Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Patriots Plunder Raiders 36-20: Week Three Recap - 9/28/2020

Episode Date: September 28, 2020

On Sunday, the New England Patriots showed that there is more than just one effective train in the fleet. Behind strong showings from running backs Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel, the ‘New England Transit Authority’ rushed for a season-high 250 yards in the Patriots' 36-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Joining host Mike D’Abate to break down this Week Three victory in Foxboro is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy. The duo discuss the big day for Burkhead and Michel, the defensive prowess of Chase Winovich, and where the Pats might need some improvement.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get $10 off your first 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!NFL Game PassThis season, get football on your time with NFL Game Pass. See all the action from every game with full game replays.Go to nfl.com/gamepass to start your free trial today. cbdMdRight now you can try the amazing duo of CBD Freeze and CBD Recover topicals and everything else cbdMd has to offer. They’re offering all our listeners 25% OFF your next order at cbdmd.com when you use the promo code LOCKEDONNFL at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast, and it is Victory Monday 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. And as we prepare to break down the New England Patriots' 36-20 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, we are proud to say that Locked on Patriots is presented today by Visa.

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Visa, everywhere you want to be, official partner of the NFL. Greetings and salutations, Pats Nation. Today is Monday, September 28th, and once again, we kick off the week with a win. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part 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

always appreciated and very much encouraged. 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 Monday maneuvering around the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Folks, despite starting the 2020 NFL season with a record of 1-1,

and keep in mind that one loss actually brought more positive feedback than negative feedback, your New England Patriots had been somewhat criticized over the first couple of weeks for not showing more offensive versatility. Can we lean on Cam Newton? Is this type of offense sustainable? The knock on this team started to become that the Patriots were too reliant on Cam Newton to carry the offense. Well, on Sunday, the Patriots' running game was back in a big way,

and the unit that I like to call the New England Transit Authority showed that there is more than just one effective train in this fleet rex burkhead had two rushing touchdowns as well as a receiving touchdown sony michelle finished the game with nine carries for 117 yards undrafted rookie jj taylor even got in on the act carrying the ball 11 times for 43 yards as a team your new england patriots rushed for a season high 250 yards in the patriots 36 to 20 win over the las Las Vegas Raiders in Foxborough on Sunday afternoon. As great as the runners were, and they were, folks, don't get me wrong, the Patriots also were buoyed by a strong performance from an offensive line that, let's face it, was facing some questions heading into this matchup, and they deserve a lot of credit. The offensive line was already facing an uphill battle. The team knew heading into this one, they would be without the services of center David

Andrews, who was placed on injured reserve on Saturday, meaning that he would not only be out for Sunday's contest against the Raiders, but also the next two upcoming matchups as well against the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. That meant the Patriots needed to make some adjustments on the offensive line. It wouldn't simply be a plug-and-play. And Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub and I discussed this on Friday. If this was only going to be a one-game replacement, then I think the Patriots would have been a little more apt to go with a guy like James Ferentz, who was signed to the 53-man roster

to add some depth on the O-line, or second-year reserve offensive lineman Yelda Frohold. And again, on Friday, I tried to make as strong a case as I could for Yelda. Ultimately, Alex and I both agreed that it would be Ferentz because of his experience in this system. But luckily for us, it's Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, and the offensive brain trust of the New England Patriots that make the decision, because the one they made seemed to be the right one. Joe Tooney moved over from left guard to center. Michael Onwenu, who had seen most of his time at right guard, takes over on the opposite side of the offensive line at left guard, and I thought each of these guys played solid in

their respective roles. May have let up a little bit of pressure on the quarterback at times, but ultimately their blocking ability, their stability allowed the Patriots to run the ball with much greater ease than they did a week ago against Seattle, and it was a key part of their success in Sunday's victory. As for Cam Newton, I would categorize him as unspectacular yet serviceable in this one, folks. Went 17-28 for passing, 162 yards through the air, one touchdown, and an interception. Cam wasn't so great against the pressure in this one, but he ultimately made the plays when he needed to. So don't misconstrue my opinion here in saying Cam had a bad game. Far from it.

