Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Flight Cancelled: Patriots Defeat Jets - 11/10/2020

Episode Date: November 10, 2020

Nick Folk connected on a 51-yard field goal as time expired, propelling the New England Patriots to a 30-27 over the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. Cam Newton rallied the Patriots from a 10-point deficit to avoid the franchise’s first five-game losing streak since 1995. Joining host Mike D’Abate to break down New England’s Week Nine win, is Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com. The duo discuss Cam Newton’s comeback, Jakobi Meyers’ big night, and the Pats’ defensive struggles.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!EchelonRight now, you can try any Echelon Fitness equipment at home for 30 days. Go to EchelonFit.com/NFLAxonGet the TASER Pulse Plus, or TASER Strikelight, at Taser.comwith promo code [NFL].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. 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 in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast, and it is Victory Tuesday 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. Today's episode of Lockdown Patriots is presented 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 game day and become a member of the League of Football Watchers. These passionate fans are the real generational talent that Pepsi fuels. Because Pepsi isn't made for those who play the game, it's made for those who watch it. Pepsi, made for those who play the game, it's made for those who watch it. Pepsi, made for football, watching. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation. Thank you so much for joining me here today on this Victory Tuesday episode of the pod. 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 very much 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 doing some Tuesday traveling through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. It's been a little while since I've been able to say this, but it feels good to finally be breaking down a win for your New England Patriots.

Monday night football, East Rutherford, New Jersey against the New York Jets. The Patriots ride this one all the way to the end on a leg and a prayer, and they come away with a 30-27 victory over the New York Jets in the Meadowlands last night. And this one maybe had the most unlikely hero of all. Kicker Nick Fulk connects on a 51-yard field goal as time expired. Fulk, of course, a former Jet, connects on this one from a pretty good distance, and he did all of this despite battling a back injury that almost kept him out of this contest. As for Cam Newton, performed very well last night.

Rallies the Patriots from a 10-point deficit, and this helped the Pats avoid the franchise's first five-game losing streak since 1995. Cam went 27-35 for 274 yards passing, two touchdown runs, but perhaps the most comforting to all of us here in Patriots Nation is Cam Newton looked comfortable, folks. He demonstrated sound leadership and really, I think, shed some of the struggles of the past few weeks that he's been having, especially when it comes to the fumble against Buffalo. Sometimes negative plays can really have a difficult effect on a quarterback, but Cam

definitely looked like he had shaken it off and turned in one of his better performances of the season. But even with the victory, there was still some causes for concern, and most of those were on the defensive side of the ball. I'll be breaking it down for you here today with the assistance of my good friend, our resident voice of reason here on Locked On Patriots, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com will join me on the hot seat, and we'll discuss Cam Newton's performance, a standout night for the birthday boy himself, Jacoby Myers,

turning 24 years of age yesterday and turning in the most brilliant performance of his career however Steve and I will also break down some of the woes we saw on the defensive side of the ball should we be worried about the secondary for the second straight week they've looked like they've had some difficulty now are these problems just tied to Stephon Gilmore not being on the field or does it go a bit deeper than that we'll also delve into the Patriots' front seven and the difficulty they had at stopping the run and pass protection last night. Above all else, we're all in agreement that a win is a win, and we're definitely glad to see the Patriots sitting at 3-5 on this Tuesday rather than 2-6.

And folks, it came close to going the other way. So sit tight, settle in, a lot to cover on today's show. Steve always brings a level-headed approach to these types of discussions, and as always, he'll do so here today on the pod in just a moment. But first, as is our post-game tradition here on Locked On Patriots, we'll start with taking a look at the action on the field, and we start with the Jets' opening drive. Joe Flacco getting the start in place of the injured Sam Darnold, and both he and the ageless Frank Gore advanced the Jets 58 yards on just 12 plays. They did threaten to find the end zone,

but eventually had to settle for a 35-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo. Jets on top, 3-0. The Patriots, on the other hand, looked like a team that realized they had not been doing a whole lot of early scoring in games, and they set out to set the tone early. They put together an 8-play, 75-yard drive, highlighted by a beautiful 33-yard connection from Newton to Jacoby Myers. Drive capped off with a 5-yard Cam Newton touchdown run, and just like that, folks,

the Pats were on top 7-3. Early in the second quarter, however, those pesky Jets would retaliate. Joe Flacco showed that he's still pretty capable of throwing the deep ball, connected on a very nice 50-yard pass to Jets receiver Brashad Perriman, and the Jets would take the lead at 10-7. And this drive was really all about a breakdown in coverage by J.C. Jackson. And I still stand by that J.C. has been phenomenal this year for the most part, but he really struggled on this drive. Surrendered 67 yards, split between Perriman and Jets rookie Denzel Mims. J.C. was also flagged for a defensive pass interference penalty.

