Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Denver Boot: Broncos Six Field Goals Sink Patriots, 18-12 - 10/19/2020

Episode Date: October 19, 2020

Instead of praising the triumphant returns of quarterback Cam Newton and cornerback Stephon Gilmore, it was Denver Broncos’ kicker Brandon McManus who stole the show. McManus was the lone Bronco to light the Gillette Stadium scoreboard, en route to an 18-12 win over the New England Patriots in a game twice delayed following positive tests for COVID-19. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy, as the duo discuss the Pats’ lack of preparation, the controversial final play of the game, and whether New England would be best suited to seek assistance at the skill positions.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order.MyBookieINVEST IN YOUR INTUITION. USE PROMO CODE LOCKEDON AND DOUBLE YOUR FIRST DEPOSIT. NEW PLAYERS GET UP TO $1,000 IN FREE PLAY - DESIGNED TO ADD MORE EXCITEMENT TO THE SPORTS YOU LOVE AND THE GAMES YOU BET. YOUR WINNING SEASON BEGINS TODAY...ONLY AT MYBOOKIE!BuiltGoVisit BuiltGO.com and use promo code “LOCKED,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order.RomanGo to getroman.com/lockedon TODAY. If approved, you’ll get fifteen dollars off your first orderof ED treatment. 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 Lockdown Patriots podcast. And yesterday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, your New England Patriots got the old-fashioned Denver boot. And we will be discussing the Patriots' 18-12 loss to the Broncos 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.

Locked on Patriots is presented today by Pepsi, made for football watching. This football season will be different, and Pepsi is here to get you ready for game day, no matter how you watch this season. Pepsi is the refreshment you need to power through any game day and become a member of the League of Football Watchers. Because Pepsi isn't made for those who play the game, it's made for those who watch it.

Pepsi, made for football watching. Patriots fans, taking to the practice fields on only two occasions in as many weeks is definitely going to have an effect on a football team. And more often than not, that effect is going to be a negative one. Yesterday at Gillette Stadium, your New England Patriots learned that lesson all too well. Thank you all for joining me here today on this Aftermath Monday, October 19th, 2020. My name is Mike DeBate, 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 and greatly appreciated. Feel free to share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C. And while you're out there, giving that Twitterverse an offer it can't refuse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Foxborough Faithful, finally, after two postponements and several closures of their team facilities, Yorta-Wingland Patriots finally got the chance to square off against the Denver Broncos. What would have been a Week 5 matchup ended up being a Week 6 matchup.

And if we're really all being honest with each other, I think we expected a pretty decent day on Sunday. Cam Newton back in the lineup, Stephon Gilmore back in the lineup, Patriots seemingly matched up very well in all aspects of the game against the Denver Broncos. But instead of us singing the praises of Cam Newton, Stephon Gilmore and company on this Monday morning, we find ourselves sifting through the aftermath of the Brandon McManus show. And not to play spoiler alert, but Brandon is the kicker for the Denver Broncos, and he was the lone Bronco to put any points on the board yesterday. Yes, folks, I'm well aware that the Patriots still lost the game.

I'll get into how they did so in just a moment. But before we break down yesterday's Sunday debacle, I know there's a lot of you out there that are harboring a lot of anger toward yesterday's game. You expected a better showing from the Patriots. Let's face it, we all did. You're frustrated. You're shaking your head. Don't be ashamed to admit it.

You're mad. And you know what? It's the time of year for it. You're monster mad. And please don't worry, we're still a few days away from me badly attempting to sing Monster Mash. But that term monster mad should give you a pretty good indication as to who is joining me here on the hot seat today.

That's right, folks. Thomas Murphy, our magnificent maestro of green wisdom and counsel, is here today on Locked on Patriots. And if you think we're all upset over this loss, wait till you get a load of Murph. He's angry, he's opinionated, and he's not about to hold back. So sit tight, folks. A Monster Mad agenda here for you today on Locked on Patriots. And prepare to absorb the green wisdom

and counsel of my good friend Murph here in just a moment. But first, you heard me allude earlier to the fact that the Patriots lost this game despite not having the Broncos find the end zone for a touchdown. Six field goals, 18 points, the very impressive leg of kicker Brandon McManus.

