Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Moving On from Loss to Raiders: Mac Jones, Pats Defense and Injury Woes

Starting point is 00:00:00 The injury hits for your New England Patriots just keep on coming. Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. 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, and thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day.

Starting point is 00:00:44 Subscribe or follow for free wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated, so reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind. On X, formerly known as Twitter or the Bird app, whatever you want to call it these days, at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L.

Starting point is 00:01:06 And while you're out there showing some love via social media, please follow our account there as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And Pats fans, it is almost time to turn the page to Week 7 here on Locked On Patriots. A divisional matchup against the Buffalo Bills is on tap this weekend. But there's still a little bit more digging to do when it comes to their week six loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. We need to dig up some reason in all this, folks. And who better to find that reason than my Patriots Paisan, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com. Going to pop in here in just a moment.

Starting point is 00:01:41 We're going to talk offense. We're going to talk defense. What went well? What needs improvement? So stay locked into Locked On, Patriots. Folks, you are not going to want to miss Steve's reason and, of course, his wisdom and counsel as well. But before I welcome my good friend in here today, you're in a wing when Patriots return to the practice field on Wednesday. And I can confidently say that the Pats yielded one of the longest lists of

Starting point is 00:02:05 walking wounded I've ever seen in my time covering the team the Pats listing a whopping 20 players on their injury report in fact Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald called this out really well he added that when you consider the players on IR and on PUP a whopping 26 percent of the New England Patriots roster is battling some sort of ailment. And the hits just keep on coming. But there is some good news. The New England Patriots did welcome back a trio of players that we've been waiting to see back on the football field.

Starting point is 00:02:37 Demario Douglas on the field on Tuesday in the Patriots walkthrough. He was back on the field on Wednesday as well. Juju Smith-Schuster also was out in concussion protocol. He was back on the field on Wednesday as well. Juju Smith-Schuster also was out in concussion protocol. He was back on the field on Wednesday. And of course, the big news out of Tuesday, Jack Jones activated from IR. He is designated to return. Still not completely sure whether or not

Starting point is 00:02:58 he'll suit up this Sunday, but right now all signs are pointing toward it. All three players, limited participants, but it's still good to see him out there and back on the field but new england continues to have its share of injury problems folks and there's just no other way around this hunter henry out of wednesday's practice with an ankle injury josh uche out with a foot injury that kept him on the shelf for a little while during sunday's game against the raiders jonathan Jones, we all saw the ankle continuing to hamper him.

Starting point is 00:03:28 He was out with an ankle injury. Trent Brown, originally we thought this was an undisclosed injury. Apparently it's still the chest injury that he's dealing with. No real surprise here that Keon White was out of practice. He's in concussion protocol. I'd say it's very unlikely he's going to suit up this weekend. And perhaps the most interesting injury nugget of the day relating to Riley Rafe, he's out with a knee injury. And what's interesting about this is that Bill Belichick was asked about this on Wednesday morning about Riley not being able to suit up for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Starting point is 00:04:00 It was very careful to relay that the same knee injury that kept Riley Rafe on IR is not the same knee injury he's dealing with right now. So what that means for his future, whether or not he's going to be able to give it a go this weekend, a lot of that up in the air right now, folks continue to stay locked into locked on Patriots as we bring you the very latest when it comes to that extensive list of Patriots walking wounded. You're wondering who else popped up on the report, David Andrews continues to be hampered with an ankle injury.

Starting point is 00:04:32 Christian Barmore with a knee injury. Cody Davis, he's still in his 21-day window. He's listed with a knee injury. Kyle Duggar continues to be listed with a foot injury, as is Trey Flowers. Trey is in the same position as Cody Davis, folks, still in his 21-day activation window. Devon Godchild with an ankle injury. Michael Wainu, he continues to be listed with an ankle injury, although all signs point to him giving it a go.