In my opinion, I thought that was a little ticky-tack, but again, folks, that's just my opinion. And of course, the allowance and the touchdown put the Patriots in a hole. Now, the Pats and the Jets would each trade field goals to close out the quarter, or so we thought. It was looking like the Patriots were going to head into the half, trailing the home team by a score of 13-10. However, Joe Flacco and the Jets would need only two plays to move 77 yards. This time, Flacco found slot receiver Jamison Crowder. He'd collect a 20-yard touchdown pass, and instead of a three-point deficit, your New England Patriots

found themselves in a 10-point hole, down 20-10 at the half. As the Patriots usually do, they deferred possession to open the game, which means that the Pats would have the ball to begin the third quarter. They started with a point-productive opening drive. Cam would lead the Patriots 78 yards on 13 plays, culminating with Rex Burkhead's one-yard plunge into the end zone, and the Pats had cut the Jets' lead to 20-17. But this one really was a seesaw matchup, back and forth. The Jets answered right

back. Brashad Perryman was able to shake J.C. Jackson once again. J.C. stumbled on the coverage, and it was a 15-yard touchdown grab. That provided the Jets with a 27-17 lead with just 30 seconds left in the third quarter. Things weren't looking good for the Pats. However, as I said here yesterday, the Jets seemed pretty eager to prove that when you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way. Cam had led the Patriots deep into Jets territory. He'd stumble on a third and one and was stopped for a four-yard loss. Looked like the Patriots were going to have to settle for a 32-yard field goal, but as the Jets' special teams was aligning to defend the field goal, they were whistled for 12 men on the field. That gave the Patriots new life, but even so, they wouldn't be able to come away with more than three. Michael

Onwainu would be whistled for a holding penalty, but that was a little bit of a bogus penalty myself, but regardless, it forced the Patriots to settle for a 29-yard field goal from Nick Volk this time, and it made it 27-20 with only 6.04 left in the game. At this point in the game, it was time for Joe Flacco to do Joe Flacco things. The Jets really had a golden opportunity to make the Patriots regret having to settle for three here, but Flacco would throw the ball deep down the middle intended for Denzel Mims, and J.C. Jackson, Mr. Redemption himself, picks off the Flacco throw, and the Patriots were now in possession of the football once again.

This time, the Pats chose to ride the legs of Damian Harris who ran for 21 yards to get them into Jets territory then followed with a nine-yard gain. That nine-yard gain would be called back because of an offensive holding penalty on Jacoby Myers but this is also the play that Damian suffered a big hit on the run. He was down for several minutes before walking pretty gingerly to the sideline. He would exit the game with what the Patriots described as a chest injury and did not return. Definitely will keep our sharp eye on Damian throughout the week, folks. But just three plays following that, Cam would complete a 19-yard pass to Myers

and then ran for three yards on fourth and one. He would then connect with Demir Bird for 31 yards. That would put the ball on the Jets' three-yard line. On the ensuing snap, Cam would notch his second rushing touchdown of the game and tied the score at 27 with 157 remaining. It's at this point you had to start to wonder whether the Jets are truly tanking for Trevor. There's no question about it.

They knew they needed to get some quick first downs. However, they would only muster up a pretty lackluster three-and-out effort. The Patriots got the ball back with 47 seconds left and went to work. Cam ripped a 5-yard run on a 3rd-and-1 from the New England 42, followed with a 20-yard pass to Jacoby Myers, and that put Nick Folk in position for the game-winning field goal, one that would require him to kick the ball 51 yards. We all know, distance is not Nick Folk's strong suit. He had been battling a back injury all week, and the odds were certainly stacked against his favor

of nailing this one to win the game for the Patriots. But credit Nick Folk. Lined up, ice water in the veins, drilled it through the uprights with a little bit of distance to spare, and the Patriots would walk away with a 30-27 victory over the Jets. After eight games, the Pats are 3-5 with eight still to play, and the Jets would drop to 0-9 for the first time in franchise history. And naturally, Nick Folk and even Cam Newton were the heroes of this one,

but if I'm giving a game ball out, I'm definitely giving it, as I said before, to the birthday boy, Jacoby Myers. 12 catches, 169 yards receiving. Jacoby joins Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman as the only Patriots players with 150 or more yards receiving in a game in the past five years. And in addition to some of the defensive woes that Steve and I will discuss in just a moment, Patriots did have a couple of injury concerns as well. Left tackle Isaiah Wynn left briefly in the first half with an ankle injury. He was on the injury report for most of last week.

