamic to the

offense and they've thrown the football to him a little bit. He's got a couple of receiving touchdowns over the last couple of games and he's added a different little wrinkle here to this offense. And so I think those two things are the new pieces of the offense, if you will. But as far as this matchup on Monday night against New England, we know the Patriot way is to make offenses play left-handed by taking away whatever that best thing is that they do. And I think where the Bills have a real opportunity here is there's a lot of different ways that they can create offense. It's not just throwing the football to Stephon Diggs. They do have three other very worthy receivers in Beasley and Sanders and Gabriel Davis

and the tight end. And now the backs are getting involved in the passing game as well, on top of being able to run the football with Josh Allen. And of course, you know, the running backs that they will address probably Singletary and Brita. And so I think it's going to be very important for the Bills to embrace a very balanced

approach, not necessarily in terms of run-pass ratio, but balance in terms of getting all of their weapons going and really countering this Patriots' desire to make them play left-handed and take away the perceived best thing that they do. And so I think that's going to be a critical component for the Bills to have success against really an outstanding Patriots defense come Monday night. Yeah, without question. And that is one of the things that Bill Belichick loves to do. And I'm glad that you mentioned playing left-handed because that is likely the course that the Patriots will try to make Buffalo do. And if Buffalo can play through it, you know, their chances are going to be pretty good in this game. They are a very good, very complete team when it comes to being able to, you know, when it comes to being

able to get through something like that. That's, you know, more than something that they're capable of being able to do. And I'm glad that you mentioned someone like a Knox that does bring this offense to a different level. And, you know, when he's at his best, and this is something that I love watching about Dawson's game, when he's at his best, he finds space when sitting down in that soft zone, he's utilized, he does well utilizing those flat combinations. And I think the Patriots at this point, if they want to try to take away and neutralize the middle of the field, which is where this defense can be at a little bit. They're very vulnerable in play action. One of the only weak spots of this defense right now.

They're going to try to take away Cole Beasley underneath. I mean, that's obviously what you would want to do in terms of trying to neutralize your slot receiver. But with Sanders, with Davis, and I'm glad that you mentioned Breda as well. You know, very familiar with his prowess coming from the Kyle Shanahan system over in San Francisco a couple of years ago, and then coming over into Miami now with Buffalo, he's capable of making things happen. So a lot of weapons, a lot of things to watch out for. Patriots defense has played very well, but they're running into a team that is also playing very well in the Buffalo Bills offensively, and they can make things happen. Joe, we can't talk Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, without talking about this Buffalo defense.

And the defense continues to be a strength, one of the great strengths of this team, one of the most fearsome and formidable defensive units in all of football. And we're going to get into the secondary in a moment, which I know I figured I'd save that for last and give you a chance to kind of gird up for those questions. But this front seven continues to be one that really not only it draws you in, you know, as as a fan of another team and especially a rival. When you look at what they're able to do well, they're just able to do so much. Very good news for the Bills in that Star Latule will be back for this game, activated off of COVID reserve. And his presence in that interior of the defensive line really helps to shore up that Buffalo run defense, which really, you know, has not had a lot of problems this season,

but did have its difficulties a couple of weeks ago against the Indianapolis Colts. When you look at this Bills front seven and how they like to attack, do you see them trying to take away the run game from the New England Patriots early on? Are they going to try to show those outside blitzes that have given the offensive line of the New England Patriots and Mac Jones, some question and some trepidation in terms of being able to get the ball downfield. How do you see this front seven attacking the Patriots offense on Monday

night? Yeah, it's a good question. And, you know, you mentioned Starla Tullalay being back. That's a big deal. Not having him against Indianapolis, along with Tremaine Edmonds, who was out for that game. You could see some of the issues that can be caused when you don't have those two key clogs in the middle of your defense. And so Tremaine returned against the Saints on Thanksgiving, and so he's good to go for Monday night. And of course, Starla Tulale also on track to play,

