Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Sweet Win Music — Patriots Top Titans 36-13 in Week Twelve — 11/29/2021

Episode Date: November 30, 2021

The New England Patriots improved to 8-4 on the 2021 season with an impressive Week Twelve victory over the Tennessee Titans. Quarterback Mac Jones threw for 310 yards with two touchdown passes. Wideout Jakobi Meyers had five catches for 98 yards receiving, while Kendrick Bourne added two touchdowns. Kicker Nick Folk made five of six field goal attempts, all en route to New England’s 36-13 victory over the Titans on Sunday in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy, as the duo break down the Pats sixth straight victory.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.StatHeroStatHero is the first of its kind Daily Fantasy Sports platform where it’s YOU vs. the HOUSE in head to head fantasy matchups - winner take all. Sign up for FREE - RIGHT NOW - at StatHero.com/LOCKEDON and use promo code LOCKEDON for a One Hundred Percent Deposit Match. 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, and you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. It is Monday, November 29th, 2021. It's a victory Monday, and it is also hashtag Locked On Murph Monday right 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 of course, LockedOn listeners, thank you so much for making LockedOn Patriots your first listen every day.

Remember, LockedOn Patriots is free and available on all platforms. Greetings, salutations, and happy Victory Monday, Patriots Nation. How are we feeling after winning six straight? Your New England Patriots continue to roll in the 2021 season, a 36-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough yesterday on Sunday. And the Patriots moving to 8-4 on the 2021 season and look like they are continuing on an inevitable march toward the postseason.

And who would have thought that after the Patriots starting 2-4 that they'd be where they are today. Winners of six straight and heading into next Monday night's matchup with the Buffalo Bills with the chance to take control over the AFC East. It won't be an easy one. Buffalo's playing good ball right now, and these two teams are going to be very evenly matched, and this one has the makings of an instant classic in Orchard Park one week from today on Monday night. But your New England Patriots yesterday against the Tennessee Titans, proving that even when they're not at their best

in certain ways, they can still make things happen. Mack Jones, 310 yards, two touchdown passes. Jacoby Myers, five catches for 98 yards receiving. Kendrick Bourne adding two touchdowns. And of course, Mr. Reliable himself, Nick Folk, making five of six field goal attempts all en route to the Patriots' 36-13 victory over the Titans on Sunday as the era of good feelings continues in Foxborough. And the New England Patriots right now are sitting pretty well in the AFC. They had a chance to walk away from Sunday's matchup with the number one spot in the AFC. That was dependent on a Cleveland Browns victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Well, the Ravens were victorious on Sunday, so the Patriots right now currently hold the second spot

in the AFC. And again, the Patriots just continue to find ways to win. There were some issues yesterday. Mack Jones, few overthrows, one in particular to tight end Hunter Henry that I know that the rookie would like to have back, otherwise a solid performance. On the defensive side of the ball, Patriots let up 270 rushing yards yesterday, not something that they're definitely proud of. However, they still found ways to make plays when they needed to.

J.C. Jackson phenomenal yesterday with an interception and a forced fumble. Jackson continues to prove why he is one of the best, if not the best, cover corner in the National Football League right this minute. But we are just scratching the surface when it comes to the Patriots' victory over the Titans. Here today to help break it all down, that's right folks, you guessed it, your favorite and mine is here, my good friend the legendary Thomas Murphy is here forag LockedOnMurphMonday. And Murph and I will be giving you our thoughts

on yesterday's game in Foxborough, as well as who our players of the game were. And believe me, there were more than a few players that stood out in terms of performance on Sunday. Murph and I are going to break it all down for you. Second, we're going to talk about this team's ceiling. What changed from the team that started the season 2-4 to the team that is currently 8-4 right now? And dare I say, no matter what you hear on First Things First, the hottest team in football right now

and might just be the best team in the AFC, your New England Patriots. We will also take a brief look ahead to the Buffalo Bills and we'll get Murph's thoughts on what the Patriots should be keeping their sharp eye on as they prepare for Monday night's matchup in Buffalo. Folks, a ton to get to today. Always tons of fun when my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto, joins me here on the hot seat. So without much further ado, we will welcome my good friend Thomas Murphy into the hot

seat when this hashtag LockedOnMurph Victory Monday episode of the LockedOn Patriots podcast continues. LockedOn listeners, does this sound familiar? You've got one device that lets you catch the game live, another device that lets you stream your favorite shows, you're watching sports highlights on your phone, and you've got your neighbor's best friend's login for the good stuff. Well, I want to tell you about a simple way to get all that entertainment you love without the hassle, and a great way to finally get your TV together.