It just simply proved that he didn't have to carry this offense in order for the Patriots to win. The running back core did a fairly good job of that. And once the Patriots found their groove, they were pretty impressive and difficult to stop. So let's get to the action on the field in Sunday's game. And in the first half, both teams really struggled to find an offensive heading. The Patriots technically held a 2-1 field goal advantage, meaning a 6-3 lead, until late in the second quarter. That's when Cam Newton capped a 12-play, 86-yard drive

by finding Rex Burkhead for an 11-yard touchdown. That would put the Patriots on top 13-3. But the Raiders would answer this with an aggressive drive of their own. This drive would culminate in a touchdown pass from Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to tight end Foster Moreau, and just like that at the half, folks, New England held a 13-10 lead. On the Patriots' first drive of the third quarter, they would get a much-needed boost from a player that arguably needed it the most. Running back Sonny Michel, who had struggled through the first two games, broke free for a 38-yard run. Later in the game, he'd actually break for a 48-yard run, which was the longest yardage run for Michel in his Patriots career,

but this particular 38-yard run was the catalyst in this drive. As just three plays later, Rex Burkhead would once again find the end zone, a spinning five-yard touchdown run to stretch New England's lead to 20-10. The Pats and the Raiders would once again trade field goals before the Patriots would earn their final offensive points of the day. New England consumed 5 minutes of clock with a 10-play, 86-yard drive, finished with a 5-yard touchdown rush by who else? Rex Burkhead, finding the end zone for the third time on this Sunday afternoon, putting the finishing touches on a great day for Burkhead finding the end zone for the third time on this Sunday afternoon, putting the finishing touches on a great day for Burkhead,

but the Patriots were not quite done lighting the Gillette Stadium scoreboard just yet. Following Burkhead's third touchdown of the day, the Patriots' defense would get in on the scoring action, this time with linebacker Shaliqua Calhoun, who already had two forced fumbles in this game, helped to pressure the ball loose from David Carr, with some great help by Chase Winovich, who also played masterfully in this game helped to pressure the ball loose from David Carr with some great help by Chase Winovich who also played masterfully in this game folks. Carr would fumble in the end zone and defensive end Dietrich Wise Jr. recovered the fumble for the score that secured the win for

the New England Patriots. At that point it was 36-13 the Raiders would add seven more in this one as time wound down in the fourth quarter a touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Hunter Renfro but ultimately it was all for not the Patriots take this one home 36 to 20 and they improved to two and one on the 2020 NFL season they have also won their last six meetings with the Raiders and they've improved to 47 and nine in regular season games following a loss Bill Belichick also a milestone on this one He becomes only the third coach in NFL history to reach 275 regular season victories behind George Hallis at 318 and Don Shula at 328. So a big day, a big win for the Pats, and they are now headed to Kansas City to battle the defending champion Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday on October 4th at 425 p.m. Eastern.

But we're still a little ways away from that matchup with the champs, and there is still plenty to break down and digest from this Week 3 victory for the Pats over the Raiders on Sunday. And I mean a lot. You might consider it a monster amount of information. And if it's a monster amount of information, folks, then we need a monster opinion to fully absorb it. And luckily today, I will be welcoming in our good friend,

the Green King of Sting himself, Thomas Murphy, and we will be talking about that Patriots rushing attack. Particularly, why the Patriots might be so reticent to feature Rex Burkhead in this offense, considering how great he looked on Sunday. Folks, there's a great reason for that, and Murph and I will get to that in just a moment. We'll also talk about the emergence of Sonny Michel on the field on Sunday, and whether that just might have helped secure his spot as the team's feature back. We'll also flip to the opposite side of the ball, talk a little bit about that Patriots defense, standout performances by guys like Chase Winovich and

Jawan Williams. And folks, even though it's good to get a win, there are still some areas which need improvement, and surprisingly folks, they're in the Patriots secondary. And Murph and I will discuss that as well. So sit tight. A lot of action still to come here on this Victory Monday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast. But first, to say that 2020 has been a challenging year, folks, would be a gross understatement. Sometimes it feels like it takes every ounce of strength and fortitude that

