Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Eruption: Drake Maye's Explosive Start Rocks NFL | MVP Candidate?

Episode Date: October 14, 2025

Drake Maye's MVP-caliber performance stuns the league. Is the young quarterback rewriting the record books?Nick Cattles breaks down Maye's exceptional stats, from his league-leading EPA to his pinpoin...t deep ball accuracy. The New England Patriots’ run game struggles take center stage, with a critical analysis of offensive line woes and questionable play-calling. Defensive mastermind Zak Kuhr's halftime adjustments against the New Orleans Saints receive praise, while standout performances from Marcus Jones and Khyiris Tonga are highlighted.Will the Patriots' newfound defensive strategy be enough to overcome their offensive challenges? Tune in for an in-depth look at the team's strengths, weaknesses, and potential path to success.Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOPatriots?sid=YouTubeLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL#patriots #newenglandpatriotsSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Mint MobileReady to say yes to saying no? Make the switch at https://MintMobile.com/LOCKEDONNFLUpfront payment of $45 required (equivalent to $15/mo). Limited-time new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35GB on Unlimited plan. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details.BetterhelpThis episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at https://BetterHelp.com/lockedon.BILTTurn your rent into rewards and start earning points around your neighborhood by going to https://joinbilt.com/lockedonnfl.Supply HouseJoin the free TradeMaster program today and score serious perks like priority shipping, lower prices, and a dedicated support line. Visit https://SupplyHouse.com to sign up for free and use promo code SHNFL5 for 5% off your first order.PelotonLet yourself run, lift, flex, and push forward. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread+ today at https://www.onepeloton.com.RugietReady to level up your confidence in the bedroom? Head to https://www.rugiet.com and use promo code LOCKEDONNFL for 15% off your first order.PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelRight now, new customers can bet just FIVE dollars and if your bet wins—you’ll get THREE HUNDRED dollars in bonus bets to use across the app.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Drake May has exceeded my grandest expectations this early, and it's time to appreciate exactly what he's doing. We start there. This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked-on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happening in? I'm your host Nick Cattles, born and raised,
Starting point is 00:00:30 New England, been covering the Patriots for the past 16 years, also co-host of the Greg Bedard Patriots podcast with Nick Cattels and a sports radio veteran. On today's show, the significant pivot the Pat's defense made that might have saved the game in New Orleans. Also, we all know that the run game has been terrible, but we poured through the rewatch and we'll tell you why it's been bad. But first, Drake May, MVP candidate. We appreciate joining the show, making us your first listen, and for being an everydayer, the Lockdown Patriots podcast, a proud partner of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. And today's episode is brought you by a Fandul.
Starting point is 00:01:09 Right now, new customers can bet just $5, and if your bet wins, you'll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Before this season kicked off, my projection for Drake May was that if he took the necessary steps in his development and he got some pass protection, he would have a shot, a shot at sniffing the top 10 at the quarterback position by the end of 2025. That was my projection, my prediction. If he took the steps and I thought he would take the steps, if he got past protection and I felt like his past protection would be better this year than it was last year, which isn't saying much, if those two things happened, which I thought
Starting point is 00:01:54 they would. I said I believed Drake May would be sniffing around the top 10 at quarterback in the NFL. Here we are six weeks into the season and Drake May is legitimately in the MVP conversation. This is not hyperbolic by local people. This is not delusions of grandeur from the fan base. Drake May by pretty much every measurement, which will get into, to is absolutely unequivocally in the MVP conversation. He is dominant in pretty much every single statistic or analytic you want to look at. Let's talk about the analytics darling before Monday Night Football kicks off. Drake May is first in the NFL and EPA.
Starting point is 00:02:44 He's fourth in EPA per dropback. He is second in the entire NFL and completion percentage over expected. He's fourth in passer rating. He's seventh in QBR. He is fourth in yards per attempt. So it's not like this is a dink and dunk offense. Kevin Cole posted. Week 6, quarterback efficiency, which is EPA per play.
Starting point is 00:03:07 Minimum of 15 dropbacks. This was through Sunday night football. Dak Prescott was number one. Drake May was number two. Pro football focus actually gave Drake May a 92.0.0. passing grade against the Saints, and he had a career high 91.0 overall grade. He is now a top five or six graded quarterback by pro football focus after Sunday night's game. And the Patriots, if you're wondering, in DVOA, they have the third best
Starting point is 00:03:41 passing offense in the NFL. Analytics, darling. Now, if you're not into the analytics, we can look at the traditional stats. Drake May, before Monday night football, is 15 yards. He's tied for fifth in most touchdowns with 10. He has two interceptions, which is tied for the third fewest in the league. He is second in completion percentage throughout the entire NFL. ESPN Insights posted that Drake May is the first Patriots player to throw 250 yards in three touchdowns in a victory since Tom Brady. Mike Reese posted that what has Drake May done the last five games that puts him in rear company? Well, Drake May passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns with a 140.1 passer rating in the win against New Orleans.