and that'll really shore up the middle of the Bills defense and so when you when you kind of think about this Patriots offense and going up against this Bills defense you know I do draw some parallels to what the Colts like to do in terms of running the football with wham blocks and different pullers and creating extra gaps and a good mix of zone and power runs. And so I know that star wasn't there and Tremaine wasn't there against Indianapolis, but you can really see Indian or the Patriots wanting to implement a lot of those Indianapolis type run concepts to challenge this Bill's run defense. And, you know, the billsills, the Bills, they play the run well, but there's a few games every single year where they just struggle. And, you know, for the Bills, hopefully that was, that's out of their system now against the Colts. But, you know, there's

been times even last year against New England where the Patriots ran the ball very, very effectively against the Bills. And so that's going to be a really good storyline as far as, you know, how the Bills are going to counter that. I think they're going to continue to tap into the depth of this defensive line rotation. They've invested a lot, a lot of first round picks, a lot of free agent dollars, a lot of veterans, both at defensive end and defensive tackle. And so we'll get to the Trey White conversation here in a moment, but nothing could be more critical for the Bills and their defense continuing to play at the high level that it has and overcoming the loss of Trey White than this defensive line showing up and playing to its capability. I mean, we're talking about first round picks all over the place and Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver and Jerry Hughes,

you know, veterans and Mario Addison and Starla Tulalay, second round picks in Boogie Basham and A.J. Epinesa. I mean, these guys really have to play to their capability and even elevate what they've done to this point to counter not only the loss of Trey White, but the desire of other teams to want to replicate what the Colts were able to get done against this Bill's defense. And so, you know, I'm definitely putting them on notice to see if they can, you know, meet this moment. And then obviously the linebackers in Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmonds just continuing to play at the high level they have really since they've been a pair dating back to 2018. And so they're playing their best football right now, and that needs to continue against a Patriots offense that we know is going to want to challenge the Bills in a lot of ways that have been successful ways to challenge them. That's been put on tape by other teams to this point. Yeah, without question,

one of the good things that Josh McDaniels has been able to do in utilizing Mac Jones strengths is scheming up situations where he's able to break zone coverage. And when you do that, it opens up so much for a young quarterback to be able to move the ball down the field. That's one of the big reasons why Mack has been so effective and so accurate. The numbers don't jump out at you on the page when you look at touchdowns or yards or anything like that. People would look at that and say, well, how is this guy rated so high?

How is he given so much credit? It's the accuracy that he's able to utilize and the command that he has in the offense. And one of the big reasons why is because of that play calling by Josh McDaniel. So Josh is noted to be a, an aggressive and maybe sometimes off the book play caller. He's going to, you know, give you disguised looks.

He's going to give you, you know, some sort of, you know, trickery at times he's going to need to definitely scrape the bottom of the barrel for this one, because that Buffalo front seven is as formidable as they come in the NFL. That's going to be a great matchup for them on Monday. Joe, it leads me quite nicely into my final question for you. And obviously the tough news for the Buffalo Bills in the last few days or so is the news that Tredavious White, their star cornerback, will be out for the remainder of the season on injured reserve. And Trey is one of those unique talents at the position, truly one of the best cover corners in the NFL, and does his job so well and such an important part of that Buffalo secondary, which is among, if not at the

top of my list of secondaries in the NFL, the loss of Tredavious White normally would be a very, very difficult blow for any team. And it still is for Buffalo, but you look at the secondary and you look at the prowess that they still bring to the table, even with a loss of someone like Tredavious White, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, interchangeable pieces at the safety position you know I know Poyer is listed as the strong Micah's lifted as the as the uh the free but those guys can play each other's positions that is such an advantage for a team and really I think one of the things that's giving Bill Belichick headaches this week is being able to try to devise schemes to break that down Levi Wallace on the other side on the left side of the other side, on the left side of the other, excuse me, on the right side of the