Starting point is 00:04:56 He didn't see any action on Sunday, but it's likely the Patriots know they need him, and they need him healthy, or at least as close as they can get to it with the Buffalo Bills coming to town. And of course, if we're talking Michael Wainu, we're talking Cole Strange. He was a limited participant with a knee injury. And of course, running back Ramondre Stevenson with an ankle injury. Yeah, folks, Sean Wade was on this report with a shoulder injury.

Starting point is 00:05:16 Lastly, Jabril Peppers listed with a knee injury. Yeah, you get exhausted just talking and hearing about all of these injuries. The Patriots are already feeling the injury effects, but what does it mean moving forward and how much of an impact did it have on Sunday's loss? Well, we're going to delve into those subjects in just a moment because as advertised, my good friend Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com and of course co-host of Patriots 4th and 2 with Derek Havens. I'm going to pop in here in just a moment to give you all of the wisdom, counsel, and reason you need in Patriots Nation right now when this episode of the Locked On Patriots Podcast continues.

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Starting point is 00:08:02 Patriots fans, thank you once again for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us right here on the Lockdown Patriots Podcast, a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day, and of course, folks, we are joined today by my good friend, my Patriots bison, a columnist extraordinaire

Starting point is 00:08:20 for Patsfans.com, and also the co-host of another amazing Patriots podcast, Patriots 4th and 2, alongside Derek Avins. Steve Balistrieri joins me here today. Steve, welcome to the pod. Thank you so much for joining me here today. Always a pleasure, my friend.

Starting point is 00:08:35 And I wish we had more glad tidings to talk about this week, but it was not to be. And, you know, but this is our job, and we put both oars in the water. It's not easy times here in New England. You're absolutely right. A 1-5 record this late in the season is certainly not a position that the New England Patriots are used to seeing, that the fan base is definitely not used to dealing with.

Starting point is 00:09:02 It's been a long time since this team has stared directly in the face of non-playoff contention in October. We've heard a lot, Steve, in the last couple of weeks about starting over, especially after the Patriots dropping a dismal showing to the New Orleans Saints on their home field, 34-0. Perf joined me here yesterday on the pod, and we talked a little bit about the improvements that were made. The Patriots, a hard luck loss to the Raiders, 24-17 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Starting point is 00:09:31 But improvements are one thing, but getting to the level that you want to be at is completely different. And Bill O'Brien said this when he addressed the media Tuesday morning. Some were better, but obviously not enough. So in that vein, we're going to take a look at the two major units of the New England Patriots. And let's start with the offense in general, Steve. Mack Jones completing 12 passes, 200 yards, one egregious interception. I think we can all agree a very ill-timed and ill-fated pass that really should have never left Mack's hands. But all in all,

Starting point is 00:10:05 you did see seedlings of what he could be if he gets protection and he has some level of confidence and comfort no matter where he's aligning. The job that he did helping to orchestrate the two touchdown runs I thought was encouraging. What specifically did you see from Mac where if you're a Patriots fan, you can say, okay, that'll help us get through the remainder of the season? Well, you know, again, they started off, they always seem like when they take the field, they're thinking the game starts in two hours, not in five minutes. They just start so slow, They look lethargic. And, you know, because of that, they were always deep in a deep hole. And this offense is not designed to come out of deep holes, you know.

Starting point is 00:10:56 They immediately go behind 10-0. And then, you know, they hit Ezekiel Elliott with a screen pass, go 74 yards for a touchdown. Okay, now we're clicking a little bit, right? But there's a penalty. And this is – it's no longer uncharacteristic. I mean, they've been doing this since the end of last year. And these penalties and sloppy play and just boneheaded plays,

Starting point is 00:11:28 they keep killing this team. But, you know, in the second half, I thought Mack was better. You know, he was getting the ball out quick. He was delivering it perfectly, I thought, for the most part. You know, he led them on those two touchdown drives. And, frankly, that last drive, I mean, on second down, you couldn't ask for a better deep ball than that. He threw it about 50 yards in the air.