It's called Direct TV Stream, and it brings your live TV and on-demand favorites together like never before, so you can watch your favorite sports, movies, and shows all in one place. That means no more juggling remotes and no need to buy another device ever again. And the best part? There's no annual contract. So get rid of the clutter and the confusion and get your TV together with DirecTV Stream. You can learn more at directtv.com. That's D-I-R-E-C-T-c-t-v.com compatible device required content varies by package Patriots fans the era of good feelings continues here in New England your New England Patriots are

eight and four on the 2021 season second place in the conference right now after a 36 to 13 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. All is well in New England, or is it? A win like that is definitely one to celebrate, but there are some causes for concern. And in true fashion, here on Locked on Patriots, each and every Monday, it's not just Victory Monday, it's hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. And we're ready to talk about the game from all aspects and let you know our thoughts. I say we because you know who my guest is today.

It's time for that green wisdom and counsel you've been craving. He's here. He is ready to roll. Your favorite and mine. My benefactor in this business. And the only guest on this pod with his very own branded hashtag, 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.

Thank you for joining me today. Don Murphy. Always my pleasure. Always my pleasure, Mike, especially when I'm taking a victory lap. Well, you've been taking a lot of well-deserved victory laps, not just because the team we happen to cover is riding a six-game win streak, but also because those monster keys each and every week, they're turned and it leads to victory. I've said it before, I'll say it again, folks. You turn the keys, you go to the top. You don't turn the keys, you're never heard from again. And they've been turning those keys up at one Patriots place in Foxborough. Murph, really, I think just a game

from start to finish that the fans are definitely loving. You knew coming into this that Tennessee was going to be compromised by certain injuries, but overall the Patriots made the plays when they needed to make them. And the plays that they made were pretty good plays, whether it be Kendrick Bourne's catch and run along the sideline for the touchdown, whether it be some defensive stops, JC Jackson with a couple of heads up defensive plays to save points. This team just seems to be finding a knack to make the play when they need to make it. Is that your overall takeaway from this game? If not, what were some of your major takeaways from Sunday's win in Foxborough against the Titans?

Yeah, it was really a fantastic outing. The first half, especially the first quarter, was a bit of a, you know, let's find out what's happening. The second quarter, the Titans got into the end zone, put up a few points. But other than that, no, you're absolutely right, Mike. When this team needs to do something, they do it. They tightened up in the red zone after that second quarter and just denied Tennessee anything. They won the turnover battle, which is always so important. And they gave their young quarterback an opportunity to do things with the ball with short fields.

That was, that was a fantastic aspect of this game that not a lot of people are talking about right now. Absolutely. And I completely agree with you. You know, the good teams find a way to get the job done. They find a good way or they find a serviceable way to be able to make plays happen when they're needed most. And you saw that yesterday with the Patriots. They needed to find the end zone once again. Kendrick Bourne able to get to that point, especially after the overthrow by Mac Jones from Hunter Henry,

which was a surefire touchdown. There were certain points that were left on the board, but when the Patriots needed to dial it up and they needed to get points on the board, they were able to do that. And when in doubt, they can always go to Mr. Reliable himself, Nick Fole, who was great yesterday. You cannot fault him for the 53-yard miss. This guy has been money. He's been accurate. He's been great all season long. Again, kicking another one from 50, I believe it was exact 50 yards, was the one that was longest

