Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Drop Week 1 Matchup to Philadelphia Eagles 25-20: POSTCAST

Starting point is 00:00:00 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. Welcome to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. We are a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I am your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots

Starting point is 00:00:45 for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on the Bird app, on X, on Twitter, whatever you happen to be calling it these days, at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there showing some social media love to Locked On Patriots, follow their account as well at L-O underscore Patriots.

Starting point is 00:01:04 And of course, Pats fans, I thank you for joining me here today on Patriots, follow their account as well at LO underscore Patriots. And of course, Pats fans, I thank you for joining me here today on this very late night, very early morning postcast episode of the pod. And of course, for making us your first listen today, a special shout out to all of you locked on everydayers out there. Those of you who make Locked On Patriots possible by spending time with us here on the pod, my unending gratitude to you. I'm honored. I'm humbled by your support. And Patriots fans, for the third straight year, unfortunately, your New

Starting point is 00:01:34 England Patriots suffered defeat in their season opener. And despite losing on Tom Brady Appreciation Day, the Patriots can take solace in knowing that they gave the defending NFC champions all they could handle in their 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. And if 25-20 sounds a little familiar, yeah, that's right.

Starting point is 00:01:56 I predicted a 24-20 Eagles victory right here on Locked On Patriots last week on our crossover with Gino Camilleri of Locked On Eagles. And again, I reiterated on our pregame show with Tonya Ray Fox here on Friday. And I guess you could say I'm proud of that prediction. After all, it was one of my more accurate moments. But bottom line, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones showing a lot of growth in this game, folks.

Starting point is 00:02:20 Recovered nicely from a rough start to finish 35 of 54 for 316 yards, three touchdowns, one interception. Overall, the Patriots offense outgained their Philly counterparts 382 yards to 251. Not a bad day at the office for the Patriots offense. However, there were a few glaring miscues and there were plenty of lessons to be learned by the Pats who fall to 0-1 to begin the season and they're soon going to have to turn their attention toward a matchup with a familiar AFC East rival in week two but we'll be talking about those Miami Dolphins later in the week folks because right now still trying to digest the fact that the Patriots literally

Starting point is 00:03:01 came within a toe tap of beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Yeah, we're all talking about the failed fourth down conversion, 12 yards, which would have given the Patriots an opportunity to punch the ball in. Keyshawn Boutte really making an athletic grab, couldn't get the second foot down. Thanks in part to a little nudge from the Eagles' Josh Jobe. I thought Keyshawn gave his best effort there. I don't blame him for the loss. I don't blame Mac either.

Starting point is 00:03:28 I thought that was a great throw. Just unfortunately, wasn't able to come down with it. As Kayshaun gains a little bit more experience within the Patriots' system, he's going to make those plays on a regular basis. But ultimately, the Patriots did have a lot to take away from the field on Sunday, and I'd like to share a handful of those observations with all of you. And let's start with the offensive line, folks, because Cole Strange, Michael Wainu being inactive right off the bat did not paint a pretty picture, folks. New England facing a nearly insurmountable task

Starting point is 00:04:00 in attempting to contain an Eagles pass rush that collected 70 sacks just one year ago, and the absences were felt early opposite an Eagles defensive line that continued to put pressure on Mack Jones throughout that entire period. The Patriots' first five drives of the game ended with a pick six, a fumble that led to another Eagles touchdown, and three consecutive three and outs that added up to a 16-0 Philadelphia lead but the Patriots powered through that rookie powered pass protection performed relatively well from that point on especially along the interior Trent Brown at left tackle Antonio Moffey at right guard David Andrews at center City So at right guard and

Starting point is 00:04:44 Calvin Anderson at right tackle, they surrendered only two fourth quarter sacks on Mac Jones. Not too bad when you take a look at what that line had to go through and really the uncertainty that surrounded them all game long. And I really want to give a little bit of respect to coach Adrian Clem, who I thought had the Patriots ready and well prepared for the various motions and no huddle schemes that really seemed to set the scene for much of the afternoon. And I really want to give some credit as well to the two rookies who I thought showed great poise and a lot of growth. Starting with City So, who I think plays with a great deal of strength,

Starting point is 00:05:22 and that was evident in the run game on Sunday. He's got a great ability to drive defenders back while handling his stunts and his twists. That should make him a regular part of the rotation along the interior, including at swing tackle. So I don't think you've seen the last of City So playing significant minutes for the New England Patriots. I think this is going to continue,

Starting point is 00:05:44 and I think this kid definitely caught some eyes today. On the other hand, I thought Antonio Mafia looked great as well, showcased a lot of fluid movement, had pretty good balance, sustained his blocks pretty well. Of course, he's a rookie, and he's still going to have those mistakes, and he demonstrated a few negative traits. I thought the one that stood out to me was his hand placement. That was evidenced by a questionable holding call late in the third quarter to me was his hand placement that was evidenced by a questionable holding call late in the third quarter actually happen to think that was more of a bad call against Antonio than a valid one but I can understand why the officials made that call but again it's not a call I would have made still that is something that he has to work on