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to give you the support you need where it matters most. And to make it even easier to try this amazing duo of topicals and everything else CBDMD has to offer, they're offering all of our listeners 25% off your next order when you use the promo code LOCKEDONNFL at checkout. Once again, that's CBDMD.com, promo code LOCKEDONNFL for 25% off your purchase of superior CBD oil products from CBDMD. Patriots fans, we continue to break down the Patriots' 36-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on this Victory Monday here on Locked On Patriots 36-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on this Victory Monday here on Locked On Patriots. And as always, there were positives and even some areas designated for improvement. And my guest today has some wisdom and counsel to lend on this subject.

In fact, you might call it some green wisdom and counsel. Oh yeah, folks, that's right. It's that time again. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business the count of murphy fisto himself the legendary thomas murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on locked on patriots thank you for coming to me in friendship and for helping me kick off the week in style here on the pod today don murph oh no thank you always for having me buddy thank you always for having this is my favorite crowd to hang out with and and sitting next to you is always good times.

Always, always great. Absolutely. Especially here on Locked On Patriots. Social distance, of course, folks. We're practicing it. We're doing our part. But it is always great to be able to break down a Patriots game with you, and it's even a little nicer when they win.

It makes it a little more palatable, I think. Murph, the Patriots sit at two and one solid win over a Raiders team that was considered to be on the cusp by a lot of media and fans throughout the week we heard that term about the Raiders being right there in the thick of things and you know there's a lot of talent on both sides of the ball on that team I definitely don't want to downplay that but the Patriots on Sunday just were too much for them on both sides of the ball. And it was a little bit of a different look on offense yesterday in as much that Cam Newton didn't have to carry this unit as he had in the first two games. Arguably, the star of this game was Rex Burkhead, touchdown of Saris Rex.

And folks, I've been using that nickname in my tweets now about Rex since about 2017. And yes, I saved them. I have documentation of it. But you know, Murph, there are some opportunistic entrepreneurs, and I use that term loosely, that are out there selling merchandise using that name. A little unoriginal, if you ask me. But you know what? Oh, well, such is life. I'm not going to get nervous about it. You know, oh, well. People have been stealing from us for years. Go ahead. Absolutely. You know, it really, really is. You know, we need our tribute. You know, a little wet a beak, you know.

But in any case, you know, Rex had one receiving touchdown, two rushing touchdowns yesterday, six carries for 49 yards, two touchdowns, and then seven catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. Pretty decent day for Rex at the office. for 49 yards, two touchdowns, and then seven catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. Pretty decent day for Rex at the office. And I think Burkhead showed just how dynamic he can be when he's highlighted in this offense. That caused a lot of Patriots fans last night and yesterday after the game, even this morning a little bit, to wonder why Rex is not being highlighted more in this offense. Murph, I have my theories on this, and I think we're like-minded, but I will give you the floor.

Do you believe that New England has strayed from giving Burkhead too many touches because of his injury history? And if they have, is it the smart move, considering seeing what he could do yesterday? Right, no, bingo. Right on tap. Rex Burkhead is kept in Danny Amendola's old glass case

that reads on the front break only in the case of emergencies or playoffs. And that's the way he's been treated here for the past couple years because he is. He's from the small, tiny island off the coast of Sicily called Fregile.

And he does. He ends up in a tub quite a bit. He spends a lot of time with trainers. He knows them all by their first name and can ask them how each one of their kids is doing also by name because he is. He's Mr. Glass. He has an issue with being hit too often. And he ends up, you know, on the sidelines or on IR. And that's not a good thing, especially this year when we're already dealing with running backs on IR.

But, no, you love to see him in there. This is what happens when he is part of the game plan. There's not a ton of work. But the work that he gets is exceptional. You know, he does an exceptional the game plan. There's not a ton of work, but the work that he gets is exceptional. You know, he does an exceptional job with it and he showed it yesterday what he's able to do. And also the scheme that the Raiders came up with to try to stop New England allowed him to do that. Another player that seemed to exercise some demons on Sunday was Sonny Michelle, a player you and I have discussed several times here on the pod. Taking full credit. For weeks.