yesterday. Just a tremendous effort from him as well. And he has been a really just one of the bright spots for the Patriots this year. And there've been quite a few of those lately. So good stuff coming from New England, but it wasn't all great news before we move on from the New England Patriots, you know, breakdown and our thoughts about the game, allowing 270 yards on the ground to a Titans team that did not have Derrick Henry in the lineup is a cause for concern for some this morning. And I'm one of them. You look at them being able to seal off the middle, especially when the Patriots had done a pretty good job of this for the last couple of games

in shutting off the run. That interior of the defensive line looked like they were really starting to gel in that area when it came to Christian Varmore, Lawrence Guy, Devon Godchow. You look at Carl Davis coming up at the nose and trying to get in there. Murph, was this just a situation that you think Tennessee caught them off guard, maybe unprepared for the running prowess that this team could bring to the table without Derrick Henry? Or is this a could bring to the table without Derek Henry? Or is this a cause for concern for New England moving forward? No, I don't think this is a cause for concern at all, really at all, people. The Patriots got caught outnumbered in the run game on defense this weekend.

They stuck with their base. You didn't see them bringing people down into the box very often. And the Titans were running two and three tight end sets. They were going to get their yards on the ground on Sunday. They were out to prove something, and they did, and the Patriots kind of helped them. There were a few, more than a few, whiffed frickin' tackles that should have happened on Sunday I would not

be too concerned about this this this game almost hearkened back to the days of um of the Colts when when you would beg them to run the ball sure go ahead and run the ball against our base and but you're not going to get the big chunk plays downfield yeah absolutely and I think that's you know that's really really, I think the, the, the whole of the takeaway from that. And I thank you for talking me off the ledge a little bit because if you watch, you watch a little more film and obviously, you know, with the coaches film, you know, we're going to get into a little bit more this week about exactly what happened in some of those coverages and how the holes were opened up. you know you look at hilliard and his uh you

know 60 plus touchdown run that was a situation where the hole was just ginormous i mean you could absolutely yeah i mean you could you could have you know taken a mac truck through that and that's not discrediting his run at all i thought hilliard ran the ball well and was very impressive that was an impressive run but the patriots were able to shore it up and tighten up when they needed to and again i think it comes back to this team making adjustments, having the veteran presence, the savvy and the coaching, you know, that comes behind it, not just from Bill Belichick, but all the defensive coaches, you know, whether it be Steve or, you know, whoever is coaching, you know, these guys to be able to come together. Gerard Mayo, obviously a big part of that. These,

these guys are doing what they need to do. So good stuff from murph and again folks if you're like me and that uh stat got you a little squeamish last night and into this morning let's take a look and see what they can do against the buffalo bills on monday folks we will get into those bills in just a little bit but we're still going to enjoy this era of good feelings murph uh you and i don't like to hand out game balls often but there were some players that had standout performances yesterday. There's no question about it. And those performances deserve some rightful accolades, I guess is the best way for me to put it. In terms of who you thought really shined yesterday, do you have a specific player, if you want to break it down by

offense and defense, that's fine, or a specific player that really stood out to you yesterday as being one of the difference makers in the final score for the New England Patriots? Yeah, everybody's going to go for Kendrick Bourne with his two touchdowns and his fantastic tiptoe down there, but I'm going to go with Jacoby Myers. Five receptions, 98 yards, a perfect pick, because we can't call it a block anymore, to get Bourne into the end zone for that second touchdown of the day. It was beautiful. He had a fantastic game. He moved the chains on more than one occasion. He did have a drop that I thought that he should have freaking held on to, but he just got craned. So it's really difficult to put anything on him there. So he gets my game ball on the offensive side of the board. I had actually written down Kendrick Bourne, but I thought that

was taking the easy way out. And then on the other side of the ball, it's Matthew Judon. Once again, comes up huge, had a nice sack on the day, which he rightfully and respectfully gave to the coverage. But he was just everywhere. He made Tannehill look like Ryan Tannehill, and it was a fantastic thing to do. Yeah, without any question. I think those are solid choices. Matt Judon obviously has been such a difference maker in this defense. When you think about his presence, not just in the ability to rush the passer,

but also what he's very good at, which is dropping back and facilitating run defense. People don't realize that the presence of a versatile linebacker like that can do so much for your run defense. And yesterday, I think a lot of it was trying to maybe compensate. I think Christian Barmore was probably maybe hurting a little bit more than a lot of people thought he was. He didn't look like he had the same push yesterday. Not disparaging Christian's performance at all. I thought he performed well. I definitely didn't perform badly, but it wasn't his best game of the season.