And if you were to tell me before the game that the Patriots would hold the Broncos to only six field goals, I would have assumed they won this going away. But the Patriots were only able to muster a mere three points through three quarters. They should get credit for rallying from an 18-3 deficit and nearly pulling off the comeback all in the fourth quarter. But the Patriots committing three turnovers just proved to be too costly. And credit the Denver defense, especially their defensive front. They consistently won the battle against the makeshift Patriots offensive line, which really, in this one, folks, was decimated by injuries and illness.

The offensive line had most of its key components playing out of position. From left to right, Justin Heron started at the left tackle position. Isaiah Wynn moved inside to guard Joe Tooney was at the center position Jermaine Illuminor started the game at right tackle He would end up leaving the game with an ankle injury And there'll be more on Jermaine in a moment, folks Yelda Frohold came in and filled in

And then, of course, at right guard, Michael Onwenu, the rookie, took the majority of the snaps there So almost everyone playing out of position at some point All day long, they struggled to provide protection for Cam Newton, who I'm sorry to say, folks, did not have his best game. He finished this one passing 17 for 25 for 157 yards, two interceptions. He did rush 10 times for 76 yards and did have the game's only touchdown in this one. But overall, a very long, disappointing day for the Patriots offense. And even though I thought the defense played pretty well in this one, but overall a very long, disappointing day for the Patriots offense, and even though I thought the defense played pretty well in this one, the offensive regression

was just too much for this team to overcome. So without any further ado, let's get down to the action, and Denver would jump out to a 9-0 lead in this contest. Brandon McManus hitting field goals from 45 yards out, 44 yards out, and 27 yards out respectively. Broncos quarterback Drew Locke did a pretty good job of moving the ball down the field. Running back Phillip Lindsey also found lanes to get big chunk yardage. But the Patriots defense held strong when they needed to. That classic bend-don't-break Patriots defense was back in force yesterday. And to be honest, it's really what kept them in the game, because on the flip side, offensively, the Patriots just could not find any rhythm. Cam Newton's first pass attempt of the game, a short throw intended

for James White, was tipped at the line of scrimmage. It was intercepted by Denver defensive lineman Deshaun Williams, and that just seemed to be the story of the day for the Patriots. With the exception of a Nick Folk 41-yard field goal in the second quarter, the Patriots were held scoreless, and they would trail at the half 12-3 after McManus nailed a 52-yarder with about 19 seconds left in the half. The third quarter would tell pretty much the same story. McManus would go down, hit a 20-yard field goal. That gave the Broncos a 15-3 lead early in the third quarter.

Shortly thereafter, the Patriots looked like they were attempting to move the ball. Cam Newton throws a nice dart directly to tight end Ryan Izzo, catches the pass over the middle, but what would have been a 17-yard gain was negated when Izzo was stripped of the ball by Denver cornerback Michael Ojemudia. Justin Simmons was right there to recover the fumble. That gave the ball to Denver on the New England 42, and McManus once again connected on a 54-yard field goal this time to stretch the Broncos' lead to 18-3.

But the Patriots would not go quietly into that Foxborough evening, folks. No, no. New England would close the gap to 18-9 on a one-yard touchdown run by Cam Newton, with 8.31 left in the fourth quarter. And immediately following the touchdown, the Patriots decided to go for the two-point conversion. This caused some confusion amongst a lot of Patriots analysts and fans. A lot of people thought there was too much time on the clock to go for two. Bill Belichick said after the game, he felt it was the best decision for the Patriots at the time. Ultimately, it did not work out.