Starting point is 00:11:56 It hits Devontae Parker right in the hands. And that's the difference between good teams and bad teams. You know, do you think a guy like Jefferson or Stefan Diggs drops that pass? Devontae Adams, who they were on the other side of the field with? Those guys haul that in. And then you have almost two minutes

Starting point is 00:12:15 and you're on the plus side of the 50 where realistically, you only need 10 or 15 yards in about, just say a minute and a half, and you have a chance to win the game. And these are the things that they keep shooting themselves in the foot with. Right. You know, and toward his interception there at the end of the first half,

Starting point is 00:12:38 I mean, Hunter Henry was wide open, and he threw it way over his head. And, you know, that's again, those are the things that cause bad teams to lose. Good teams make that play and they win. Yeah, without any question. And I'm glad that you mentioned that play because it can be a way to get this offense kick-started. And I talked about this a little bit on Monday's episode. A play like that gives you momentum. It brings excitement. It allows the players on the field to get excited about what's to come. It allows the players on the sideline to get behind their team. It takes the crowd out of the game, obviously, in a situation like the Patriots had on Sunday,

Starting point is 00:13:18 where they're the visiting team in Las Vegas. But there's so much that can ride on a play like that. And when it's incomplete, the way it was, especially because the pass absolutely should have been caught. There is no excuse for that pass not being hauled in by Devontae Parker. I know he talks about the fingertips, folks. We've seen the slow motion. We've seen the still shots. That hit him in a lot more than the fingertips. That needs to be that was not on Mac whatsoever that is all on Devante and you saw the erosion of offensive momentum right after that the delay a game penalty obviously it messes with your confidence and then the sack in the game I think in my fourth and fifth viewing of that I think I was probably a little more harsh on Mac

Starting point is 00:14:02 than he should have yes the check down was in front of him. You can get rid of the ball, but when you got Max Crosby closing in and you only have Mike Gusecki and Verderian Lowe trying to block in that case, yeah, just not a good situation for the New England Patriots. And unfortunately, yeah, they paid the price for it and they paid the price in a big way, so New England right now trying to bite on to what they did better I thought overall I thought the offensive line did a much better job of keeping Matt clean in this game they had a 29.7 pressure rate that's a season low for the New England Patriots on the quarterback I thought they did a better job of keeping him upright and make giving him a little more uh comfort and you mentioned that about Mack being better in the second half.

Starting point is 00:14:47 I think that's one of the big reasons why. It wasn't that relentless pressure that we usually see on Mack, but the early penalties, the late penalties, these are things that continue to keep killing the momentum on this team. And it negates some of the good stuff that the Patriots did do offensively. I thought the incorporation of more motion and more inside zone in the running game was a very good way to get this running game back on track. And they had a pretty good game against this Raiders defensive front.

Starting point is 00:15:15 Is this something that the Patriots should work on and continue to do moving forward? Or did, like Murph said earlier this week, simply do the best they could in taking what Josh McDaniels was essentially daring them to do. Yeah, I think that's spot on. You know, when I look at the running game, I think because they ran the ball better in the second half, that opens up some of your passing game, and it allows your quarterback to have more than a microsecond

Starting point is 00:15:46 before he has to get rid of the football. Those are things that they absolutely have to do, and they have to get better at run blocking. And we'll see. I mean, there's still a long way to go. I'm not saying they're going to make a playoff run or anything, but there's still a long way to go. I'm not saying they're going to make a playoff run or anything, but there's still a long way to go where they can salvage, you know, a decent season.