And I think a lot of it had to do with maybe the injury. We'll continue to monitor that. It's good that the Patriots have that extra day at the very least this week to try to at least get him a little extra rest heading into the Monday nighter with Buffalo. But standout performances, I mean, yeah, I'll do the cliche thing and I'm going to go with JC Jackson who just continues to dazzle me. I mean, not only has he really emerged and solidified his spot as the unquestioned best corner on this team. And dare I say, and I wrote about this a little bit for Sports Illustrated last night. I think, you know, Stefan Gilmore, we're here. I think you can make the argument that he might be the most talented and most complete corner playing level wise right now.

Not and I'm not talking about total body of work folks so we just don't misconstrue this just the man the man right now exactly playing in the moment jc might be your most talented player playing at the highest level even if stefan was still in this lineup and that's coming from someone who has sung the phrases and will continue to sing the phrases of stefan gilmore no matter what uniform he wears, no matter where he plays one of the best guys that I've ever had a chance to cover. And I have nothing but reverence for Stefan Gilmore, but that's how impressive Jackson's been.

He leads the league with 16 passes defense. He's got seven interceptions, just one behind Trayvon digs. The thing that I love about JC's game is he's constantly demonstrating that instinct to find the football. He keeps his targets in range. He maintains that visual on the opposing quarterbacks, and he's always aware of what's going on on the field. And Bill Belichick talked about this a little bit this morning when he met with the media on Monday morning about Jackson's punch out. He knows his speed. He knew that he could get after, uh, you know, Foreman, he knew that he could chase him down, but the ability to know that the tackle is going to be secured and you can go for the ball in that situation was so important for that play to be made. And really a place,

you know, that really, I think a point saving play at that point, Foreman looked like he was off to the races. He was ready to roll. And just a great heads-up play for... And Jalen Mills. Exactly. And Mills, absolutely. And he's been great in coverage. And again, field awareness. And Bill Belichick talked about him as well. And the stuff that he's been able to do in getting into position

and getting on him. And Mills, for the difficulties that he had early on this season with coverage, uh, he has looked to really write that ship and just been a, a great addition. Um, yeah, this team, the switch over, the switch over to zone has really helped him and, um, it, you know, everybody back there, it's been playing zone. People is, is more about a right place at a right time and timing and things of that nature. And this defense has really been able to be able to embrace that. And yet they can still

switch over into man whenever they need to. It's been fantastic watching this D. I don't remember a Patriots defense that I've enjoyed watching as much as this one. Yeah, really. I mean, it really it's been a while. Yeah, it really is. It has been a while. And they're doing it with things that are so fundamentally New England Patriots coached. They're doing it with ball security. They're doing it with field awareness. They're doing it by taking a group of players together and just being able to identify what's going on on the field. It sounds so rudimentary. It sounds so elementary, really, when you think about it. Like, you know, this should be intrinsic of every football team, but

look up and down the NFL. Very few teams are able to execute, especially on defense, the way the New England Patriots are able to. And, you know, you heard JC say it at the podium last night about Foreman. He just didn't have good ball security on the, on the force phone, but he took the ball away from him. And that's something that Bill Belichick talks about coaching, you know, the Patriots. That's why these guys end up on Belichickian double secret probation when they don't protect the football, because it can lead to moments like that. And, you know, yesterday the Patriots were definitely on, you know,

the right side of that without question. Sunday, Sunday really showed us that, that this is still a game to game planning style team. While the Pats have grown into a run first team, they can show that, you know, they can, they can scrap that when I cut the key and say pass to set up the run. And, you know, it's, and what they need to do on defense is the same way. They can game plan it. They can scheme it up for whoever they're playing against. It's not, we have to force our will on somebody to win a football game. We can do what we need to do to