Starting point is 00:04:33 May is the fourth different player in NFL history under the age of 24 to record at least 200 passing yards and a passer rating of 100 or higher in five consecutive games. The only other quarterbacks in the history of the game that have done that. under the age of 24. Patrick Mahomes did it seven consecutive times in 2018 and five times in 2018, 2019. Dan Marino did it six times in 1984, and Dak Prescott did it five times in 2016. Analytically, statistically, historically, Drake May is in the MVP conversation. Now, let's throw even more on top of this. Let's get away from the statistics and analytics for a minute and just talk about the
Starting point is 00:05:23 adversity that Drake May has faced through the first month and a half, and he has proven that he can get through it pretty much all, all the way through. He has now won back-to-back games on the road. He has won three games on the road, of course, winning in Miami, and then backing that up with a huge win in Buffalo, and then winning this past weekend in New Orleans. So he has won three games on the road. He outduled last year's MVP, Josh Allen, on the road. He has been tremendous. As we've talked about on third and fourth down, no matter how tough the situation is. If it's third in 10, third and 15, it doesn't matter. And he's doing this without a run game. So you want to talk about adversity. Drake May has faced plenty of adversity through the first six weeks of this
Starting point is 00:06:14 season. And he is now becoming a problem for defensive coordinators when they're trying to solve how to defend him. Andrew Callahan posted that Drake May against the blitz in New Orleans. He was 7 of 9, 89 yards in a touchdown. So you try to blitz him. He ripped you apart. How about man-to-man coverage? Drake May against man-to-man coverage in New Orleans was 7 of 9 for 114 yards in two touchdowns. So you try to blitz him, he burns you. You try to play man, he burns you. Just facing pressure.
Starting point is 00:06:49 According to Phil Perry, Drake May when facing pressure in New Orleans, was 10 for 16, 177 yards, and every single one of his three touchdowns came under pressure. Oh, well, maybe you'll challenge him to throw deep. Maybe you'll force him to throw the deep ball, because we all know deep balls are, Inaccurate from a lot of quarterbacks.
Starting point is 00:07:14 Well, that didn't work. Per next-gen stats, this is from Mike Giardi. Drake May was three for four, 107 yards at all three of his touchdowns on throws of 20-plus air yards versus the Saints. And if you're wondering if that was just a Sunday thing, it's not. As Mike Giardy points out,
Starting point is 00:07:33 Drake May has a 157.9 passer rating on throws of 20-plus air yards this season. That is number one in the NFL. And I remind you, he had three deep passes that should have been completed. Two of the three were completed, one of them for a touchdown. The third one, I think, would have been completed to Mack Hollins if it wasn't for that terrible officiating crew. His numbers would have been even better.
Starting point is 00:07:58 Oh, well, how about you forced Drake May to roll to his left because he's so devastating, rolling to his right? How did that work out on Kashan Bouty's first touchdown catch? Rolling to his left. No big deal. You try to get him on a blitz. No big deal. He'll scramble out of it.
Starting point is 00:08:17 He's elevating guys as well. It's not just about what Drake May is doing individually. He is elevating his teammates. Kishon Booty is better because of Drake May. The offensive line is better because of Drake May. His ability to extend plays, get away from pressure, his ability to diagnose what the defense is doing before the snap of the football. and he has also begun to galvanize the team.