Isaiah would, however, come back and will continue to monitor his status. Obviously, the big concern right now is Damian Harris. He walked off the field with what the Patriots again said was a chest injury. Not sure if it's the ribs or something more internal. We're definitely keeping an eye on that one. And as more information is made available, we'll continue to keep you updated on Damien's status, as well as the status of all the Patriots walking wounded right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. So now that I've caught you up to date on the action, let's dive into the analysis.

As I prepare to welcome in our resident voice of reason, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com, here to the hot seat when the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. But first, we all know that this football season has been different and will be different. The good news is, folks, Pepsi is here to get you ready for game day, no matter how you watch this season. Your seat to watch your favorite game might be a little different this season, but it can still be the best.

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That's T-A-S-E-R.com, promo code NFL. Restrictions apply. See site for details. Patriots Nation, we continue our analysis here on this Victory Tuesday edition of Locked On Patriots, a 30-27 victory over the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. And to help me further break it all down is my Patriots paisan, our resident voice of

reason here on Locked On Patriots, an amazing columnist for Patsfans.com. And I say this every week, and it gets truer every single week. One of the best guys in this or any business. Steve Balistrieri joins me today. Welcome back to Locked On Patriots, my friend. For now, your weekly spot here on the pod. Is this going to be Locked On

Steve now, or what? I don't know. You're getting dangerously close to hashtag territory, although our green friend might be a little upset by that. He likes the distinction of being the only guest with his own hashtag, so we'll find another way to honor you

i saw that and uh he's getting a little full on his britches there so uh you know i'll let you argue that with him i think it's time to bring him back down to david banner status reduce those gamma rays i guess steve i knew the day would come uh we're finally going to break down a victory today uh and it came sooner rather than later which is a good thing and here we are buddy um it wasn't pretty at times uh we'll get into that but a win is a win and there might just be some hope that's pushing back through the veins of Patriots Nation so let's start with the obvious I thought Cam Newton performed very well last night 27 of 35 274 yards no touchdown passes no interceptions 99 quarterback rating

also had two rushing touchdowns for the second second straight week now, I thought Cam put together a pretty solid performance. The defense struggling at times, I think, made this tougher on Cam than it really should have been. But Cam, I was particularly impressed with his second half performance, 20 points out of the only four drives that he got in the second half. He did what he needed to do last night, and he did it well in in basic terms steve when you look at cam newton's performance last night what was your assessment and to put it mildly is he now quote unquote back when it comes to leading this team down the stretch in the rest of the season well you know for two weeks in a row you, we've seen stuff that's improving. And especially last night.

Now I know that Josh McDaniels kept things very conservative and, you know, until they really had to push the ball down the field, they were taking those short, quick passes, which is fine, which is fine. And, you know, when you're, when you're looking at the talent level of the Patriots skill players, that's fine. I mean, you know, you're looking at, hey, we just need to keep the ball moving in the right direction, and we're not going to try to force the issue too much.

And Cam's had some issues with turning the ball over. We all know that. So, you know, you're looking at the big picture of things. I thought he performed extremely well. He completed his first 11 passes. You know, I was looking at the way he was throwing the football. He was very accurate last night. You know, other than the one missed throw to Damian Bird

where he was wide open and Cam overthrew him, I thought he was spot on with the ball almost all night long. And, you know, granted, the Jets secondary isn't the greatest in the world. We all know that. But, you know, you're looking for small victories here. And I thought the way he ran the offense, he was getting the ball out quicker last night. He did hold it a few times.

But, again, that's part of, you know, the guys that they have running routes right now. So, overall, I was very impressed with the way he ran the offense and the way the team reacted around him last night. You know, especially the running backs and the running game and the offensive line. I thought that was all a big positive last night. I thought there were big positives last night, too. And I'm glad that you mentioned Cam pushing the ball down the field and making that attempt,

using a more conservative approach to do that. And Josh McDaniel's coming under a lot of fire, I think, this morning for a conservative game plan. I'm glad you articulated exactly why he might do that in terms of the lack of talent at the skill position players, putting Cam in a position that he feels comfortable with to run this offense. Cam had a 77% completion percentage last night, which is fairly high. That's very good. But he was pretty much content to carve the Jets up in efficient fashion. And I think what I mean by that is he was basically content to take the short yardage. There were times where he missed open spots.