Starting point is 00:16:10 I'm not saying, you know, 10 or 11 wins anymore. I was very bullish on this team at the beginning of the season. But, you know, you can be a lot more competitive when you just simply run the football better. And, you know, you can be a lot more competitive when you just simply run the football better. And, you know, they need to make some other changes as well that I've been harping on for weeks. But, you know, we'll get into that, I'm sure, in a bit. I don't think we'd be doing ourselves justice if we didn't mention unleashing Kendrick Bourne in the slot. Ten snaps in the slot, and this is something that I think a lot of Patriots fans really love to see

Starting point is 00:16:45 10 catches out of the slot on 11 targets 89 yards he ran routes well when he needed to be there for Mac Jones he was there for him 68 yards after the catch Steve I still don't get it why are we not seeing more Kendrick Bourne on a weekly basis this guy is electric with the ball in his hands he's got a great rapport with mac jones to me this is one of the big ways to try to dig mac out of his funk and i think that by giving him more opportunities to find kendrick it can lead to some better things for the patriots on the field am i wrong here absolutely not um you know we've been harping about Kendrick Bourne getting more snaps since the beginning of last year. So now we're almost a season and a half. And yet every time they go to this guy, he produces. And it's just an absolute head scratcher why he's not used more. Now, on the flip side of that, you know, Devontae Parker, you know, he's been playing 100% of the snaps. He played 75% of the snaps on Sunday.

Starting point is 00:17:54 He has one catch for seven yards. You know, and this is a – it's not an outlier. It's consistent like this. Right. they it's it's not an outlier it's consistent like this right and i was surprised they didn't attempt more um passes with tyquan thornton i mean give the kid a shot obviously your number one guy isn't getting the job done so why not give the younger guy more play and see what he can do not necessarily the contested catch thing because that's not his game but get him you know put him in motion get him a free release get him into that intermediate range where if he catches the ball he can take it much farther

Starting point is 00:18:40 right and i just don't get it i mean yeah you know i understand uh douglas is out and juju is out but juju hasn't been uh you know he hasn't been producing i would like to see three receivers with thornton douglas and born i think a lot of people would and you might get your wish this week uh mario d Mario Douglas back on the football field looks like he's getting ready to return from what has been a week um a little bit more than that in concussion protocol that's definitely a good sign so Douglas is someone that can be electric and can be a playmaker with the ball in his hands but I think you're seeing that Kendrick Bourne can be that as well what it means for his immediate and future faith here in New England

Starting point is 00:19:24 is really I think something up for conjecture. I know a lot of Patriots fans are saying this week, Bill extended the wrong guy. Should have gone after Kendrick as opposed to Devontae. It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback in these situations, folks, but it's hard to argue the details right now. And Kendrick Bourne showing that even if it's not here in New England next season, he's definitely got bright future on a football field.

Starting point is 00:19:46 This kid can make things happen, and more power to him, because I think he's done a great job, especially with the hands that he's been dealt the last couple of years. Steve, overall, I think the Patriots' offense played better, but they're still not where they need to be by a long shot. If you're looking at the defensive side of the ball, however, I think the Patriots are showing seedlings of what this defense could look like.

Starting point is 00:20:08 And that means a pretty good defense, even without the services of Christian Gonzalez and Matthew Judon. Players are stepping up and that next man up mentality is actually giving the Patriots an opportunity to move forward. We're going to talk about the Patriots defense and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Today's episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.

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Starting point is 00:21:41 Patriots fans, thank you once again for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us here today on Locked on Patriots fans thank you once again for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us here today on Locked On Patriots remember we are a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network your team every day and joining me here today is my good friend Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com and we're talking all things New England Patriots improvements that are made areas that still need to be improved and Steve Steve, we talked a lot about the offense in the previous segment, but on defense, I think it was a little bit of a different circumstance than the Patriots saw on offense, where you're seeing seedlings, maybe

Starting point is 00:22:15 sprouts of what this team could do offensively. But I think defensively, this team made some strides on Sunday. Obviously, with Matthew Judon out, that front seven was going to take a hit. We saw how much they missed Matthew Judon last Sunday against the Saints. But when players along that front seven and the interior are stepping up and you have players that are coming in as role players and now taking on starting or significant roles and they're performing at a high level, I think it helps to calm some of the nerves that are surrounding the Patriots defense. That's not to say that there aren't areas that need upgrading or need better play.