cornerback position. He's doing a great job. And of course, Taron Johnson now coming in and likely getting the start. Walk us through a little bit how this secondary is different without Tredavious White and how they can still be effective in neutralizing the Patriots passing game. Yeah, there's no understating the loss of Tredavious White. It's significant. He's one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and he's a big reason why the Bills defense is as good as it is and the reason why they create so many takeaways

and can space the defense the way that they have, right, because you have a guy like Tredavious White where you can trust in-man coverage, you can zone up other things, you can bracket other routes, you can help elsewhere. And, you know, you kind of lose that in a big way by not having Trey White. And, you know, here's the bottom line. It's a tough loss for the Bills, but the season continues. And, you know, no one's going to sit around and feel sorry for the Bills. They don't get any extra points on Monday or anything like that because they don't have Trey White. And so they have to stay on course here and figure out how to adjust.

And so, you know, it'll definitely be an effort here by Dane Jackson, a seventh round pick last year who got a chance to play a little bit as a rookie and, you know, a little this year as well. He's going to have a big role to step in. I think Cam Lewis, who's been in the system for a few years, he'll definitely have some, something on his plate as well would be my expectation. In addition to, you know, really relying on those other players, like you mentioned, Trey, in addition to losing Trey White, they'd still have Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde and Taron Johnson and Levi Wallace and good coverage backers, Intramade Emmons and Matt Milano. And so those guys need to elevate their game in addition to

this defensive line playing to their potential to help overcome this loss, a massive loss in Trey White. And so there's no understating it. It matters a ton, but the season goes on and the Bills have their first challenge here to take the field on Monday night in a critical game without their number one cornerback. And so it's going to be an all-of-the-above type effort here to help alleviate the loss of one of the best defensive playmakers in the NFL. Joe Marino of Locked On Bills joined by Mike DeBate, the outstanding host of the Locked On Patriots podcast. And it's my turn to ask him some questions about this hot New England Patriots team. And

we'll get to that hot streak in just a moment. But Mike, we got to start with Mac Jones, right? This rookie quarterback, a very polarizing prospect coming out of the draft. A lot of debate if he should be the number three pick in the draft to the San Francisco 49ers. And when that didn't wind up being the case, he fell down the board and right into the Patriots lap at number 15 overall. And I'm sure everyone feels really good about what they've seen from Mac Jones to this point, earning the opportunity to start, you know, right away for Bill Belichick. I mean, that's, that's, mean, that can't be understated. That means a lot.

But at the same time, I still feel like there's a lot of very polarizing viewpoints on Mac Jones and what he's accomplishing so far from the New England Patriots. And so what I want from you, Mike, is the truth. What's the truth on Mac Jones and where he's at at this point in his rookie season? And what's the ceiling here moving forward based on what you've at at this point in his rookie season? And, you know, what's the ceiling here moving forward based on what you've learned to this point? You know, I really feel like I'm

missing a Jack Nicholson moment here. You can't handle the truth. You want answers? No, I can't do that. No, all kidding aside, Joe, basically at this point with Mac Jones, the truth about him is, is that he is not going to illuminate the stat sheet, like I said in the previous segment, on a lot of occasions. But what he is, is the ideal quarterback for this system. And he simply plays it exactly the way New England likes to have the position played. Timing-based, quick, accurate throws, putting it where the receiver can get it, where only the receiver can get it where only the receiver can get it and the one thing that you're seeing now with Mac Jones and maybe a little bit more aggressive play calling from Josh McDaniels is the fact that he's not only putting the ball where the receiver can get it but he's also starting to put the ball where the receiver can get it and do something with it yards after the catch is such a big part

of a McDaniels orchestrated um offensive scheme and that's what Mac is doing well he's also starting to throw the ball a little bit more into tight coverage. He did that very sparingly early on, still not doing it at the clip of a veteran or someone who's been in the league for a couple of years, but for a rookie, he's starting to show that type of confidence in his ability to move the ball downfield. And because of that, and that type of work ethic and that desire to consistently get better, it really has spread to his teammates and his teammates are feeding off of that. You hear guys all the time, sing his praises and really kind of laud his work ethic. Guys that