You mentioned the one to Demir Bird. There was another where he had Jacoby Myers open. You know, he definitely missed that deep shot. That could have been the difference between, you know, the Patriots not having to approach that fourth and one late in the game. I think that was a big time break for them getting the call there. But at the same time, Cam did show a lot of promise. And I think he showed a good deal of leadership. I think he showed a great deal of being able to get the ball out quicker. That's something that

the Patriots needed him to do. And again, it provides a little, I guess, optimism for the Pats heading down into now the home stretch of the season, and especially with the tough defense that they'll be facing Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, and we'll get to the Ravens a little more as the week progresses, folks. Pretty obvious that the breakout star from last night's game was Jacoby Myers. I thought he was phenomenal. Myers finished with 12 catches, 169 yards. He also logged 20-yard catches with three seconds left in the game

that helped set up Nick Fulk's 51-yard game winner in the field goal. Steve, we've sung Jacoby's praises for quite a while. He's a tried-and-true route runner. He's got solid hands. He's really coming into his own, I think, as a receiver. Dare I say, my friend, is this the best receiver the Patriots have on the roster right now? I think so. I think, you know, you look what he did last week against Buffalo.

And he, you know, played even better last night. And again, I mean, we know the Jets secondary isn't the greatest, but nobody was, you know, putting a big asterisk next to, you know, Pat Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs last week when they did the same thing. He'd run precise routes. And he has good hands. He holds on to the football. He's not much for yards after the catch. But, you know, he finds those open spots. And, you know, he's obviously somebody that not only Newton trusts, Newton's looking to him now. That's his go-to guy. And, you know, you made the mention about that 20-yard pass

that set up the game-winning field goal. And I thought even a better play, even though, you know, the one you mentioned was the game-winner, but that third and 20 play where, you know, he caught the ball for 19 yards and set up Newton's fourth, you know, fourth and one rush. I thought both of them on that play were fantastic. He found the open seam and Newton threw a dart down the field. I just thought that was their best play of the game.

Yeah, absolutely. I agree with you. And look, Myers to me really impressed me last night. And you mentioned this with his route running. I mean, it's Evan Lazar, CLNS Media pointed this out and the more footage that I'm watching, and I really can't wait to delve into the all 22 and really take a deeper dive into this because it's looking very Julian Edelman like, and that's something that I think is going to really catapult Jacoby into a lot of success in this offense. He uses that hop step release to freeze the defensive back at the line as he gets into his route. This is something that I think we wanted to see from guys like McKeel Harry.

But unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. And you're right about the yards after the catch. But look, Jacoby Myers game has never been predicated on that. And I think the Patriots knew that right off the bat. This is a guy that can move the chains with precise route running and surefire hands. And he's done that very well. Again, very impressed with Jacoby last night. I'm happy to see it.

Humble guy and really showed a lot of contrition last night when he spoke to the media after his big game. And it was his birthday. I mean, imagine being able to perform on one of the grandest stages in all of sports, Monday Night Football, and being able to deliver a gem like that on your birthday is impressive. I know it's the Jets, folks, but you know what? At this point, a win is a win, and I think the Patriots will take it without any hesitation. But, buddy, if we're being honest, needing a last-second field goal against the now 0-19, it's going to raise some concerns.

And it is raising some concerns, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. When we continue here on Locked On Patriots, we will break down the defensive woes with our resident voice of reason, Steve Balistrieri. This and more when Locked On Patriots comes back. Locked On listeners, breaks in the action always make me evaluate what I've accomplished and what still needs to be done. And no matter how much remains on your to-do list, you need the energy to accomplish your

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Remember, use promo code LOCKED for 20% off at BiltGo.com. That's B-U-I-L-T-G-O.com, promo code LOCKED. Let's go! Patriots fan Steve Balistrieri joins us here today on Locked on Patriots. And Steve, the Patriots defense had a rough performance last night in all aspects. I think we can agree on that. The front seven really struggled to get stops. We do have to remember that practice squatters like Tayshaun Bauer and Terrence Hall were taking starting snaps here. I think that's definitely something that needs to be amplified are still question marks and we'll get to the front seven in just a minute but but i think the secondary had a pretty rough night and to me that's a bigger concern specifically jc jackson jackson had arguably the worst drive of the season uh in his

season so far surrendering 67 yards uh really was not able to catch up with both denzel mims or brashad perryman touchdown defensive pass interference on that drive. Really a rough one. Then in Perryman's second touchdown, he stumbled. Perryman ran right by him. And it looked like the Jets were in the driver's seat at that point. This to me was Jackson's game to prove he can be a number one cornerback. And I still stand by the fact that I think he's been their most consistent defender all year.