Cam was stopped short, and with time winding down in the fourth quarter, this remained a minimum two-possession game. But the Patriots would chip away at Denver's lead once again. Drew Locke went back to pass, trying to find receiver Tim Patrick, but Locke would be intercepted by J.C. Jackson, who returned it 30 yards to the Denver 25. Nick Folk would connect on a 38-yard field goal four plays later, and the Patriots all of a sudden had made this a game. 18-12 with 3 minutes and 23 seconds remaining. Things were about to get even more exciting when on Denver's ensuing drive, yet another long pass attempt from Locke to Patrick would be intercepted,

this time by slot corner Jonathan Jones who was brilliant in this game. And just like that, the Patriots had new life and a legitimate shot to win this. As Josh McDaniels has been known to do when the offense is sputtering a little bit, the Patriots would double dip into their trick-or-treat bag. to win this. As Josh McDaniels has been known to do when the offense is sputtering a little bit, the Patriots would double dip into their trick-or-treat bag. The first coming on a double pass from Julian Edelman to James White. That gained the Patriots 22 yards. Just a couple of plays later, the Patriots would once again try the double pass. This time in the ultimate role reversal, Julian Edelman would find Cam Newton for a 16-yard gain. That got the Patriots inside the Denver 25. The

Broncos would quickly get some of that yardage back when defender Malik Reed sacked Cam for a six-yard loss, but the Patriots would get it right back by completing a six-yard pass to James White. That set up a fourth and ten on the Denver 24. And for better or for worse, this was the most scrutinized play of the entire game. At first glance, it looked like wide receiver Nikhil Harry seemingly got some separation from his defender, and Newton's pass was well wide, turning the ball over on downs. That was it for the New England Patriots. The question and controversy surrounding this one

is to whether or not Cam Newton missed his open target, or whether Harry ran the incorrect route. When I first looked at this play, it appeared that Newton had just missed a chance to connect with Harry, who was pretty well open. I went back and reviewed it a little bit more, and it does appear that Harry failed to break outside, away from the defender. Instead, he seemed to break inside, and then he tried to adjust as he saw the ball going outside. That would seem to indicate that Harry might have in fact run the incorrect route, but even if he did, there's no denying that Cam Newton's pass needs to be better in that situation. Whether it was Harry who ran the

incorrect route or Newton who simply put the ball in the incorrect place, the incompletion allowed the Broncos to snap their four-game losing streak in New England. More significantly for your home team, folks, it dropped the Pats to 2-3 on the 2020 season. But the loss on the field was not the only that the Patriots suffered on Sunday. Two key injuries to two key players may end up shaping the course of the next couple of weeks for your New England Patriots. Starting right tackle Jermaine Illuminor, as I said earlier, needed assistance getting off the field after an ankle injury late in the first quarter. Once he left the game, he did not return.

As of the time I'm recording this podcast, not a whole lot is known about Jermaine's injury, but if I'm being honest, folks, this one didn't look good. Certainly hoping that he's able to recover. Jermaine has been a solid presence on that offensive line, and the Patriots will certainly miss his services if he misses any significant time. The other significant loss due to injury for the Pats came in the second quarter. Defensive lineman Adam Butler suffered an elbow injury. He left the game and did not return either. And the loss of Butler on the interior of that defensive line would be every bit as significant as the offensive line losing Jermaine Illuminor.

Maybe even more. Adam Butler has been such a stalwart, not only in pass protection, but also in run defense. In my opinion, one of the more unsung heroes on defense in the entire NFL, and we certainly hope the best for both players. As soon as more information is known about their conditions, we will bring you the very latest right here on Locked on Patriots. But the Week 6 chips have fallen in Foxborough, the Patriots suffering an 18-12 loss to the Denver Broncos.

And here to help me pick up those chips and try to make sense of this loss is my good friend Murph. And we'll talk about the Patriots' apparent lack of preparedness for this game, that controversial final play, whether the Pats should seriously consider going outside the organization for some offensive help, and of course we'll sing the praises of some bright spots yesterday because believe it or not, folks, there were some, most of them on the defensive side of the ball. This and much more with Murph when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Over the past few months, we've all been called upon to do our part to keep each other as

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loss to the Denver Broncos and a loss like this requires some green wisdom and counsel to help it become a little more palatable. Lucky for us, that type of wisdom and counsel graces the airwaves here on Locked On Patriots each and every week. That's right, folks.

It's that time again. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business, the account 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 and for joining me today. Don't Murph. I got to tell you, but I am not happy. I did not wake up happy today. I did not go to sleep happy last night. It's not good.