have been around in New England for quite a while, you know, names that Buffalo Bills fans know very well. And Devin McCourty as a safety. David Andrews at the center position. Matthew Slater in special teams. These guys are team captains, and for them to consistently praise Mac on a daily and weekly basis, it really has been just a lot of fun to watch for media, for Patriots fans. And he continues to endear himself to the fan base and to the region by doing just that. But it's what he's doing on the field that is really starting to turn some heads. And the accuracy and the consistency that he's putting out there is really something that Patriots fans can really be excited about for many years to come.

Mike, I'm going to respond in a way that's going to initially sound like an insult. But stick with me here because it's not where I'm going to respond in a way that's going to initially sound like an insult, but stick with me here because it's not where I'm going with it. There's a very common label being applied to Mac Jones and that he's a game manager. And maybe that's true. Maybe it's not, but here's what I will say. And this is where this turns into a compliment. Don't you think that the Jaguars would love for Trevor Lawrence to be able to manage a game or the Jets would love for Zach Wilson to manage a game? How about T Lance how about Justin Fields how about you know some of these other quarterbacks in recent years Sam Darnold right like all these quarterbacks that were taken high that had all this exciting physical upside but they didn't have the game

management perspective now and so you know I think about other quarterbacks that started off as a quote unquote game manager and how from there they're able to elevate their play and become a more dynamic catalyst for their offense. And I think, you know, Mac Jones has an opportunity to do that because he's already shown a baseline level of play that can lead to good offense, right? Like, especially for what he's being asked to do. And I think that is such an important component of this Mac Jones conversation to be mindful of, especially for a guy that only started for one year in college, right? Like he doesn't have that many reps under his belt to be able to come in and execute a Josh McDaniels

offense and, you know, play for Bill Belichick in the, in the shadow of Tom Brady and to be able to, you know, honestly, at least keep his head above water and keep this offense on schedule and, you know, not make any backbreaking mistakes really to this point. And so, you know, I hope that was interpreted correctly, but I think there's a lot of good to be taken away from what we've seen from Mac Jones as a baseline knowing that this is a guy that really hasn't even played that much football since he's left high school absolutely no and I think that was taken in absolute context and the correct context and I know exactly how you meant it and it always makes me laugh a little bit Joe when I hear about the term game manager being more

of an insult or people taking that as a negative, especially for a young quarterback, I go back a ways with this team. I happen to remember when they said the same thing about another quarterback that had kind of a very similar start to his tenure here in new England and starting off as being a game manager and really relying on a strong running game and a lights out defense to be able to carry him to victory uh turned out pretty well for him he's doing his thing down in tampa now but uh he did pretty well up here for about two decades so if that's the type of mold that mac jones is going

to follow and folks please do not misconstrue this i am not comparing tom brady to mac jones because they are different players and i don't think the comparison is as apt as people want to make it to be. It makes for a nice little storyline. It makes for a good 30 second soundbite. But when you look at the mechanics of both of these players, you will see that there's a difference between 2001 Tom Brady and 2021 Mac Jones. But at the same time, when you mentioned managing the game, yes, I do believe that the Jets would take that right now. I do believe that the Jaguars would take that. Even the Bears, as dynamic as Justin Fields can be in making things happen,

there's something to be said for consistency. And Mack completing over 70% of his passes on the season for a rookie quarterback is pretty remarkable. That's a good mark for any quarterback. But when you stop and think that this is a rookie that was taken 15 overall with those guys that I just mentioned taken above him, it makes it look pretty good. And again, a lot of it is scheme, a lot of it is system, but I want to give a lot of credit to Mack too, because there are players that could come through this system that may have some of the skillset that it takes to be successful in New England and not be able to carry the load. Mack has carried it on his shoulders because he has that poise and he has that confidence