But the last couple of games have definitely raised some eyebrows for me anyway. Stefan Diggs had a pretty good game against him a couple of weeks ago with Buffalo. And I think Perryman and Mims were able to have some pretty good separation from him last night. He was listed on the injury report all week long with a knee injury, folks. So keep that in mind before you're ready to completely sell J.C. Jackson down the river. But I get accused of being a homer all the time. I get said, you know, well, you'll always make excuses for the Patriots. Steve, you're our resident voice of reason here.

Should there be concern about J.C.'s ability to be a number one corner with this being a back-to-back subpar performance? Well, it's definitely not something you want to see from your number one corner a night like last night. And, you know, I know some people were, you know, talking about, oh, he got burned a couple of times, and then he had the penalty. The penalty I thought was a little ticky-tack. I thought that ball was, I mean, it was impossible to catch. But, you know, the one thing about him, and, you know, we've watched him now for a couple of years,

and the one thing about him, he's going to struggle with those speed guys. And because I think his game is predicated on he has to lock up right at the, you know, at the line of scrimmage. So that's something, you know, you've got to look out for. If that speed guy gets away from him, you know, he's going to have some trouble catching up. And like you said, he has a knee injury. So we have to take that into consideration.

But, you know, I'm not too worried about him in the long term. I think he's going to be just fine. But, you know, in the short term, him and Jason McCourty both last night, they just, I don't know, they looked

out of sorts. They didn't look like they had their feet under them all night long. No, and I think that they'll work around that. They'll figure out a way, okay, this is, we know what his strengths are. We know where he struggles a little bit, and we'll tailor our defense to combat that. So in the long run, I'm not too worried about him even being a number one corner. They'll work around this. They'll figure out a way.

And, you know, like they've done in the past, a lot of times Gilmore will cover your number two wide receiver on an island. And the number one speed guy, he'll double up with somebody else. Yeah, I think, look, the bottom line, the secondary is still the strength of this defense. I don't think anyone's going to, you know, look, the bottom line, the secondary is still the strength of this defense. I don't think anyone's going to argue that point. And especially considering what we saw from the front seven last night. And again, I'm going to get to that in just a minute. But Jackson, I think, yeah, you mentioned that there's some problems that he will have with covering a speedy receiver. He is the type of corner that needs to be joined at the hip pocket with his prey. And we've said that several times. Several people in scouting J.C. Jackson have said that. When he needs to get into coverage, he needs to immediately hook up with his target right at the line or close to it in order to stick with him.

If he does that, he's one of the best coverage corners in the league. But when he doesn't, you're going to see difficulties last night. You mentioned Jason McCourty. Yeah, another rough night for him, obviously. Although I think the throw from Flacco needs to get maybe a little bit more credit for that. That was a pretty good throw by Joe covering, you know, throwing in the coverage like that. And, you know, I mean, for all intents and purposes, I know he tends to be the butt of

a lot of jokes up here in New England, but the guy's battle-tested. He knows how to make those throws, and he can make them, and we've seen him make them before, but Jackson got his redemption with a fourth-quarter interception. That did help the Patriots mount their comeback, so that should count for something, and I think for anyone that's really significantly concerned about the secondary, they will eventually get Stephon Gilmore back in the lineup folks that'll restore a little bit more natural order uh to things for the patriots defense this season and i still think we've seen enough out of jc where if they do decide to go in that direction next year and he is their number one corner i think the patriots will be just fine last but

not least uh last but not least steve i think we're we've danced around it a little bit uh but uh the patriots front seven um we found chase winovich uh he did play some meaningful snaps last night and i think that provided a spark for the patriots pass rush but even though the jets ran for only 65 yards on 18 carries which is a 3.6 yard average the run defense to me is still a pretty big red flag for this team. And you said in your recap column today, don't forget they play Baltimore on Sunday night. Linebacker play needs to be better if the Patriots want to shore up that defensive front. I will say on the bright side, another, you know, people are going to roll their eyes here. I love