Starting point is 00:08:45 There is utter, utter 100% belief in this young man from his teammates in that locker room. And if you think he can't come through in the clutch, you're not watching the same guy. Let's talk about some of the clutch plays, some of the flash plays against New Orleans. First quarter, second drive of the game for the Patriots offense. Trayvion Henderson does a good job of picking up a blitz,
Starting point is 00:09:07 but Garrett Bradbury is beat in the middle. May moves. the pocket to his left. There's that touchdown to booty I just mentioned. Third quarter, first drive right out of the locker room. First and 10, DeMario Davis, blitzes. Ramandre Stevenson has a cup block. May somehow, some way, gets out of that situation and scrambles for an explosive run. Fourth quarter, Patriots' third drive of the second half. Third and 11, Morgan Moses gives up a pressure to Cam Jordan. Drake May once again moves the pocket, finds Mack Hollins for her first down, huge play. Then third and 17. Chase Young gets a pressure
Starting point is 00:09:47 against Will Campbell. And there was that great pass down the sidelines since Stefan Diggs, which unfortunately was negated and shouldn't have been. Very next play. Third and 18. Jared Wilson gives up a pressure. May is getting hit. He throws a perfect bucket ball to Matt Collins down the sidelines. And again, defensive pass interference. Unfortunately, for Drake May, he doesn't get to complete that pass. But that's third and 11, third and 17, third and 18. And then finally, the play that ended the game on Sunday,
Starting point is 00:10:18 you had Kashan Bouti third and 11, back shoulder throw. Drake May calls game. Whether it's analytically, statistically, facing adversity, the eye test, what he's done against pressure,
Starting point is 00:10:35 the blitz. I mean, it is just across the board. Fantastic stuff from Drake May. And there is no doubt that through six weeks, he is part of the MVP conversation, and that exceeds the expectations that I had for him, especially just six weeks into the season.
Starting point is 00:10:56 All right, if you are a fan dying to know what's wrong with the run game, well, you're in luck. We're going to tell you exactly that next. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Nobody likes paying rent, but if you must, you might as well get something for it. That's where Built comes in. Built is changing the game by turning your rent payment into real rewards you can actually
Starting point is 00:11:21 use. When you pay rent through Built, you earn flexible points that can be redeemed toward hundreds of hotels and airlines, a future rent payment, your next lift ride, and more. But Built isn't just about rent. It's about rewarding you around your entire neighborhood. Here's what's great about Built. Your rent finally works for you. You're earning points every month on something you already have to pay.
Starting point is 00:11:42 Whether you're grabbing food at your favorite local restaurant or heading to the gym, you're still earning rewards. Built has made everyday life feel more rewarding from your neighborhood to your travel plans. Turn your rent into rewards and start earning points around your neighborhood by going to joinbilt.com slash lockdown NFL. That's J-O-I-N-B-T-com.com slash. Locked-on NFL, make sure to use that link so they know that we sent you. Guys, you've likely heard of Viagra or Cialis.
Starting point is 00:12:13 Maybe you've even tried them, but if you're looking for something beyond the usual pill, it's time to meet Rouguette. Go-Long. This isn't just another ED pill. It's a total game changer for confidence. Go-Long combines two doctor-trusted medications and one dual-action formula so you can go the distance. The effects can last up to 36 hours. That's confidence all day, all night. and even into the next day.
Starting point is 00:12:37 The process, if you're wondering, it's simple. Connect with a board certified doctor 100% online and if prescribed your treatment ships discreetly right to your door. Are you ready to level up your confidence in the bedroom? Head to RUGIET.com and use promo code lockdown NFL for 15% off your first order. That's RUGIET.com promo code lockdown NFL. make sure to use that code. Locked on NFL so that Ruggiet knows that we sent you.
Starting point is 00:13:13 Clearly, clearly the biggest issue with this team. And look, we're all happy, four and two, fantastic, great win Sunday, incredible win in Buffalo. But it doesn't mean this team is flawless. This team still has its issues. And clearly the biggest issue is the run game. The run game has been an abomination. Now, the first half against the Saints, during my rewatch, I will tell you, the run game was not terrible, but as the game went on, things got worse. So what is the problem? What's happening?
Starting point is 00:13:44 What's going wrong? I'll begin with this idea that in the Saints game, it was equal opportunity for people to screw the run game up. When you're watching, it seems like every time a run play gets stuffed or you lose yardage, it's somebody else that's messing up. there's always like at least one guy and a lot of times it's just one guy messing up let's start with the offensive line and i will run through some examples of what went wrong against the saints on sunday in the run game third quarter so right out of the locker room half time you go out there third quarter your first drive it's a second and goal now if you watch this play second and goal you have jared wilson pulling and will campbell at the
Starting point is 00:14:33 the same time as trying to execute a cut block. Well, unfortunately, Will Campbell misses his cup block, so he leaves a gap wide open for the defensive line to run right through. Meanwhile, Morgan Moses also gets beat at right tackle. So you've got your left guard pulling. Your left tackle tries a cut block. He misses. The left side of the offensive line is immediately compromised. Meanwhile, Morgan Moses loses on the right side, three-yard loss. Jared Will Wilson individually had a rough game when you look at run blocking against the Saints. Second quarter, third drive of the game. It's a first and 10.