Absolutely. As you should. As you should. More so yourself. But you know, I've been an advocate of Sonny for quite a while. I've said he was a guy that I had scouted. I wanted the Patriots to draft him. I was one of the few that was happy the Patriots drafted him where they did. But for weeks now, we've been hearing the story on Sony about his shortcomings. And I'll be honest, through the first couple of games, there really just wasn't much to like about the way he was running the ball. He showed a little bit more strength, but he was running laterally. He wasn't running vertically. There were a lot of questions about whether or not maybe he's running to avoid injury, things of that nature.

But that did change on Sunday. I thought Sonny looked like an entirely new running back at times. He was evading tackles. He finished the game with nine carries, 117 yards, including a career-high 48-yard rush. But he wasn't the only one that looked pretty good in this game as well. I thought J.J. Taylor emerged as a legitimate option. You ever hear wally you know

you know absolutely without any question and that does lead me quite nicely into the question i'm going to ask on this because with taylor emerging as a legitimate option albeit a rookie showed some rookie moments yesterday but i thought he was solid and really gave that running game a shot in the arm that it needed at a time where I think it needed it the most. With Taylor emerging, Damian Harris likely to return from IR. That could happen as soon as today, folks. Michelle really needed to put together a case to keep getting his touches. I think he did that on Sunday, but based on yesterday's performance, Bud, do you believe that Sony is still the best option at featureback?

I do. I do believe he's the best option as a featureback. I think J.J. Taylor is a change of pace guy. He's a guy that's going to go out there. And while he didn't, you know, rather excel in the way that you would have hoped that he would in the passing game, he's somebody that he's the little joystick guy back there. And we love that. And he did. I think he gave him a wake-up call.

And Sonny, you know, found the holes, hit them hard. Once again, he always does better when he's running behind a fullback that knows what they're doing. And he showed that yesterday. But no, I do believe that, again, scheme played a lot into this. And how the Raiders were attacking the Patriots helped his situation quite a bit. Yeah, once again, I completely agree. I think Sonny does show that ability to carry the offense when needed. He's going to continue to show it. And folks, as impressive as Damian Harris we heard had been throughout the training camp this year, it can lean on this running back core when the quarterback may be having a, dare I say, an

average or pedestrian game. And oddly enough, as I said to open the show today, my friend, Cam Newton wasn't forced to carry this team this week. In fact, I think you could make the argument that he was average at best in this game. He didn't look calm under pressure all the time, and the offensive line did let up plenty of pressure, but I want to give some love to the O-line, especially Joe Tooney moving to center, helping ensure the Patriots would be okay without David Andrews. I think he did a fine job in that.

Michael Onwainu as well spent time at right tackle in the first two weeks, moved into the left guard spot as a rookie, a position he only played once throughout his entire collegiate career at the University of Michigan. So he was a fish out of water, as was Tooney. Tooney had never started a game at center in the NFL either. But despite some of the pressure allowed, I thought the line turned in a pretty decent day's work. Murph, moving forward, especially if David is going to be sidelined, we know at least for the next couple of weeks. But if there's going to be any movement on this offensive line, do you potentially see Cam's lack of protection as a problem that this team needs to address sooner rather than later? Yeah, I do.

This is something that he's going to, the line is really going to have to step up and make sure that he has the time that he needs to make the decisions that he needs. I think part of the issue with Cam yesterday was he wasn't completely comfortable with what was happening in front of him. He wasn't sure he might have gotten rid of a ball or two quicker than he wanted to. It showed. As well as this line played, and they did, I gave them an A in my grades for the week, which are unpublished. But I gave them a grade. They're going to have to do better for Cam to be able to be Cam

and do what he does. I was really expecting more out of his arm this week. I don't want to say lack of talent, but a lack of longevity in that backfield of the Raiders. It's a very very young defensive backfield and I really thought Cam was going to be able to pick them apart and that just did not happen. Yeah, I agree with you. And at this point, folks, you know,

we were definitely expecting Cam to come back down to earth from some point when it came to the first couple of games and everything he was able to do, showing tremendous arm prowess, comfort, poise, leadership ability, the running game, and the way he's changed the complexity of the Patriots perceived offense. And I think there were some good points made yesterday to say that Cam hasn't necessarily changed the offense, but he's changed the perception of how the Patriots play offense.