in his own ability to be able to do it. So I look forward to continuing that. But yeah, I would say that's an accurate assessment for right now, but it doesn't really adequately describe where his ceiling will be in another two, three, four years. Yeah, that's that's the interesting conversation is the ceiling, because objectively, Mac Jones doesn't have the biggest arm and he's not a great athlete. Right. And so when you think about ceiling, it's often tied to physical traits and, you know, how much can they do in terms of, you know, playing outside of the rules of the play, right. We know Mac Jones, I think Dan Orlovsky put it great. He said, Mac Jones is doing a great job

of functioning within the rules of a play. And that's because he understands what to do with the football. And that's, that is a good thing, right? My question is going to be all right now, how much more can he elevate his game? How much more productive can he be given that he doesn't really have this rocket arm or athleticism to elevate it, right? It has to continue to be mental. And we've seen that happen, right? Like that's happened for other quarterbacks, but it's definitely a different course forward compared to the trends of the NFL today. Yeah, without any question, it definitely is a little bit against the grain, kind of goes old school a little bit in terms of their approach. But again, this is how the New England Patriots approach their quarterback position.

You'll be hard pressed to find a more dynamic athlete at the position than Cam Newton. And obviously when Cam came up here last year, he was not quite the same athlete he had been in years past, but he was still able to extend plays with his legs. Cam showed the ability to run the football very well last year. And when he was at his best in a New England Patriots uniform, that's exactly what he was doing. It just did not fit the way that the New England Patriots utilize their offensive system. And because of that, Matt coming in here with an understanding

and a cerebral approach to the game rather than a dynamic approach to the game off the bat has really made him stand out from his peers. It isn't because of his athletic prowess. Again, I mean, you look at the quarterbacks that were taken ahead of him, they probably would all win the athletic battle with Mac. Although I think he gets a little bit of a bum rap at times. I mean, Mac is a little bit more athletic. He moves very well in the pocket. And I think he maybe doesn't get quite the credit he deserves for being able to utilize the RPO at times. He did that very well in Alabama. We're not seeing it so much here in New England, but at the same time, it's that approach. It's that cerebral understanding. And I go back to what former offensive coordinator up here in New England, Charlie Weiss said about Mack prior

to his being drafted. He says, this kid gets what it means to be a Patriot before he put the uniform on. And that to me spoke volumes because if there's anybody that knows the type of offense that Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels and the New England Patriots like to run, it's Charlie Weiss, the guy that's been with Bill for a number of years. So that spoke volumes to me. And that really made me see what a lot of other uh you know analysts at this point were seeing when they talked about Mac being a fit in New England and it's coming to fruition so Mike moving off of Mac Jones but maybe not I want to talk about the uh the hot streak here for the New England Patriots started two and four they've won six in a row eight and four first

place in the AFC East what have been the most notable differences lately that has led to I'm pretty sure the Patriots being the hottest team in the NFL right now. Well, defense obviously is right at the top of the list. I mean, this defense is much different than the New England Patriots defense of 2020. They're setting the edge. They're stuffing the run a little bit better, albeit, you know, a little bit of a hiccup Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. 270 rushing yards on the ground is not the way Bill Belichick wanted to approach that game.

Credit Mike Rabel and his staff for devising a pretty good scheme. And Patriots were a little, I don't want to say shorthanded, because in the bodies they weren't shorthanded. But Christian Barmore's knee injury, I think, hurt him a little bit from being able to position himself and help out the run defense. But one of the things that the Patriots are doing so well is that linebacker core has really gone above and beyond to be able to make the difference from this year to last year. The presence of someone like a Kyle Van Nooy has been huge because of his knowledge of the system. He's a better fit now than he was a year,

a year removed from his stint in Miami in 2019. And Kyle had a great year that year, but he knows the system so much better. And again, you cannot overstate or you can't really, you know, do anything to take away from the addition of Matt Judon to this team. Who's been absolutely phenomenal.