Not good. No, it isn't. What's up? It isn't. No, it's absolutely. Life's treating me okay, you know, other than the loss that we're trying to all digest a little bit today. But I sincerely don't blame you, Juan Iota. It's really difficult.

And, you know, the Patriots right now, Murph, currently sit at 2-3 on the 2020 NFL season. Now, most analysts, you and I included, believe that the Patriots had more than a pretty good chance of getting the W in this game. But here we are. And the Patriots, again, are never a team to make excuses. Since Bill Belichick's been here, bud, two decades under Tom Brady,

now with Cam Newton under center, the Patriots are always going to take the blame and then come to the realization that they had to be better. That's the narrative you're going to hear. As a matter of fact, that's exactly the narrative you heard from Cam Newton last night, the players last night, even again this morning. They're consistently saying we just have to be better. But the reality is this game was postponed twice. Team facilities were closed a handful of times. That meant that the Patriots only saw the practice field for about two days in the past two weeks. They looked it. Couple that with the fact that the offensive linemen were mostly playing out of position. And it really isn't that much

of a surprise when you look at it that you saw a team that the Patriots looked like yesterday. But in your opinion, how much did a lack of practice and preparation time hurt this team yesterday? Or did they just need to be prepared better no matter what? Well, while watching the game, I thought it was immensely. I tweeted out yesterday that they looked like a team that hadn't practiced in two weeks. That's never a good situation to be in. But there are other teams in this incarnation of the NFL in 2020 that have had to go through this and gone out and played much better than they did.

Yes, you can add in the injuries and the reshuffling of the offensive line, but they didn't get things done. You can talk about timing patterns. They didn't get things done. Go out there, you have a job to do, get it done, and they didn't. I don't want to hear about going for two when you should or shouldn't have. It was the right move to do. I don't care what anybody says.

It has nothing to do with analytics. This is just me spouting off here. Yesterday was a complete debacle on so many different levels that it was unreal. I mapped out exactly what this team needed to do. Denver bit right into what I wanted, and the Patriots did not turn a single key that I freaking set out last week. Absolutely, and we've said many times here on the airwaves, you pay attention to the keys, you become better.

And, folks, that's not just tongue-in-cheek. I love to pump Murph's tires. He's a good friend of mine, no question about it about it but at the same time his analysis is spot on and you know maybe more spot on than some of the uh the the the the higher-ups in foxborough may want to give him credit for uh you did you identified a lot especially on the offensive the defensive side of the ball and i agree with you the Patriots did not make plays yesterday. Yes, a lot of preparedness, a lot of ability to work out the kinks in practice would have certainly helped. But ultimately, a professional football team needs to look like a professional football

team on the field. There were times where the Patriots just didn't look like that yesterday. And one of the areas, buddy, where the pats are really coming under fire this morning from pats media alike uh is attacking this wide receiver core they're they're coming out in droves today and i can't necessarily say that i blame them this is a group that is largely underperforming from julian edelman to mikhail harry to jacoby myers to you know all of these guys that are trying to go out there and make plays. Nikhil Harry is especially getting his share of difficulties this morning. And most of that stems from the final play on 4th and 10th.

And Murph, I know you've seen this. We've both watched it over and over again. There's a lot of split on this issue. Some are saying that it was a bad throw by Cam and that he missed his target. I'll admit, that's what i first thought when i saw the play i thought it looked like cam just simply missed the keel but when you watch it a little bit more closely you can see the argument split on both sides harry looks like he may have broke in on his row instead of curling to the outside which is where cam thought he was

going to be that led to the incompletion now cam took the blame on himself he's a great teammate he's always going to do that but as i like to say is quoting aristotle which i always like to virtue lies in the middle and i think that's where it lies here murph what was your take on the final play and do you believe that there's more blame to be assigned here to one side more than the other yeah there is i mean keel harry once, ran the wrong route. He ran a button hook and he wasn't supposed to. He was supposed to run it out. He finally had a step on somebody and they could have made this play happen. I mean, it was killing me. Once again, like I said, Denver played right into your hands. It was the end of the game. They did something

stupid, okay, when all you had to do was run up of the game. They did something stupid, okay, when all you had to do was run up through the middle like they had been all day long, gotten another first down. No, they decided to go trips right and let's air it out. Dumb, dumb. Look what happened. Another interception. We had the time on the clock, and they just screwed the pooch.