take away what you do best. And still, I hate when I say we, they can still do what they need to do to take away what you do best. And still, I hate when I say we, they can still do what they need to do to take away what you do best and come out on top at the end of the day. And that's a beautiful thing. That's winning football. That's Patriots football. Couldn't have said it better myself. That's absolutely winning football. That's absolutely Patriots football. And, you know, that Patriots type of intrinsic football is going to continue and carry them into this home stretch of the season coming up. Patriots still have a bye week, so it's not quite the home stretch of the season just yet, but New England is entering that meaty part of the schedule that typically has been unforgiving

to some teams, but it's when the New England Patriots have peaked. And this team is peaking, but they do look different than the collection of players that we saw early on this season. How has this team differed from the team that started the season just two and four? Well, Murph and I are going to talk about that in just a moment and take an early look ahead to those Buffalo Bills coming up on Monday night

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Locked On Patriots. Victory Monday. Nah, it's Victory Monday. But more importantly, it is hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. And Murph, in the previous segment, we talked a lot about game balls being doled out and impressive players and things of that nature when it comes to the New England Patriots and their performance on Sunday at 8-4, second place in the conference right now. Thanks a lot, Cleveland.

Just kidding. I'm kidding, folks. For all of our Browns fans my good buddy Jeff Lloyd my good buddy Jeff Lloyd who does a lot of work for uh Lockdown Browns the tremendous host good friend of mine uh he a lot of his listeners do listen to me every now and then so I apologize for the uh for the Browns uh fans out there but yeah add one job I feel bad I feel so bad for the people of Cleveland because they really deserve better. They really do. Yeah, they really and truly do. And hopefully they will get to that point. You

started to see some light at the end of the tunnel and then bam, the rug gets pulled out from under you. But I digress. Up here in New England, we are riding a six game win streak and the Patriots have a chance on Monday to take a stranglehold over the division and they have a chance each week to advance to the top spot in the conference now Murph there's a lot of people out there that will argue that the Patriots are the top team in the AFC right now that they're in that second range or maybe like closer to three four four, five. But the one thing that I think everybody agrees on is that this team is vastly improved from the collection that we saw early on this season. Using your green wisdom and counsel, your insight,

which is second to none, my friend, how has this team changed from the team that started the season two and four? Familiarity. There were so many new pieces on this team that needed to get on the same page and be able to not only be on that page, but break it down to the same paragraph and even the same sentence. That's the difference between this Patriots system and other systems around the NFL. You really need to know what the guy next to you is doing. And right now, we're looking at a defensive backfield that knows each other's positions and what they're going to do

and what they can expect of the man next to them or 10 yards away from them. That's definitely what's happening on that side of the ball. On the offensive side of the ball, it's this offensive line coming together, giving Mac Jones time in the backfield, having a running game that every team, even though you would look at this and they ended up with four yards a carry on Sunday, a lot of that happened when they had to run out the ball at the end of the game, and they were able to.

But it all starts with the offensive line and giving Mac Jones the time that he needs when he needs it. And that's basically what it comes down to, is you are your brother's keeper, and it's a lot easier to be your brother's keeper when you know where he is yeah very very good point and i'm so glad that you mentioned familiarity and familiarity i think has had a ripple effect look it brings the defense together there's no question about it this is a much more cohesive unit now than we saw early on the flashes of talent and matt judon were always there i mean you saw it right from week one you saw the flashes of talent and Matt Judon were always there. I mean, you saw that right from week one,

you saw the type of impression and the type of impact this guy was going to have on this defense. And he's done that tremendously, but there was uncertainty at the beginning of this season. A lot of people, myself included, thought Stefan was going to step back in after week six and looked for ways to just kind of tread water in the secondary and say, okay, well, all the Patriots have to do is keep this close, and they'll be okay.