Starting point is 00:06:20 that could be a continued issue in his protection but i do think he showed enough to warrant his spot among the offensive line reserve options so bottom line for everyone thinking that the offensive line was going to be some sort of a disaster i think the new england patriots pulled through it pretty well so a proverbial tip of the cap to the old line even though they weren't perfect and there were a lot of mistakes in the first half i thought the way they played in the second half showed that this unit is going to be a lot better than people think, especially when Strange and Awenu are back in that lineup. The other thing that I noticed on offense was a resurgence of a couple of players we've been dying to see break out, and that's Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne. Amazing, with

Starting point is 00:07:01 Bill O'Brien back in the fold, both of these guys were such an integral part of the offense in 2021, all of a sudden returned to prominence on Sunday. And it was needed because Devontae Parker out of action due to a lingering knee injury, and these veterans helped to spark the Patriots offense when it was most needed. In fact, I had predicted earlier in a spot that I had done for Sports Illustrated that Kendrick Bourne would be one to watch on this day, and he certainly was. Six receptions, 64 yards, two touchdowns. Bourne's versatility allowed him to win his matchups in any alignment

Starting point is 00:07:38 that the Patriots put him in. And within Bill O'Brien's offense, Bouren is definitely going to have a major role, especially in clutch situations where he's so good at moving the ball. I believe the same can be said for Hunter Henry, because I think he also experienced something of a rejuvenation in week one. Newly elected as a team captain this week, Hunter Henry looked like he came out and wanted to prove that captainship, caught five passes, 56 yards, and one touchdown.

Starting point is 00:08:07 And he was most productive, obviously, when he's playing that traditional wide role in the 12-man personnel in Bill O'Brien's offense. He can accentuate his route running this way. And again, I've said this several times, Hunter is one of the best route runners I've ever covered in the NFL. And his ability to box out really makes him a very formidable weapon in the open field. He turned in what I thought was the best catch of the day on either side, converting on a fourth and eight early in the fourth quarter, a one-handed grab

Starting point is 00:08:36 that really, to me, is still mind-boggling how he even made that. If you haven't checked it out, folks, go to Patriots.com. It's definitely there. It's also on the Patriots Twitter feed. Really was an amazing catch, and if you've seen it, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But in short, both Henry and Bourne looked a lot more comfortable on Sunday, and you know that the Patriots clearly hope that the difference is a positive sign of things to come. I truly believe this offense is going to find itself sooner rather than later.

Starting point is 00:09:07 And in week one, they showed us an awful lot, an awful lot more than we saw all of last year. And Pats fans, the highlights weren't all on the offense on Sunday. The defense and special teams, well, they had their moments as well. And in just a moment, we're going to show a little love for the defense. And we're also going to address that infamous fourth and three that you keep hearing about. Find out what Bill Belichick thought about the subject when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

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Starting point is 00:10:20 FanDuel, official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining me here today on LockedOn Patriots. FanDuel, official sports down additionally throughout the week. But we've been talking about some of the vital takeaways from this week one loss to the Eagles. And ultimately, folks, this is a loss that the Patriots can learn a lot from. You're talking about a team last year that came within an eyelash of winning a Super Bowl title against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles are battle tested. They've been there before and and they're well-stacked in all three phases. The Patriots gave them all they could handle on Sunday, despite making a handful of mistakes that arguably could have changed the complexity of this game either way. Folks, that'll be a conversation for later in the week, and a little bit later today, as a matter

Starting point is 00:11:21 of fact. I'll get into that in just a moment as well but want to give a little love to the Patriots defense because in the previous segment we were very offensive heavy in our evaluation and the Patriots pass rush really took it to Jalen Hurst they put the hurt on Hurst and even though the Pats offense had a handful of aesthetically pleasing moments in this game and we talked about a couple of them earlier Pat's defense is largely the reason at least in my humble opinion why the New England Patriots were in position to earn the win for much of this game and again where I think they were most impressive were in their attempts to contain Jalen Hurts he ran the ball nine times for 37 yards, finished passing 22 of 33 with 170 yards and one touchdown. Now, those are pretty pedestrian numbers for a player that a lot of people believe should have been the MVP last year.