And I think in a lot of ways, that's a very interesting distinction that a lot of people need to make. But it is comforting to know that even when your quarterback might not be at his best, showing a little shyness under pressure, that the running back core could step up and play pretty effective football when needed. And even though the offense had some bright spots, Bud, the defense actually did take this one home for the Patriots on Sunday, literally, with a tackle in the end zone for a touchdown. But the Patriots, D, I think enacted a solid game plan. Who stood out, and did this game tell us something about the Patriots' future plans? Well, Murph and I will answer this question and more when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

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A hashtag Locked On Murph Monday, if you will, here on the pod, continuing to break down the Pats' victory. And Murph, the Patriots did look better equipped on defense yesterday than they did last Sunday in Seattle. I saw a lot of improvement in the linebackers and in the secondary. But if we label Rex as the standout on offense, on defense I have to give that nod to Chase Winovich yesterday. I thought he was phenomenal.

Forcing him to strip sack, I think that pulled the momentum away from the Raiders in the first half. They were starting to build a little bit. Chase was right there and just seemed to be involved in every major play. He logged two tackles. But what impressed me most was Winovich's effort. He just doesn't quit. This is something we heard about him when he was a Michigan Wolverine. The kid has a nonstop motor, and you're seeing that. He's just in every play. He's in the right

place, right time. I feel like a broken record, but that's not happenstance, folks. That's by design. Murph, do you believe we're seeing the emergence of Chase Winovich into a bona fide defensive star, not just on this team, but maybe even in the league. Yeah, we are. And it's coming a year early because of the opt-outs that happened. Chase has had to move around, had to be all over the place, and had to take a bigger role in what Bill Belichick wants to do on defense. And it is. It's just amazing what he's been able to do. But I'm going to throw out another name if you don't want to.

One of the guys that I really love to love, um, love on this side of the ball. And, uh, we don't read about him enough because most of the things he does, he, he, you, you just don't, you don't notice, you know, but Dietrich wise had a fantastic game on Sunday and, uh, you know, hats off to Dietrich. He was all over the place. He's all over the stat sheet today. And bravo to him. Grin from ear to ear. First player that I profiled, first player that I interviewed covering this team, and I could not be happier. Look, Dietrich definitely looks much more comfortable.

I think he bulked up a little, added a little weight. He definitely added a little more strength. Spent a little time with the York family this year. Yeah, without any question. That was a good one. I like that. But in any case, i i do i think he looks more comfortable setting the edge i think the patriots did a better job of setting

the edge yesterday that helps was one of my keys they turned a lot of absolutely weak they absolutely did you know bill reads them you know he's not gonna you know he may not give you the credit over no my friend i don't get the credit oh he's reading those he's reading those keys yep i get the i get the basket of oranges every year at christmas so you know i'm that's all right well you know in in the godfather oranges were considered an omen i know yeah we're not gonna finish that we're not gonna go there that could be yeah we're not for another show we're not gonna murph and i are not gonna go fishing in a rowboat anytime soon because of that movie but in any case buddy uh no all kidding aside,

I really do think that Dietrich had a phenomenal game yesterday. He was, again, right there in coverage. Shaliqua Calhoun, I thought, had a very good game yesterday as well. He was involved in a lot of those big plays. You're seeing Patriots step up on the edge and in the linebacking core that really needed to step up yesterday. And they needed to yesterday. Absolutely, they truly did after

subpar performance against the Seahawks you're facing a potent offense for all the stuff that you want to give about maybe the Raiders not being quite ready for prime time there's a lot of talent on that side of the ball there is and that that leads me quite nicely into my next question for you and that the secondary did have some dirt on its uniform after the loss to Seattle, but I thought they rebounded quite nicely on Sunday, particularly on their coverage of Darren Waller. Bill did it again. You take away what the opponent does best. Again, buddy, you called it.