But Stephon didn't walk back through that door, and they've weathered the storm very well with Jalen Mills taking on the outside, Miles Bryant doing a pretty good job in the slot. It hasn't been Jonathan Jones, but he's done a serviceable job. And that three-man safety rotation with Kyle Duggar, Devin McCourty at the top, and Adrian Phillips now being the third man really, really has been amazing. That is such a great core. And, you know, I know Bill has got, you know, there's a lot to like with that. And, you know, we don't know what, you know,

Devin's, you know, future plans will hold for the long-term future in the immediate. We hope that he continues to suit up as long as he can and not call it a career. And Adrian Phillips, obviously, a must-re-sign, in my opinion, for the New England Patriots. But on the offensive side of the ball, I think you summed it up as well. And to me, the familiarity that I wrote about last night

in my game recap was the familiarity that Josh McDaniels is now developing with his offense, especially with Mac Jones. And that's not an easy thing to overlook because we all got on Josh for questionable play calling or, oh, he wasn't being aggressive and you had fans all over. Exactly. You had fans all over calling for his dismissal. Now you and I never got to that level, but we criticized Josh on occasion for some of the cute moves and maybe some of the conservative moves, but Max looking more comfortable. He's looking more confident in the Patriots offense did not have his best game yesterday. Um, was actually fairly, you know, rated low, uh, when it comes

to his, uh, PFF rating, but did complete over 71% of his passes. And the one thing that I love that Josh is doing is he's scheming up effective ways to break their opponent's own coverages. That's made this so much easier for Mac to be able to hit the deep route, whether it be Jacoby going those routes or Kendrick or the intermediate passing game with Jono and Hunter, that type of synergy between he and his offensive coordinator has really made the difference. And then you look at that with the downfield blocking that the Patriots are getting, and McDaniels is pushing all the right buttons. And that's because he's getting familiar with his guys that can go ahead

and make those downfield blocks and allow Mack to be able to hit his targets. Beautiful thing, Murph. Yeah, it really is. I mean, you have to look at one person on Sunday, you know, and that's Hunter Henry, who had two catches for 16 yards and Mac Jones still put up 310. Absolutely. He was one overthrow from putting up a 350-yard day and a three-touchdown day. And on the flip side, Cam Newton got benched yesterday.

Yeah. yesterday yeah um you know i mean you you look at things now and it's it's hard to you know to point the finger especially at someone you know that i thoroughly enjoyed covering up here and i still always wish you can wonderful human being because of that but uh you know you look at what's going on down in carolina right now he came out looking sharp and then yesterday just you know was not carolina's best day on any stretch of the word so you know mac has has definitely been the right choice i don't think that's a question any longer uh you know it's just it's uh you know going uh you know beyond that uh right now and just trying to you know see what the patriots sorry i didn't mean to pull it pull it in this direction no no

no no no that's it's a valid point it did did happen yesterday. So I mean, it's not, you know, it, it really, I think only solidifies that the new England Patriots made the right move when they made it. And that Mack was definitely the only question about Mack was really whether or not he'd be ready to do it as a rookie. Uh, that was the only question. It wasn't whether or not he was the right fit for this team. Everyone knew when you take a quarterback number 15 in the draft, you're not taking him to sit on the bench for years and years. You're taking him to get put into the uh the system and that's exactly what happened and mac has done a great job doing this since uh from day one so murph the patriots will take an eight and four record into orchard park new york and all of the ruckus that is buffalo all of the ruckus that is Buffalo, all of the ruckus that is the Buffalo Bills fan base,

a dedicated fan base without any question about it. But this one's going to be a fun one to watch. It's going to be a fun one to cover. It's going to be just a fun one for all fans involved because this is really where you're going to see the New England Patriots try to shine. This is where you're really going to see the New England Patriots try to shine. This is where you're really going to see the New England Patriots take that next step and try to make the case that they are not just

the best team in the division, but also one of the best teams, if not the best team in the conference. As you look forward to the Buffalo Bills now, obviously a formidable team on both sides of the ball, but Buffalo will be without the services of star corner Trey Davias White. That's a big blow to that defense. As Buffalo goes into this game and as the Patriots go to this game, what should Pats fans be on the lookout for when it comes to the Buffalo Bills? If they can stay balanced. At the beginning of the year, this team was balanced.