Starting point is 00:15:15 Jared Wilson, he climbs to the second level. He gets to the linebacker, but he doesn't erase the player. So he does not, he does not execute the block on the second level. And because of that, if you're watching this run in the second quarter, remandre stevenson if that block is made at the second level by jared wilson remandre stevenson likely runs for 10 plus yards but instead jared wilson misses the block remandre stevenson gets a three-yard run instead of something that might have been much much bigger same quarter next drive fourth quarter fourth drive rather of the first half of the patriots jared wilson he doesn't hold up against
Starting point is 00:15:57 Brian Burris. And he doesn't hold up Burris long enough on a Stevenson run. So Stevenson, he gets two to three yards instead of the seven to ten he would have gotten if Jared Wilson was able to hold his
Starting point is 00:16:11 block against Brian Burris. Michael Wenu, he's good for two or three implosions almost every single game when you watch this offense. When you rewatch the games, it's not that Michael Wenow is terrible from beginning to end. It's just he has two or three plays
Starting point is 00:16:27 that are awful. And we saw that again against the Saints. The very first drive of the game. First quarter, second and five. Michael Wenu gets blown up. Meanwhile, not only does Michael Wenu get blown up on the second and five run, DeMario Davis has a run blitz for the Saints,
Starting point is 00:16:47 three-yard loss. Fourth quarter, third drive of the second half, second and seven. Michael Wenu, completely blown up once again. So two terrible snaps in the run game, and he might have had more. These are just the two that I'm pointing out. Two terrible run snaps for Michael Wenou. Andrew Callahan posted, the Patriots were stuffed on 34.7% of their designed runs in New Orleans.
Starting point is 00:17:12 That is a season high. So the offensive line, not executing. But it's not just the offensive line. You also, as you watch this Saints game over again, as I did, you see a couple of instances where the running back doesn't have great vision. There's a cutback lane. There's something the running back can do. They don't take advantage.
Starting point is 00:17:32 There's also some inconsistencies with the wide receivers in the blocking game. And it really comes down to, you know, you look at the final drive of the Patriots offense. Thankfully, this did not hurt because of Drake May and Kashon Booty. but there are examples of both bad vision from the running back and bad blocking by the wide receivers. There are examples of each of those in the final drive of the game. So if you just want to go back and watch the final drive of the game that sealed it for the Patriots,
Starting point is 00:18:08 there's a first and 10. Ramandre Stevenson runs into a pile. It looks like there's a cutback land there on the right side. He doesn't hit it. He gets three yards. He cuts back. He might get 10 plus yards. Then, first and 10, Stefan Diggs, completely misses Justin Reed on his block.
Starting point is 00:18:29 Justin Reed blows the play up, three-yard loss. So it's not just the offensive line, it's the offensive line, it's the running backs, it's the receivers, not being consistent enough when it comes to executing their blocks. And in the New Orleans game, Josh McDaniels did not necessarily help. I thought, especially in the second half, Josh McDaniel's play calling was incredibly predictable for long stretches, especially the fourth quarter. I thought his play calling at times lacked creativity.
Starting point is 00:19:01 And frankly, you could say Josh McDaniels was stubborn because he kept running the football on first down in the fourth quarter. And I tweeted at Nick C Radio, enough with the first down runs, Josh. I've seen enough of them. Prime example, fourth quarter, fourth drive of the second half. for the Patriots. First and 10 run play. Garrett Bradbury gets destroyed by Devon Gachau. Just destroyed.
Starting point is 00:19:27 Play had no chance. First and 10 again. Stefan Diggs. This happened before the last example I just gave you. But Stefan Diggs misses his block. Morgan Moses doesn't get out and pull quick enough against the Mario Davis. Three-yard loss. Andrew Callahan posted that Russia.
Starting point is 00:19:48 on first down had a 29% success rate against the Saints, while first down passes had an 80% success rate. McDaniels called mostly runs. And here's the thing. Josh McDaniels finished the game with five straight first down runs. And you can sit there and you can tell me about the clock and all of that, but you were still in a position where you had to get a first down. And again, thankfully, Drake May bailed you out with a great play. He and Kay Shan Booty on third and 11 because of that, you survive and you win the game. But running on first down over and over and over again
Starting point is 00:20:24 when it wasn't working. It was insane. Bad play calling by Josh McDaniels, who had been great through really the last three and a half games. incomprehensible. And yes, some of this is on Mike Vrable as well because Mike Vrable is a CEO.