Starting point is 00:22:54 Steve and I are going to get into those in just a moment. But from this defensive output against the Raiders, Steve, what impressed you the most about this team? Well, I thought that the run defense, especially there, right in the middle of the field, was outstanding. I thought Christian Barmore was very disruptive. I thought he had one of his best games of the year, maybe even his career at this point.

Starting point is 00:23:21 He was just blowing things up. I thought Devon Godchow and Lawrence Guy had strong games. Jelani Tavai is really stepping up in a leadership role. You know, that middle, I thought, was really, really strong. Then, you know, after Keon White got injured, they moved Jelani to buy to outside. You know, the you know, the, the run defense, they only gave up 84 yards, 77 to Josh Jacobs, but that was on 25 carries.

Starting point is 00:24:01 So it works out to 3.1 yards per carry. I think you'll take that all day long you know any game of the week as a team the raiders only average 2.5 so i mean i thought the run defense was strong you know unfortunately they get bit by injuries um uche went, although he didn't really have a good game up until he was hurt. Keon White was injured, and you could tell Jonathan Jones was laboring with that ankle injury of his. He's trying to play through it. But, you know, the injuries in the secondary just kind of have multiplied. But, you know, they're getting Jack Jones back this week. I think that's great news.

Starting point is 00:24:47 I thought J.C. Jackson did a really good job on Devontae Adams. Only two catches for 29 yards. I don't think you'd argue with that, again, if this game was being played this week. You know, so overall, I thought the defense played pretty good. I mean, would they give up 19 points? So, I mean, you know, when your defense only gives up 19 points, you should win that game.

Starting point is 00:25:13 So, you know, I thought the defense was good. I mean, it wasn't perfect. You know, they do have a ton of injuries. Again, the only thing I would say is they're not getting that outside pressure on the quarterback. You know, Tavai had – I think he had a sack, didn't he? And Bentley. But, you know, they're outside guys.

Starting point is 00:25:39 Uche wasn't producing. Again, he's finding life is tough without Matthew Judon. I thought Anthony Jennings played the run extremely well you know sitting the edge but he wasn't getting much pressure either yeah I think that's a very good point about pressure and I know a lot of people are going to point to Uche on that and look he needs to be more active in the pass rush he didn't register a stat line in this game before he left so that should tell you something about not just his usage, but about his effectiveness against a team that the Patriots really needed the pass rush to step up.

Starting point is 00:26:12 They knew they were going to have quarterbacks on their heels. And after Jimmy Garoppolo goes out, you have to think that pressure is going to increase on someone like Brian Hoyer, who's older, knows the system, knows what the Patriots are capable of. So how do you combat that? You throw pressure at these guys. You make them confused. Confuse them before they have a chance to actually realize what they're looking at.

Starting point is 00:26:33 That's something that I do believe the Patriots defense has to do a better job of. But run defense, I absolutely agree with you. I thought Christian Barmore had one of his best days as a Patriot, defending the run. Five tackles, one went for a loss. He was active in the past defensive scheme as well. He had two pass breakups. So this is the type of Christian Barmore we want to see if you're a New England Patriots fan. Moving forward, that's the type of guy that you want to see out there week in and week out and being a presence in the interior of that defensive line would have liked to have seen a little bit more from uh Dietrich Wise I think Dietrich's been good this

Starting point is 00:27:09 season but just probably a subpar game uh for him I'm willing to chalk that up at that point um what can you say about Jelani Tavai was all over the place uh settling down after a very difficult unnecessary roughness penalty. You know, but... For the people marking score at home, that was a penalty. I don't think anyone was, you know, who watched the game was like, oh, that was ticky-tack. Yeah, I think... I'm sorry, I just went...

Starting point is 00:27:37 Yeah, I think the late great Gorilla Monsoon would have called that a patented side suplex, I think, that he put. That was, yeah, I mean, if you're a Patriots fan, you're laughing at that. If you're a Raiders fan, you're throwing stuff at the television. But I thought he settled down nicely. He had a very good stat line in this game. Seven tackles, two pass breakups, the interception off of another thunderous hit by Jabril Peppers on Devontae Adams. It really made him pay for catching that ball.