They looked kind of unbeatable. And then they got away from it. These guys start to believe their own press. And Dayball puts it in the hands of his quarterback, who is, you know, okay, I'm going to say he's one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL when he's on. He's just not on all the time. As I said, he tends to believe his own press a little bit too much, tends to force the ball. What they have to worry about is if they're a balanced attack on Monday night, take the ball out of the – shut down their running game,

put it in his hands, make him run around in the pocket, and try to get into his face and wait for the mistakes to happen that's what that's what this team that's what Patriots Nation is going to need to look for and and to have the Patriots come out on top on on Monday night yeah absolutely and I think that's well said and look there is a lot to like about this Buffalo Bills team if you're a Bills fan or if you're a bills fan or if you're a patriotator you know these two teams match up fairly well and their coach very similarly they do a lot of the right things and find themselves in the right position to make plays um i do think

that it's worth looking at the loss of white and how that's going to affect how they're able to defend and then you have the josh allen factor like you said, one of the best quarterbacks in the league when he's on. But when he's not on, there are difficulties that can emerge. So the Patriots are going to have to be at the top of their game, especially in Orchard Park. This is going to be a tough one for them, but they will continue to do it and they will continue to get better as time goes on. So definitely a lot of fun for the New England Patriots right now

as they ride the era of fun for the New England Patriots right now as they ride the era of good feelings in New England for the foreseeable future. But Murph, we're going to do this all again. It's going to be a hashtag Locked on Murph Monday, but it's going to be a pregame preview on Murph Monday. We're going to preview the

Monday nighter here on Locked on Patriots next week. And we will break the keys down live. We'll give our game predictions. It'll be a little bit of a different feel, but it'll be a lot of fun for us and live for one. And I know you, bud, cannot wait for that to happen. Folks, you should already be following this man.

But for those of you that don't have the, or haven't followed him yet, or those of you that don't have the ability as of yet to have checked out the great work that Murph does for E2GSports.com, please follow my good friend, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, at TeamMurph207. I say it every single week. The monster keys are essentials to Patriots victories. And more often than not, those keys are turned when the Patriots are successful. So please check that out.

Must read each and every week and all of the great work that Murph does for E2G sports, especially covering great sport of baseball. My opinion, nobody does it better. And I'm not just saying that because he's a good friend of mine. I'm saying it because I truly mean it. I love reading the man's work. And of course, never miss an episode of One Patriots Place, my favorite Patriots podcast in the land, starring Murph, our good mutual friend Steve Bellistrieri, and the Countess of Clas herself,

Ms. Claire Cooper. Honored and humbled, as always, by your presence, Don Murph. Thank you for joining me today. Oh, always my pleasure, man. Always my pleasure. And yeah, I've got a new piece up over at E2G on Marcus Stroman. Go give it a look. Michael, I can't wait until next Monday, and we can do – I think this will just be our third preview show that we've ever done on a Lockdown Murph Monday. I'm really looking forward to this one. That is.

Actually, it's very, very good. I did the tally myself, and it is going to be our third preview. You've done – again, you never cease I did the tally myself, and it is going to be our third preview. You've done it again. You never cease to amaze, my friend. And that's why we love having you back here each and every week on Locked On Patriots. And folks, definitely tune in to whatever he does, whether he puts voice to microphone or pen to paper. It's always enrichment material.

And you'll be a better football fan. And you'll be a more entertained football fan as a result of it. And that's a big part of this business as well. We all lose sight of that sometimes but not my good friend here. Next Monday is going to be fun but in the meantime continue to stay safe and well and we look forward to talking ball with you again next week here on

hashtag LockedOnMurf Bill's Patriots Preview episode. Until then my friend, take care and thanks for joining me once again today. You too buddy. I'm always here for you. And likewise my friend take care and thanks for joining me once again today you too buddy I'm always here for you and likewise my friend just like that Patriots fans one down but a lot of Patriots coverage still to come here on Locked On Patriots as we transition off of week 12 and move toward week 13 and a Monday night matchup with the

Buffalo Bills so to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app, Google podcasts, Apple podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts,

just make sure that you are 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 continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Have a great day, everyone.