His ability to not only set the tone when it comeson to this team, who's been absolutely phenomenal. His ability to not only set the tone when it comes to the pass rush, but also be able to get to where he needs to be on the field to assist and run defense. Judon has been a tremendous, tremendous addition to this team. When it comes to the secondary, a lot of people thought that Gilmore was going to have his difficulties and have his problems, you know, and getting back on the field. Obviously, it never came to fruition that he came back and suited up again for the Patriots in 2019. But J.C. Jackson has done a tremendous job in being able to hold down that fourth seven interceptions. One of the top takeaway artists in the league this year when it comes to the cornerback position. And they're getting some nice complimentary football from the fellow members of that

defensive backfield, whether it be Jalen Mills at the other corner, whether it be the three safety base set that the Patriots like to run with Kyle Duggar and Adrian Phillips and Devin McCourty. They've really done a tremendous job. So from start to finish, the defense really is the difference between this team and the reason why you're looking at an eight and four start. I don't want to take away from what the offense has done, but it's really the defense that has really vaulted this team into another stratosphere. So the Patriots defense is terrific. And my

goodness, my eyes popped out of my head when I saw that they're forcing a takeaway on 19.4% of the drives against them this year. I thought the Bills were doing well at 19%. Well, the Patriots said, yeah, bet we'll do 0.4% better. So a lot of, a lot of turnovers, right, right. Happening for both of these teams. And so, you know, we could, we could easily identify why the Patriots defense is really, really good. What I'm interested in Mike is, is where are there some chinks in the armor? I know that run defense has kind of been something worth mentioning. Tennessee, obviously they ran the ball a ton. They, what, but they only passed the ball for like 90 yards or something like that.

So I think you have a nice little trade off there, but I think when you look at the entire season here, the Patriots, if there's a, at least a metric where they don't really measure up in terms of the outstanding metrics that they have elsewhere, it's probably the run defense where they've given up four and a half yards per carry this season. That's bottom five in the NFL. Is it the run defense? Is there anything else that the Bills may be able to take advantage of on Monday night? Well, the run defense is definitely something to watch, especially after letting up, again, 270 yards on the ground. That's going to be a difficulty for any team to overcome.

But the Patriots have the ability to do that. And if Christian Barmore is healthier and is a little bit more back to his normal self, that really changes the complexity of the way the interior of the defensive line can play. Now, all of a sudden you're looking at Devon Godchild playing the middle part with Carl Davis coming in and subbing him in when they need a true nose tackle. Lawrence Guy can really be the traditional defensive tackle and the run stuffer that he has become accustomed to being here in

New England for the last few years. That being said, that run defense, if they're able to anchor and they're able to play well, that allows a lot of the coverage players in the linebacking core to be able to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback. So really, it sets the tone. Where the Patriots might be a little bit vulnerable, and I kind of tip my hand in the previous segment on this one, is they are vulnerable against play action. That middle part of the field where the linebackers usually are the intermediate pass is not so much the short because the Patriots do defend those pretty well and then they can actually get into position and defend the long

stuff pretty well but the middle part of the field is where teams can be vulnerable and the Patriots are a little vulnerable in this area right now if the Bills are looking at this they're going to try to I think utilize two guys looking at this, they're going to try to, I think, utilize two guys in particular. I think they're going to try to utilize Cole Beasley in that area, maybe Emmanuel Sanders, maybe even a Matt Breida in that situation. Maybe you're receiving a little bit out of the backfield and being that dual threat. The Bills can get some type of synergy going there, beat the Patriots in the middle part of the field, and then you can use guys like like Stefan Diggs to stretch the field and be that deep threat. You can use someone like a Dawson Knox to be that red zone threat that could be difficult if the Patriots get into situations