my Adrian Phillips, but also on the other side, I also love me some Dietrich Wise Jr. And I want to give him credit, you know, with logging the sack, the Patriots first and only sack of the game. That really stalled the Jets' final drive, and that gave the ball back to Cam Newton, put Nick in the position to be able to win. So some love to Dietrich Wise Jr. here as well. But Steve, when it comes to the defensive front, what worries you the most about this team's either inability to stop a run or get pressure on the quarterback? Is it still the abysmal tacking, the Pepto-Abysmal, like Murph said yesterday here on the pod? Is it still that bad?

And does anything give you a little bit of optimism from what you saw last night when it comes to the Patriots defensive front? I haven't seen enough to be optimistic about things. They're really shorthanded on the defensive line, even more so at linebacker. I mean, you have guys coming off the practice squad, you know, playing meaningful snaps and the defensive line just can't anchor. I mean, we saw until, you know, the Jets rookie left tackle got hurt. They were running right behind him, and he was pancaking, guys, pretty good. And again, it goes hand-in-hand with linebacker play. You know, when you don't have the bodies to stack up some big,

heavy guys there, then you put Adrian Phillips in a bad way because he's a, you know, 200 pound safety. He was playing outside linebacker. He can't take on a 350 pound offensive tackle. It's ridiculous to ask him to do that, but that's what they're doing right now. They really need to get some help. Obviously, getting Lawrence Guy back would help a great deal, but I really think the linebackers have to do a much better job of setting the edge because we're seeing teams attack them on the edge. They did okay last night in the middle of the field, and I think the Jets did them a little bit of a favor last night. They got a little too pass happy and they got away from the run.

The Jets only ran for like 65 yards last night. So, you know, I don't read too much into that because I think the Jets got a little too in love with the pass. But, you know, you're playing Baltimore this week, and you really need to buckle down because we know this team loves to run the ball, and their quarterback is so athletic. You need the guys to get out there on the edge and set that edge because if he gets to the edge without anyone touching him,

it's going to be a really, really long night. Yeah, without any question. I completely agree with you. And look, you know, I'm glad that you brought up personnel because I think a lot of people are going to look at that. I got a lot of questions last night. Best way to put it, where's Uche? Where's Jennings?

Why did they only combine to play only 11 snaps? It's game planning planning folks the patriots opted to roll with therese hall who's really more of a prototypical mike linebacker uh that's a role that i don't think ushe or jennings really practiced much and i don't think they were going to be able to really fill that role so again you mentioned lawrence guy coming back i think that's going to help to shore up the interior of that defensive line. They definitely look like they were missing him last night. Juwan Bentley has struggled at times this year, but his absence in that linebacker core was definitely an issue. I think the edge rush with Chase Winovich coming back will help. There's no question about it. I don't know if we've necessarily seen enough to say he's out of the doghouse. We would like, you know, to think that because I think the Patriots are much more of an explosive defense with him in the lineup.

But there are personnel matchups and they're going to have to account for that. I you said several times here on these airwaves about the lack of a true nose tackle in the middle and the lack of a guy like Bo Allen, who will not take any snaps this year. It'll be interesting to see if Isaiah Mack coming in from Tennessee is going to be able to fill that role when he's cleared to join the 53-man roster, if he can be that run stuffer or at least that big body in the middle to help anchor the rest of the guys around him. But Bud, you know what? We'll end on a high note because it was a high note, a 30-27 victory. Little love for Nick Falk. 51-yard field goal to end this game.

He said after the game in his post-game press conference that he was so excited to be able to be put in that position. Knowing the wins and the tendencies of MetLife Stadium, having been played there as a former Jets kicker uh definitely helped him in that regard um how impressed with were you by nick folk and his ability to make that field goal with time running out especially from the distance he made it from in 51 yards distance is not necessarily nick's strong suit uh how big does patriot special teams come up for you last night? Oh, I thought that was huge.

You know, as you said, you know, at this point of his career where he's, you know, starting to get a little long in the tooth, he doesn't have that kind of range anymore. I was a little concerned he was going to try to hit the ball a little too hard and then, you know, push it or hook it one way or the other. But he hit it through. As soon as he hit it, he knew that was good to go. It was going right down the middle. I saw him raise his arms.