Jawan Williams and Stephon Gilmore controlling him for the majority of this one. I was happy to see Jawan Williams get his touches on Waller. I thought he would play a pretty big role in this game. A lot of people thought it was going to be all Gilmore all the time, but I thought there would be a platoon or at least a switchoff, and we did see that yesterday. Murph, do you believe that containing Waller was the biggest key to a New England victory on Sunday, at least on the defensive side of the ball?

Yeah, it was. He is their number one weapon, and the Patriots do what they do best, and they did it on Sunday in taking him away. It was kind of an Oprah moment. You get your time on Waller. You get your time on Waller. You get your time on Waller. They mixed it up well, so they didn't know where the coverage was really coming from and who was really going to be able to get to it. Even Duggar was out there. They unleashed the Duggar a little bit more on Sunday and he got to take a few snaps going up against the big guy and they all did a fantastic job. It's really hard to call Stephon Gilmore a problem on this defense. He did not have a

great game except for when he was covering him. You know, that was a little... I'm not sure. I might be getting ahead of myself here. You might want to ask that question a little bit in a moment or two about Gilmore and Jonathan Jones and their day. Yeah, actually that is going to lead me quite nicely into the final question I have for you, but I agree with you. I think that containing Waller, keeping him to two catches for nine yards

is a huge win for this defense, without any question. Don't forget, Waller was coming off of a 12-catch, 105-yard, and one-touchdown performance against a New Orleans Saints team that a lot of people have a lot of credit and a lot of faith in. So when you look at that, it's very difficult to think about what would happen if Waller was able to get his touches and quote-unquote open things up. Could have been a much different game.

I thought the Patriots did a good job, and I'm glad you gave credit to Kyle Duggar as well. People forget that this is a rookie coming from a Division II school. He's certainly not playing like it. He's playing like he belongs in this league without any question. This is the biggest key to the game, and I put it on my ring every week, is to own third down. And on defense, they did.

They held them to three of nine on third down, and that was the turning point of the game. The Patriots were awful on third down and uh and that was the turning point of the game that the patriots were awful on third down themselves uh only going like three of ten or three of eleven on third down but the defense stepped up and they stopped them where they were and it was it was it's it's the reason the patriots won this game the way they did is because they were able to control weller and and the third downs on uh on this situation i i wrote last week that the uh the raiders had had uh what was it converted on 63 percent of their their third down and fourth down conversions if you combine them uh that's an amazing number so being able to come

up here uh and and hold them to three of nine and have them take no chances on fourth down, having them, you know, forcing them to take threes instead of going for it when they're down inside the red zone, which is, you know, it's dumber than dirt. You know, it really is. You can't come into Foxborough and win kicking field goals. You just can't. No, you can't. You leave points on the board against the New

England Patriots they will make you pay for it and that's exactly what they did on Sunday and in all aspects of the defense but but you did allude to this earlier and this it will be my final question for you today when it comes to the Patriots because you know we love to talk about the era of good feelings but there are areas of improvement. There always are. Bill will find an area of improvement even in a seemingly perfect game. And the Patriots played far from a perfect game on Sunday, folks. I'm not equating the two. But there were some areas of concern, and believe it or not, they do reside in the secondary right now.

You mentioned it. Stephon Gilmore looked very good against Darren Waller, maybe elevating his game to play up to the competition but this is three straight games now where stefan has looked maybe a little bit um a little bit lower than what he was last year i think that's probably the most diplomatic way for me to put it right now uh there just seems to be something a little bit missing in his game uh and jonathan Jonathan Jones was challenged a lot against Seattle. Obviously, John Gruden and the Raiders watched that film because they challenged, you know, Jonathan again. He led the team in tackles, but that's because he was targeted so often. And that's something that I think a lot of people need to remember.

It's never a good thing. It's never a good thing when that position leads your team in tackles. It's not. Absolutely. Absolutely. When you look at the secondary right now, particularly Gilmore, particularly Jones, what are the average fan, the average observer of this secondary not seeing when it comes to these guys?