where they're defending third and short consistently and the bills are moving the chains and getting the first down. So to me, that's where I think Bill Belichick is going to spend a lot of his time. He's going to give the run defense his just due as he should, but I think he's going to be focused on the middle part of that field this week because I think that's where Buffalo might be looking at an area to exploit. Mike, if I could sneak one last one in here. I want to get into these offensive weapons for the New England Patriots because, my goodness, there are so many new pieces to this offense offense whether it's Ramondre Stevenson at running back the two new

tight ends right and Hunter Henry and Johnnie Smith two new receivers and Nelson Aguilar and Kendrick Bourne and so maybe just kind of walk us through what you're seeing from these new weapons and how it's all kind of fitting together yeah absolutely I mean and getting back to what we were talking about previously and I know I went into the defensive tangent because I'm so enamored with the way this team plays defense, bringing it back to the offense and bringing it back to the focus. There have been some great offensive additions on this team as well, and they deserve a lot of credit for the successes that the Patriots have had. Look, this is going to be their arguably their toughest test going up against the Bills because the Bills are solid in all three levels. Defensive front, linebacking core,

and secondary. This is going to be all of these receivers and offensive skill position players' toughest test. When you look to what the Patriots are doing and doing well, they're utilizing the short field. They're utilizing play action to be able to facilitate the passing game. Kendrick Bourne has been phenomenal in that regard because he's such a dual threat. He can get into utilizing the short field. They're utilizing play action to be able to facilitate the passing game. Kendrick Bourne has been phenomenal in that regard because he's such a dual threat. He can get into the open field. He can make, you know, deep threat catches as well. We've seen him do that, but it's his ability to receive in short yardage and then get yardage after the catch, which has really set him apart from his peers at the wide receiver position. Probably one of the favorite targets of Mac Jones this year stands for Jacoby Myers, who is really their yards eater.

Jacoby had 98 yards receiving against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, and he continues to be a reliable target for Mac. At the tight end position, Hunter Henry has been everything as advertised, if not more. One of the most gifted route runners I've ever had the chance to cover. And I covered Hunter when he was with the Los Angeles Chargers, when I was on the Chargers beat a few years ago. Always loved what this kid could do. And the fact that he was able to come here and play in New England, both he and Adrian Phillips were the two favorite Chargers I ever covered out there. And for them to both be wearing Patriots uniforms now is truly an honor for me to be able to cover them again. So he's been great.

Jono Smith is starting to show some prowess of being able to move the ball out of play action, especially in the jet sweep. He can be an effective weapon. Aguilar does have deep threat capabilities. He hasn't necessarily lit up the stat sheet, but he's always in the mix of making big catches when the Patriots need to. So if I'm the Bills, I'm keeping an eye on him, you know, and not letting him, you know, run wild on the field because he has proven that he can make those catches.

But to me, it all comes down to the running game and the Patriots getting quality running from Damian Harris and Ramondre Stevenson. I think that's where they're going to look to attack first. They're going to try to utilize the run. The run will set up play action in theory, and that will open up the Patriots offense. If the Bills are successful in shutting off the run early,

could be a long night on Monday night for the New England Patriots. Well, Mike, it's been an absolute pleasure breaking down this football game with you and talking about these two teams. Obviously, a big-time matchup on Monday Night Football. The entire nation watching, wanting to find out what this Patriots team is all about and if the Bills are truly going to be contenders this year. So, we're going to have some questions answered on Monday night. And so,

really enjoyed having this conversation with you. And the conversation doesn't stop here. There's going to be more in both podcasts, the Locked On Patriots podcast and Locked On Bills. So take a moment, make sure that you're subscribed. I know I can speak for Mike in saying that we'd love it if you take a second to rate, review, and share the podcast. Have a great rest of your day, and we look forward to catching up with you again tomorrow. Just like that, Patriots fans, we are nearly through your work week, but fear not because there is still a ton of Patriots Bills coverage yet to come here on the pod.

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