It was terrible. It was an awful play by Harry. I don't care who wants to stick up for him. I don't care what they think. It was the wrong route run. Yeah, and in a lot of ways, I can definitely understand where you're coming from. And look, there's been no – well, I shouldn't say no. There have been several of my colleagues that are willing to stand in Harry's corner,

but I've been a big proponent of the kid without any question about it. And I continue to see signs of promise in him. But I agree. I think this goes a little more on Harry. And I was originally more putting the blame on Cam and putting a bad throw on him. But I do agree. The more you look at it, he does break inside instead of curling on the outside and you know that uh cam even hinted at this in his post-game presser when he

said the defender was leading that's usually code word for that's where i expected you to be you should take a look at the defender see where he is and then not be able to uh to make the execution and uh um you know it was the broncos definitely they brought the zero. And, you know, the Broncos definitely brought the zero blitz. You know, no safety help, five defensive backs and man coverage on the play. Yeah, exactly. Zero blitz, and you can't – oh, my God. I lost my mind. I had to go out this morning and buy a new television.

Well, let's start a fund here to get Murph a new television not kidding folks I'm only joking but no in all actuality that will lead me into a question that is on the mind of all of our Patriots brethren this morning when it comes to the New England Patriots and their personnel on the field the offensive output yesterday was largely a big sputter by the Patriots but I thought the defense big sputter by the Patriots, but I thought the defense performed pretty well for the Patriots on Sunday. Who stood out on the defensive side of the ball? And did this game tell us something about the future of the Patriots personnel? Murph and I answer this question and more when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

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And we are breaking down the Patriots 18-12 loss to the Denver Broncos. And Murph, in the previous segment, we talked a lot about Nikhil Harry and some of the miscues that have happened. And definitely we're in agreement that at the end of the game, the fourth and 10, probably a little bit more on Nikhil's shoulders than Cam's shoulders. In your case, you definitely put it a lot more. And I would tend to agree with that, maybe a little bit less. But we're both pretty much in sync when it comes to that. Plays like this always bring out the weapons crowd on social media and i say weapons with a z that's usually how the youngsters on social media

refer to the fact that the patriots have no personnel they have no wide receivers they have no uh tight ends they have no running backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield even though we employ one of the best in the game and j White, who I thought was one of the very few bright spots on the Patriots offense yesterday. But we hear it all. Harry's a first-round bust. Sony's a first-round bust. Bill the GM. Yada, yada, yada.

All nine yards. We get it. The stat sheet doesn't light up, and it's time to go crazy with these guys. But Damir Bird led the snap count last night at the receiver position murph we like damir bird we've said it before but we can agree he's not a wide receiver one by any stretch and i've always been a proponent that the patriots have enough in the locker room to right the ship i still think the patriots problems last night were more about execution than personnel but in your opinion am I looking at things through my Foxborough filter again?

Does this team have to think about acquiring some help at the deadline with the deadline coming up on November 3rd? It does. This game is shaking me in a way that I want them to go out and spend some draft capital and bring somebody in. I want Will Fuller on this team and I want him on this team tomorrow. Fuller would be a tremendous addition, no question about it. For those that don't know, Will Fuller is a former Notre Dame guy who's been languishing down there in Houston for quite some time. And with the changes that are going on around him, and them losing yesterday, he's that that is um i believe available

right now for the right price yeah and i would i would tend to agree with you on that look but bottom line you know fuller is the type of receiver that can come in that can play in a number of different you know roles and we've seen him do it in houston absolutely and for him to be able to come in here to New England would be amazing. So who knows? Maybe he's available. Maybe he's not. I tend to believe that, you know, what you believe is that he could be had for the right price, especially in Houston right now where things look like they're starting to come off the rails. But, yeah, I think it's hard to argue the fact that the Patriots right now have a very bare cupboard. And I think in a lot of ways to put a lot of expectations on the keel, who just looks like he's not handling that expectation.