Starting point is 00:28:06 And it was a clean hit. And, you know, you look at what the Patriots are able to do. They at least came out with some physicality and let the Raiders know that they weren't going to push this team around the way they had been pushed around in two previous games. The Patriots defense had a little bit of fire and they knew they had to get the job done. And of course, you know, bottom line, I think the linebackers, you mentioned Jennings, six tackles, one for loss. Juwan Bentley, the four tackles, and two quarterback hits. This team definitely had an opportunity to do something special.

Starting point is 00:28:39 So, ultimately, I think the defense performed better than the offense, Steve. But we're down to the last couple of minutes here. Just your final thoughts on what you want to see from the Patriots on the practice field this week that you'd like to see them perform better at against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Well, the first thing I want to see on the practice field is not 12 guys questionable and five guys out or whatever it was. I mean, the injuries are piling up and it's getting ridiculous.

Starting point is 00:29:13 But second of all, I mean, I know Connor McDermott's coming back this week. You know, at this point, I don't have any problem with giving him a shot at right tackle because frankly, it's not getting done over there. And we know he was a pretty good run blocker. So maybe that will, you know, ignite the running game. I mean, it's going to be tough against the Buffalo bills. We all know that. I'm not expecting

Starting point is 00:29:45 miracles here, but if you can run the ball just a little bit, it helps your quarterbacks throw. I think they have to put a premium on running the ball this week, play action passing, and

Starting point is 00:30:01 I wish their defense was a little more healthy for this game, but it is what it is. You have to play with the guys that you have. I think we'll see a lot of zone this week against the Bills with, you know, Josh Allen, and I think that's the way you have to approach it. But offensively, I want to see more of the young guys. I mean, your vets aren't getting it done. They're not, you know, producing.

Starting point is 00:30:28 I mean, the only guy producing that's a veteran, you know, in the passing game is Bourne. So I want to see more Thornton. I want to see more Douglas, you know. And obviously, you know kendrick bourne i think those three guys you know what do you have to lose at this point you're one in five you know the bills won't be expecting that so you know you roll those guys out and it's forcing them to adjust on the fly so i don't know. At this point, I don't think anyone has any answers for this

Starting point is 00:31:09 offense. It's true. Buffalo presents so many challenges for the Patriots and has now for so long, both on offense and on defense. It's not going to be an easy game. Don't forget, folks, tomorrow, right here on Locked On Patriots, we're going to cross the streams with one of our favorites here on the network. The great Joe Marino right here on Locked On Patriots, we're going to cross the streams with one of our favorites here on

Starting point is 00:31:26 the network. The great Joe Marino, host of Locked On Bills, will join me as we do our Locked On Bills, Locked On Patriots crossover. All you want to know about the Buffalo Bills can be summed up by this man, and I'll lend my wisdom and counsel on the Patriots where applicable. So be sure to stay locked in

Starting point is 00:31:42 to Locked On Patriots. But in the meantime, I thank my good friend, my Patriots pison, Steve Balistrieri, for joining me here today on the pod and lending the wisdom, counsel, and reason the way only he can. Steve, thanks so much for dropping by today. We can't wait to talk Patriots football with you next week right here on Locked On Patriots. Absolutely, my friend. And, you know, we didn't get to it in the show, but I want to see them use Malik Cunningham a little more be a week-to-week type of thing, so maybe you can get a little Malik magic to help neutralize some of what Buffalo does well defensively.

Starting point is 00:32:28 Folks, we're going to cover it all here on Locked on Patriots, so be sure to stay locked in. And in the meantime, on behalf of my good friend Steve Balistrieri, I'm Mike DeBate, reminding you to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Moving On from Loss to Raiders: Mac Jones, Pats Defense and Injury Woes

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