Starting point is 00:20:40 He should be talking to his offensive coordinator. So just not good enough. stubbornness, lack of creativity. You can also look at the snaps. Travion Henderson. I thought he should have played more.
Starting point is 00:20:55 I thought he looked comfortable. There was a third downplay where he kind of glitched, so to speak. But other than that, I thought Trayvion Henderson looked more decisive in this game. I also thought that he did a good job of past protecting on a blitz earlier in the game. But for some reason, Ramandre Stevenson had 46 snaps to Trayvion's 19 snaps. In the first half, Josh McDaniels called three runs for Trayvion Henderson. Just not enough. Just not enough.
Starting point is 00:21:26 And one more thing, the Giants, I talked about this previewing the Saints game. The Giants really hurt the Saints with shotgun runs. The Patriots only ran out of the shotgun three times. Now, I just put two up, three times. Now, is that because, you know, there were decisions by the quarterback and there had a few RPO's there? Is it because there were audibles and you changed the play? All I could tell you is there were three runs out of the shotgun after the Saints
Starting point is 00:21:57 got ripped apart on gun runs against the Giants the week before. So it's really all of those problems. And that's why you can't run the ball in the second half. Offensive line execution, running back vision, wide receiver problems and inconsistencies, executing their blocks, a stubborn play caller, predictable play caller, and the splitting of the snaps just didn't make much sense to me either. All right, a philosophical pivot by the Pat's defense at halftime changed the game and likely secured the win.
Starting point is 00:22:29 That's next as we continue with today's episode of Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown podcast network, your team every day. The NFL season is of course here, and Fandul has an offer that you don't want to miss. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and get $3.00. $300 in bonus bets if you win. That's right, pick a bet, put down five bucks. If it hits, you'll unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. I love how Fanduel gives me so many ways to play.
Starting point is 00:23:00 I've built parlayes, including a couple this past weekend for a few games. I've tried player props and even followed the live lines during games. It makes watching football even more exciting when you've got a little something riding on the action. And whether you're a casual fan or love diving into the stats like I do, Fandul makes the game day experience so much better. So right now, new customers, you bet just $5, and you can get $300 in bonus bets if you win. Pick a bet, put down $5.
Starting point is 00:23:29 If it hits, you'll unlock that $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. So what are you waiting for? Visit fandul.com. That's fandul.com to download the Fandul app today and get started. I thought de facto defensive coordinator, Zach Corr, I thought he did a good job of pivoting the game plan at halftime against the Saints. And I had tweeted during the first half that I thought the Patriots defense was a little bit too aggressive at times and that burnt them. Right out of the gates, right? The first defensive play, you blitz Carlton Davis, that leaves Kyle Dugger on an island against Chris Alave.
Starting point is 00:24:11 and you give up a 50-plus yard explosive play, not ideal. But there was a pivot. There was a change by Zach Corr from the first half to the second half. And I'm sure Mike Vrable also weighed in on this. And it was a very smart change. And it was a change that worked for the defense and allowed the Patriots to walk out of New Orleans with the W. And the change was really not being as aggressive in the second half. Andrew Callahan has the numbers.