Starting point is 00:12:15 Well, the Patriots defense, hate to say it, folks, didn't really care. They came in, collected three sacks on Jalen, linebackers Matthew Judon and Josh Uche getting in on the action and Christian Gonzalez on a corner blitz you'll love to see this a lot of aggression shown by this kid a lot of people were questioning whether or not he had the mental makeup or the emotional makeup to be a top corner at this level folks if Sunday is any indication Christian Gonzalez has it and then some showing a lot of aggression and a lot of speed and even a lot of field savvy to be able to get after a mobile quarterback like Jalen Hurts I loved to see that and to me what it shows is that the Patriots are going to turn the tables on their opponents this upcoming season. I've said many times where the Patriots had

Starting point is 00:13:06 problems last year on offense was Mac Jones being strategically blitzed from the second and the third levels. Well, this year the Patriots look like they're going to be doing that. They put a lot of pressure on Jalen Hurts from the second and the third level of the defense. Safety Jabril Peppers got in on the action as well. He forced Jalen Hurts to fumble with 337 remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Patriots had only a five-point deficit at that point that could have set the Pats up for a potential win. So you talk about defense and making plays in the clutch when they need to. This was a huge, huge game for the Pats defense, and I thought they passed the test and then some.

Starting point is 00:13:45 And we couldn't, in good faith, end today's postcast without talking a little bit about 4th and 3. Yeah, that's right, folks. Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Chad Ryland right in the middle of this one. And this is intriguing for several reasons. First of all, we knew Chad Ryland's ability to kick in the clutch, to perform well in inclement weather, and to handle kickoffs were key factors in the Patriots selecting Chad in the fourth round in the 2023 NFL Draft. So much so that they were willing to trade up to secure his services and trade away beloved veteran Nick Folk during the final roster cutdowns. But the Patriots appeared a little reluctant to test the youngster's leg on Sunday, and Ryland finished the day without a single field goal attempt. I do want to give him credit. He did kick both extra points for the Patriots, made them both, but points were a premium all throughout this game, especially included, were questioning Bill Belichick's opting for a conversion attempt on the 4th and 3 at the 12-yard line with 939 left in the 4th quarter.

Starting point is 00:14:53 Mack Jones attempted the short pass to Ezekiel Elliott. Zeke couldn't haul it in, and the Patriots turned the ball over on downs with 932 now left in the 4th quarter. Now, had the Patriots chosen to take that high percentage three points, Jones' eventual fourth quarter touchdown may have allowed the Pats to play for three instead of six on their final drive. That's a different mentality and a different sense of urgency. And whether you believe Bill Belichick made the right decision in this case or the wrong decision is something that will continue to be debated throughout the week, including right here on Locked On Patriots.

Starting point is 00:15:25 Yeah, Murph and I are going to talk about this on Monday's show. We'll get into that in just a moment. But this is going to call into question whether or not the Patriots truly trust Ryland in this situation. He's a rookie. You don't want to ruin his confidence. But at the same time, when you're inside the 12, it's very difficult to justify not going for a field goal

Starting point is 00:15:44 when you really, truly need the points well Bill Belichick decided that the hypothetical was going to be superseded by his decision and his decision was made with placing a greater weight on aggression instead of conservatism that's a point that he was very careful to make clear during his post-game media press conference because you knew he was going to be asked about it, and Bill Belichick answered it exactly how you'd expect him to answer it. He said, quote, made the best decision we could make at the time. Didn't know he would be down there multiple times,

Starting point is 00:16:14 six minutes to go in the game. I don't know. If we had kicked it, I'm sure you would be asking why we didn't go for it. Well, folks, Bill has a point there. He's probably going to be second-guessed no matter what he did. But Mike Reese of ESPN is always a level-headed voice of reason, and he lent a thicket of reason on Sunday evening, really, I think, shedding a little bit of light on why Bill

Starting point is 00:16:37 did what he did and actually showing folks that Bill made the right call here. On Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on fourth and three from the Eagles 17, trailing 22 to 14 with 939 remaining, it was very close. But according to Seth Walder of ESPN, who Mike is quoting here, ESPN Analytics agreed with Bill Belichick's choice. The win probability in going for it was 21.4%. The win probability in kicking was 20.8%. Yeah, again, pretty close, but the percentage ultimately is in Bill Belichick's favor.

Starting point is 00:17:14 Folks, I know that's not going to be good enough for an awful lot of you, and I'm not going to argue with you. We'd love to hear what you have to say about Bill's fourth and three decision. Who stood out to you as some of the game's best performers? And who, in your opinion, still needs to step it up a little bit? Folks, that's the beauty of Locked On Patriots. We're your team every day. And because we're your team every day, we're going to be discussing those points and more

Starting point is 00:17:37 here on your late Monday episode of Locked On Patriots, in which the legend himself, Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports, is going to join me to break down Sunday's game even further. Yeah, we'll take a deeper dive into fourth and three, along with diving into the Locked On Patriots mailbag. So stay locked in to Locked On Patriots. But in the meantime, thank you for continuously making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, and hopefully you've made us your first listen today.

Starting point is 00:18:07 Don't forget, tune in later on Monday for Hashtag Mailbag Monday, Hashtag Locked On Murph Monday, in which we dive even deeper into the Patriots' 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. In the meantime, I am your host, Mike DeBate, reminding you to stay safe and to stay well and to stay well and to be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. And we'll see you right back here later today on Locked on Patriots.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Drop Week 1 Matchup to Philadelphia Eagles 25-20: POSTCAST

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