Well, he's a number two, number three, wide receiver at very best. The number two, it's, it's just that he, he has no,

he's slow. Let's just put it that way. Then he's slow. And for the first round draft capital that they surrendered to get him, you look at some of the other players from that draft, and you look at the teams, the players that they could have had, one in particular that I know sticks in your craw every single time. You see plays like we saw last night.

It's difficult. It is. Yep, absolutely. Yeah, Debo Samuel, for lack of a better term that's exactly it's exactly who I was getting to because I know you were a proponent of him and yeah he'd look good in Patriot blue right about now but he would you know bottom line my friend we continue to live in hope we continue to hope for the best and um I think we should end on a high note it was a really really dismal game for Patriots fans yesterday but I think we can end on a high note it was a really really dismal game for patriots fans yesterday but i think we can end

on a high note and it wasn't all bad news i thought the defense once again showed some prowess for the new england patriots two players that i thought were very good yesterday were juwan bentley at the linebacker position and jonathan jones at the slot corner bentley led the team 12 combined tackles had the sack and two quarterback hits also two tackles for a loss and I thought his run defense was very good as well I thought he was equally good at being able to bring the pressure against the pass and also defend against the run and get downhill um Jones is usually that pick your poison guy for opposing offenses and Denver and Drew Locke definitely threw his way yesterday but he was up to the challenge he allowed only one catch on seven targets and of course the fourth quarter interception of drew lock was

pretty amazing i thought it was the play of the day for new england when you look at this team defensively first of all who stood out to you against the broncos and more importantly based on what you saw yesterday is this defense good enough to carry the pats until they figure things out on offense yeah it is good enough um but they they need to figure out a few more things on offense but it is good enough they showed it yesterday um while people want to want to get on the fact that that the um that denver did run all over them but by the end of the game, their yards per carry were really knocked down quite a bit. They realized what they were doing. They said, okay, let's go stop the run, and they did in the second half. But the person that I want to bring up is Adrian Phillips.

Adrian Phillips had a fantastic game yesterday. He had 11 tackles, two that went for two or three that went for a Broncos loss. I thought he played fantastic. What I want to know on defense, though, where the hell was Chase Winovich yesterday? Where was he? I have not seen the snap counts, but that really ticked me off. You have a very limited amount of what we would call impact playmakers on this defense. And with a quarterback, a young quarterback, coming off of injury his first game back, I thought it was going to be a huge game for Chase, getting in his face and forcing the issues. And it just seemed the only time we did see Chase Winovich was on passing downs after

the first drive of the game. Not sure if he was hurt. I'm not sure what was going on. Did he have an asthma attack? I don't know. But he wasn't there, and that really ticked me off. But getting back to the good, Adrian Phillips had one hell of a game yesterday, and he should be called out for it. Thank you. And grin from ear to ear. Anytime someone talks glowingly about my man Adrian Phillips, you know I'm going to get a sense of pride. And I agree with you.

I mean, he really is glowing to his own. I saw his prowess come out as a special teamer yesterday as well. Some amazing tackles. He's always in the right place at the right time. I thought Justin Bethel had a pretty good game yesterday as well in special teams. Patriots continue to expand. Special teams were amazing yesterday. Absolutely, yeah.

Give a lot of credit to John Simon, both on special teams and also breaking through for a sack on Drew Locke. I thought he was he was very very good yesterday uh chase winovich 22 snaps 34 percent of the patriot snaps is what he was out there yeah what what is that what is that very very why wasn't that question asked of bill after the game very low total for someone who has been at or near the top of his game when it comes to the patriots' defense. A little surprised. We did see Anthony Jennings expand his role into the nickel package a little bit yesterday.

That was good for the rookie to see him come out. But I agree with you. Winovich needed to be a bigger presence yesterday. And the Patriots are going to need to bring the fire a little bit, especially if that interior of the defensive line might be compromised a little bit. We're all holding our breath and waiting on the status of Adam Butler, left the game yesterday. Not a whole lot of information as of the time we're recording this podcast about his status and his ability to move forward.