So I knew he knew he hit it perfectly. And he had a little bit to spare, which was really impressive. I thought the Patriots special teams were very good last night. Their return game, not so much, but you look at Nick Folk. Early in the season, we were very concerned with the kicking game. That has

definitely solidified now. Even though he only punted once, Justin Bailey, he flipped field position for them. He had like a 60-yard punt. And, of course, Matthew Slater and, you know, Justin Bethel, those guys are always right on top of things in their coverage units. So I thought it was a really good, solid night for this special team. Yeah, absolutely agreed.

From Nick Folk to Jake Bailey and the 60-yard punt that you mentioned, which is amazing. We've seen him reach the moon at times during training camp, and it really is amazing to see this kid's prowess and just how much of a weapon he is on special teams. And again, the tackling I thought was solid. Yeah, the return game does need a little bit of work as well, but it's a work in progress and a win is a win. And the Patriots are definitely a lot more confident heading into this game against the Ravens at three and five

than they would have been at two and six. Buddy, what can I say? I always appreciate you stopping by lending your wisdom and counsel, the level-headed wisdom and counsel we need, especially after a big win for the Patriots. Before I let you go, my friend, for the benefit of our established listeners, for our new listeners, where can everyone find you on social media and what can we look forward to in the next coming days and even weeks from the great pen of Steve Balistrieri?

Well, we're working on the weekly report card by position, re-watching a little bit of the game and, you know, checking things out and seeing how it all goes down. So I'll be posting that. And then later on today, our good friend Murph and I will be sitting down with Karen Garigian. We'll be doing a podcast going over the Jets game and taking a quick look at the Ravens coming up. And you can find me on Twitter at SteveB7SFG and I write for PatchFans.com. Absolutely. And Steve, on a personal note, tomorrow obviously being Veterans Day here in the United States, I want to personally thank you for all of your service to this country and what you've done, the sacrifices that you and so many in our U.S. military have made veterans

both alive and deceased, helped to make this country truly what it is. And regardless of where we find ourselves, folks, on either side of the aisle when it comes to politics, the one thing that does unite us is that we're all Americans. We all yearn to be free. And because of great people like Steve and everyone who served in the branches of the U.S. military, we have that ability and we have that good fortune. So thank you, my friend. Enjoy your day tomorrow because it's well-deserved. And we celebrate you and those like you that continue to make sacrifices, selflessly make sacrifices for the benefit of everyone here in the nation. So what can I say? Thank you, my friend.

Well, thank you. I really appreciate that sentiment. And, you know, it's a good day to, you know, thank all veterans who served in every, I guess, ever. There's still some guys out there from World War II, and those guys are my heroes, and hopefully we'll get to spend some time with a couple of them tomorrow. Absolutely, and I sincerely hope that you do. And once again, I thank you for joining me here today

to talk Patriots football. We look forward to doing it again next week, buddy. Hey, who knows? This winning thing is pretty good. Maybe the Patriots can string together a couple. Going to be difficult against this Baltimore team, but not impossible, folks. That's why they play the games on the field

and not on paper. Take care, buddy. Have a great week, and thanks again. My pleasure. And if they beat the Ravens, I'm drinking the Kool-Aid. Absolutely. Yep, we'll have big pitchers. Kool-Aid man will come bursting through the wall here on Locked On Patriots and go, oh yeah! So yeah, I think we'll have big pitchers. Kool-Aid man will come bursting through the wall here on Locked On Patriots and go, oh yeah.

So yeah, I think we'll be ready to go. All right, my friend. Thank you. Great stuff, my friend. Thank you. And just like that, Patriots fans, we are almost halfway through your work week. And because it's Victory Tuesday, not Victory Monday, we don't have quite as long to rest on our laurels. The Baltimore Ravens are coming to town on Sunday night to take on the Patriots at Gillette. And of course, that means crossovers and game previews still to come. However, some of you still may have some lingering questions about the Patriots season, especially

it being at the halfway mark. And because one of our mantras here at Locked On Patriots is your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and greatly appreciated, tomorrow here on the pod, we'll be opening up the Locked On Patriots mailbag, and I will address your questions right here on the air. So, to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download the Locked On Patriots podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and follow us on platforms such as Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots.

Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Steve Balistrieri for stopping by and lending his wisdom and counsel on today's pod. But most of all, I thank each and every one of you so much for listening and for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, folks, please stay safe, stay well, always continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.