Starting point is 00:24:40 The Patriots blitzed and or played man-to-man on more than 50% of the dropbacks in the first half. They got burned. They gave up 16 points and almost six yards per play. Now, why would the Patriots come into the game saying, let's be super aggressive, let's blitz, let's play man? Well, Evan Lizarre pointed out that Spencer Rattler had struggled against the blitz in the first five weeks. So the Patriots saw that on film. They came in, they said, we're going to blitz Spencer Rattler. Spencer Rattler played really well against the blitz in the first half,
Starting point is 00:25:13 and the Patriots said, okay, we're not going to blitz as much and we're not going to play as much man. And as Andrew Callahan points out, when he's posting about the pivot that they made at halftime, the Patriots didn't blitz or play man to man much at all, if at all, in the third quarter. And then they waited to heat Rattler up on a defensive back blitz, which was the Marcus Jones blitz for a huge fourth quarter sack on third down. So they picked their blitzes specifically for certain moments instead of being aggressive across the board. So they played less man and they were less aggressive with the blitz calls in the second
Starting point is 00:25:52 half compared to what they did in the first half. And the New Orleans Saints obviously not nearly as effective. Scored three points in the second half. So a great pivot by Zach Corr, Mike Vrable, and the defense. coaching staff. Looking at some other things during the rewatch defensively, the Patriots did not get much pass rush consistently, especially in the first half. I mean, there were some pressures, but Spencer Rattler was never really in big time
Starting point is 00:26:23 trouble consistently. And some of that had to do with the New Orleans offensive line winning. Some of that had to do with Spencer Rattler, as we talked about previewing this game, getting rid of the football very, very quickly, being decisive and getting rid of it. And meanwhile, the Patriots, they played heavy zone coverage. Evan Lazar posted, again, this was part of the pivot at halftime, but the Patriots played 21 of Spencer Rattler's 30 dropbacks in zone coverage. And so what you saw, as we're watching Spencer Rattler and New Orleans kind of move the football
Starting point is 00:26:59 at ease in the first half, what you saw was a combination of a few things. Blitzing, the blitzing not working, at least not working consistently. Spencer Rattler making very quick decisions and good decisions and zone coverage, which really was the approach and the secondary to not give up big plays over the top, as you saw, as I referenced, the Kyle Dugger one-on-one outside of Chris Alave, not a great idea. So the Patriots were willing to give up some yardage underneath. And that's why you saw some of those easy completions and why it didn't look like,
Starting point is 00:27:37 New Orleans had a fight for their lives for every yard. The Patriots were going to play zone coverage on the back end and almost just tighten up in the red zone and say, well, if you can't score touchdowns, you can't score touchdowns. The old bend don't break. And the Patriots, it worked. It worked for them against the Saints. They certainly bent, but they did not break.
Starting point is 00:27:57 Giving up only 19 points is a win at the NFL level, especially on the road. Now, I don't know if that had to do more with New England being great defensively or New Orleans being bad offensively because something we did discuss in the preview to this game was the fact that the New Orleans Saints, one of the worst red zone offenses in all of football. Going into Sunday, they were 29th in the NFL in red zone offense. But the Patriots red zone defense has been awful. The Patriots red zone defense going into Sunday was 30th in the league. So what you had was weakness versus weakness and the Saints were more weak in the red zone offensively than you were
Starting point is 00:28:36 defensively. Spencer Rattler also created some problems with his legs on a couple of occasions in the first half, and I thought that was mostly Kalevon Chase-on in the first quarter, second defensive stand, quote-unquote, or possession or whatever you want to call it. Spencer Rattler scrambled. Kalevon-Chayson doesn't shed or peel away from his block, and he doesn't close up the middle gap. Spencer Rattler sees this, runs right through that gap. picks up nine yards. Second quarter. This was the third possession for the Saints offense. Caleb-on-Cheson loses his edge against Spencer Rattler. He sucks too far in, and Spencer Rattler takes
Starting point is 00:29:18 advantage of it, and he scampers for nine yards. Now, they clean that up as the game went on. I thought Marcus Jones, some other notes, I thought Marcus Jones was great. I mean, critical impact plays. The Chrysalave pass breakup, which I thought was a fumble that wasn't called. The Chris Alave pass breakup in the end zone. That was an incredibly tough play. New Orleans was trying to run a mesh rub route against Marcus Jones, and he gets through it somehow, some way, races through it, catches up to Alave just in time to make a play.
Starting point is 00:29:54 He had the huge sack that I brought up a little bit earlier. So Marcus Jones, I thought, was great. Kairi's Tonga continues to be a huge problem. Huge problem. and Christian Ellis was better than he'd been earlier in the year. I think he's had back-to-back pretty decent games. Jack Gibbon, some issues that you see. He missed a big tackle in the backfield at one point in the game.
Starting point is 00:30:21 I still wonder if you'll see a little bit more of Jolani Tavai. But overall, the defense in the first half, a little bit too aggressive. Some mistakes opened up some opportunities for the Saints offense. And they took advantage to get down to the red zone or near the red zone. But the Patriots did a better job to keep them out of the end zone. You give up only 19 points, which I said earlier is a win. And I thought they were much better in the second half. And you had some standouts in this game.
Starting point is 00:30:54 They did enough to win. First half was rough. But they made the adjustment. That was necessary. All right. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Thank you for making us your first listen and for being an every day. reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio.
Starting point is 00:31:08 Don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel, especially you every day or stick it with us. And don't forget to hit that like button if you're watching on YouTube. And don't forget to subscribe for your second listen. Get a double dose of the Lockdown NFL podcast with Tyler the Madman Roland and Tony Wiggins. Find Lockdown NFL on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast. Have a great day. And we will see you tomorrow.
Starting point is 00:31:35 Thank you.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.