But that could end up being a significant loss for this defense. So once again, folks, we keep a sharp eye. We hope for the best. But I agree with you. There are pieces that need to be put in place on offense in order for the Patriots to be able to have that complete team type of feel. Because as good as the defense has played, they can only carry you so far. Need to shore up the offensive line. Hopefully, Illuminor won't be out for an extended period of time, although I'm being honest.

But I don't think it looks good. It did not look good. That's just me. Maybe I'm being negative when it comes to that but that did not look good no trust guys yeah right you played large large human beings large human beings with ankle problems is is not a good thing and it doesn't look like a recipe for you know a quick turnaround and he'll be okay by, you know, the next game. Yeah, absolutely. And credit to the Danish destroyer, as Evan Lazar likes to call him. Yelda Frohold came in, did not allow a pressure yesterday.

And that is impressive. What essentially was his debut. I did say, you know, earlier on about Frohold, you know, he definitely sets well. He does a good job of anchoring himself and pass protection. So maybe they can get some, some type of, you know, help out of Yelda, but ultimately the Patriots need that offensive line to get back into their natural positions. And we're both like-minded when it comes to adding some additional help and Will Fuller, we're officially starting that, that trend. So who knows,

maybe we'll see Will here. I'll take Brandon Cooks back.? Maybe we'll see. We'll hear. I'll take Brandon Cooks back. See if we'll take a fourth rounder for Brandon Cooks, and I'll take Brandon back. He's not going to get it. You never know. You know, I need my yak, but, you know, right now I'll just take somebody that's going to drag a secondary around.

Before we go, I just want to, you know, throw out two little tidbits or one little tidbit. This team lost this game on third down and with turnovers. Two of my keys every single week are to own third down on both sides of the ball and win the turnover battle. That did not happen. 4-13 will not get it done against the worst competition in the NFL, and that was proven yesterday. And you can't turn the ball over, and the Patriots did. Absolutely. Two interceptions and a fumble, just not going to get it done against any competition in the NFL. And unfortunately, the Patriots learned that lesson the hard way yesterday. Buddy, you lend your wisdom and counsel like no other.

Your family here on Locked on Patriots. I say it every week, folks. It's true every single week. Love this man. And I thank you for joining me today, my friend. Folks, you should already be doing so. But for any of our new listeners, follow my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto, on Twitter, at TeamMurph207.

Never miss Murph's monster keys point click learn enrichment material that will make you a better football fan on sunday when you watch this team they're always proudly found on diehardbostonsportsfans.com and never miss an episode of one patriot's place with murph and our great mutual friend steve valistrieri. And the duo brings in our great friend from the opposite side of the pond. Klazzy Claire joins them on Two Patriots Place each and every week. And they will provide their prognostications

on what the Patriots will do. I think we're all wrong on this one. So you know what? We'll all chalk it up. We'll all eat some humble pie. And hopefully we'll be back in the win column this week against Jimmy G and the San Francisco 49ers coming to town, buddy. But that's a conversation for another day. What can I say, my good man?

Honored and humbled, as always, by your presence. I'm going to Giardi's house on Friday. That's the last thing I'll say. Spend the weekend with Mike. And he will have that maniacal cackling going on, I'm sure, as we know, Mike. But all kidding aside, folks, should be a good one coming up. But, Murph, thank you for coming here today and for breaking down this one against the Patriots and the Broncos.

Wish we could have got a W, but you know what? That's why they play the games on the field, not on paper. We'll go get them next week, hopefully. That's it. Always. Thanks for having me, buddy. That's it. Always. Thanks for having me, buddy. It's always a pleasure. Anytime, my friend. Anytime. And just like

that, Patriots fans, Aftermath Monday may be in the books, but there is still plenty to discuss and break down when it comes to the Pats' 18-12 loss to the Denver Broncos. And tomorrow here on Locked on Patriots, we will continue to break down the Patriots' performance against Denver, and we might even start to turn our attention toward old friend Jimmy G and the San Francisco 49ers.

So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, make sure to download Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. Whether it be Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, no matter the source, just make sure you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. 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 making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

Until tomorrow, stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.