What do they need to elevate, especially knowing who the Patriots are going to be facing this coming Sunday in Kansas City? Right. This coming Sunday in Kansas City, we're going to see a completely different defensive scheme than we did this week. You're going to see more help over the top. You're going to see more double teams. I do believe that we're going to see a double team on their number one guy, and then we'll see Stephon Gilmore on whoever is on the other side of the field at the time. I'm not sure what their injury reports are.

But right now, it's been too grabby. Gilmore has had, what, three DPIs to this point. He's got to use his speed more to stay with ballplayers than he is to close and try to make the big plays. I think he needs to be more grounded, grounded soundly in his fundamentals. I think that they've slipped off a little bit and it's become more of a, I'm looking for another highlight reel play.

That's what I'm seeing from Gilmore. People out there aren't going to like it and they're going to jump on me in my DMs or come right at me at Twitter with it. But no, that's what I think it is. I think it's a little stargazing. I think he likes the press that he gets and he's looking to make big plays to turn the narrative back around because to this point, it has not been really good. Yeah. And sometimes a return to the basis is exactly what you need to get back on track perhaps we see that from the

new england patriots this week perhaps we see that from stefan gilmore this week i completely agree with you on this and uh if you're getting some negativity jonathan jones getting beat by oh god i can't i can't do it because that should not happen. It should not happen. No, it shouldn't. It really shouldn't. All respect to Hunter Renfro, but, yeah, that's a play Jonathan needs to make as a slot corner.

You need to be shut down. And he's been a cut below what we have seen last year and in previous years from Jonathan. I've gone out on a limb saying I believe him to be one of the best, if not the best, slot corner in the NFL. And these guys haven't quite played up to that level. I still think there's a lot left, as Mr. Miyagi

would say. Now it's time to let your best out. Jones owes Devin McCourty a breakfast or, you know, at the very least a coffee. A soup, you know. You know, soup's not a meal, but, you know, he owes him one because he saved his ass on Darren Waller on that, on what should have been a really easy touchdown. Yeah, without question. Well, if you crumble crackers in a soup, it might be a meal.

But you know what? But that's a different conversation for another day. Buddy, you lend your wisdom and counsel like no other. Your family here on Locked On Patriots. That's why we love having you here each and every week. I thank you for joining me today. Folks, I know you should be already, but as we continue to gain new listeners here on Locked On Patriots, I don't want to shun anybody out. For any of our new listeners,

please follow this man, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, on Twitter at TMurph207. One thing I can guarantee you, do not miss Murph's Monster Keys. They are point, click, learn material. You will be so well equipped to watch the game, you will never even believe how equipped you are until you've read this man's keys.

They're always proudly found on diehardbostonsportsfans.com. And of course, never miss an episode of One Patriot's Place with Murph and our great mutual friend, my Patriots Paisan, Steve Balistrieri. Buddy, what can I say? Thank you again. Always honored, always humbled by your presence. No, it's always a pleasure. This week was a difficult watch. It was one of those weeks where I had to avoid social media and catch the game on tape delay. And it was, the second half was much more enjoyable than the first. It was a tale of two halves. But in the end, I get to come here on Monday and talk to all of you.

And, of course, Michael, thank you so much for having me back. Oh, my pleasure. And if that is tape delay late-night analysis, folks, all I can tell you is that is another that is another reason why you should read the man's keys because he is spot on and always always uh informative and uh if i say so myself rather entertaining and that's again the reason why we love and so patriots fans even though we've tied a bow here on victory monday there is plenty of analysis still to come when it comes to the patriots 36 to 2020 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Here on the pod, we'll continue to break down Sunday's Week 3 win, and we'll also start to turn our attention to the showdown with the Super Bowl champs coming up this Sunday. So, to ensure that you do not miss a single moment of the action, be sure to download Locked on Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Spotify. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe to us on Google Podcasts.

Whatever you do, make sure that you're staying locked into Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, all, stay safe, stay well, always be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.