Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Takeaways From Atlanta: Patriots Defeat Falcons 25-0 in Week Eleven— 11/20/2021

Episode Date: November 22, 2021

The New England Patriots improved to 7-4 on the 2021 season with an impressive Week Eleven victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Quarterback Mac Jones completed 22 of 26 passes for 207 yards, and one touchdown, with one interception. Nick Folk made four field goals, one of which connected for 53-yards. Still, the Patriots defense would earn the game ball. The Patriots sacked Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan four times, while J.C. Jackson and Devin McCourty would each intercept him in the second half. Kyle Van Noy sealed the win with a 35-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter as the Pats shut out the Falcons 25-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com to break down the action from Atlanta.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.GetupsideJust download the FREE GetUpside App and use promo code TOUCHDOWN to get up to 50¢/gallon cash back on your first tank.  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' fifth straight win in the 2021 NFL season. The Pats are now 7-4 on the campaign, and it's looking like this team is on a collision course with the NFL playoffs. And who would have thought that after a one in three start in New England here today to help us break it all down and continue the era of good feelings is a man I am esteemly happy to welcome back here to Locked On Patriots. He is our resident voice of reason, one of the best, most knowledgeable columnists that you'll find anywhere in Patriots media. You know his great work from batsfans.com,

as well as being the co-host of not one, but two amazing podcasts, Patriots 4th and 2, with Derek Avins and Russ Goldman, good friends of the program, and of course, One Patriots Place with our good mutual friend Thomas Murphy, the great green man himself, and the Countess of Clas, Miss Claire Cooper. But despite what he'll tell you, this guy is worthy of all the praise he gets and then some. Welcoming back my Patriots bison, Steve Balistrieri joins me here today on the hot seat.

Welcome back to Locked On Patriots, bud. Thanks for having me. It's good to be back. I was pretty rough there for having me. It's good to be back. It was pretty rough there for a while. I had some medical stuff going on, but things are starting to get better. And what better way to welcome you back here to the pod. And by all means, we're glad to see that things are moving back in the right direction. We sorely missed you here on locked on Patriots and your voice, your wisdom and counsel. It's always needed here on the pod.

And we're glad to have it today on a victory Friday episode of locked on Patriots to victory episodes in one week. Murph started the week with Victory Monday. We close out the week here on Locked On Patriots with Victory Friday. And Steve, 25 to nothing over any NFL football team is something to be appreciated. It's something with which a team can gain confidence and they can be very proud of that. Despite of what you'll read somewhere else in the media right now, this is not anything to be downplayed, folks. These are NFL football teams that take the field each and every day.

And yes, were the Falcons at full strength? No, nobody's going to argue that. But when you put a shutout on an NFL football team, it's something to be marveled at. And Steve, let's start right off the bat. This defense is, without any question, developing and rounding into a Super Bowl caliber defense. I think they're already there, but this is a team that really, I think, is downright scary on the defensive side of the ball for opposing offenses. Patriots finished this game four sacks, 12 quarterback hits, four interceptions, one on each of Atlanta's final four possessions.

Held Matt Ryan and company to just 165 total yards. They're able to get the stops in the running game. They're able to get the stops in the passing game. When you look at this defense, because this is your specialty, my friend, what impresses you the most about what this team is doing well? Because they're doing a lot of it well right now. Yes, they are. You know, this defense is really, you know, start putting it together. And, you know, we're used to seeing this. I mean, the season starts off, they're a little vanilla. you know, they get pushed around a little bit here and there. We've seen that year after year, but as each week comes on, we've seen Bill Belichick add a little bit of layers. He adds,

you know, a couple of different wrinkles for the defense to come into. And really ever since that Dallas game, they've really put it together. They're playing great complementary football last night. You mentioned the four interceptions. On each and every one of those, they had pressure right up in Matt Ryan's face. And Bill Belichick always talks about coverage in the secondary and pass rush go hand in hand. We're seeing that week after week,

and the run defense has really stepped up lately. They're getting better and better. Last night they had two big stops in a row, a third and one, and then a fourth and one where Atlanta actually on the fourth and one seemed like they actually lost a little bitty hard. You know, you look at the overall play of the defense and they are just playing some outstanding football. And I know a lot of people are saying, well, Atlanta was shorthanded.

You know, you never hear about that back in the day when Denver's defense was shutting down the Patriots when they were so shorthanded and I think it was 2015, wasn't it? Yeah, absolutely. Matthew Slater taking the majority of the reps on a wide receiver. And as much as I love Slate, one of the true class acts, one of the best players I've ever had the privilege of covering.

And I know you share that sentiment as well. One of the best you've ever covered. He'll be the first to tell you that if he's taking a good majority of the snaps at wide receiver something's wrong there so yeah it's it's funny how that that excuse uh you know marks next to the patriots poorly but it doesn't mark next to them positively uh when uh when it goes their way but uh anyway continue my. I completely agree with you on that. Yeah, and I thought Kyle Van Nooy was just – I thought he was the player of the game last night.

I thought, you know, he was everywhere. He had eight tackles, a pair of sacks. He had two tackles for a loss. He knocked down one pass. He had two quarterback hits. And then the big pick six at the end. I mean, what a tremendous football game for him last night. And the linebackers overall, I thought, were fantastic last night.

I thought Tonta Hightower and Juwan Bentley were superb, especially in the running game. I think Hightower had four run stops. And then, of course, Matthew Judon is now 10 and a half sacks, a career high for him, and we're only 11 games into the season. So, I mean, the linebacker group is really coming together. They're playing some great football. I just thought, you know, on a night where the offense was having trouble finishing

drives, and Dean Pease gets a lot of credit for that, the defense really stepped up, and shorthanded or not, Atlanta could not do anything all night long. Yeah, they really couldn't. I mean, the Patriots just essentially took a ferocious approach in not only stopping the run, but being able to shut off the pass. I thought they did a phenomenal job on Kyle Pitts. I thought both JC Jackson, Kyle Duggar, really taking the lion's share of the snaps against him. And you kind of saw this coming a little bit, but the Patriots have an ability to be able to get what they need from this defense. And even though the opposing team seems to know what's coming, it's one thing to know what's coming,

and it's another thing to be able to stop it. And right now, this defense looking very much unstoppable, surrendering just 16.1 points per game through 11 weeks of the 2021 NFL season. You know, it's the only team with a better mark right now than the New England Patriots? Their division rival, the Buffalo Bills, at 15.0. This is going to be a great, great matchup coming up

in a couple of weeks in Buffalo on Monday Night Football. I know the Pats are looking forward to it, but they don't want to overlook one of the bigger games on their schedule, and that is a formidable Tennessee Titans team coming into town post Thanksgiving. That is going to be a real treat over at Foxborough to see those two teams go at it. Two of the best teams in the AFC right now, without any question. And Steve, staying on the subject of the Patriots prowess for a moment. Before we move on to the offense, I just wanted to get your take on a player that I have been so impressed with as of late in the last few weeks, really coming into his own.

You know I give an awful lot of credit to Adrian Phillips at the safety position. I'm one of the, one of his biggest advocates here in the Boston media, but Kyle Duggar just continues to impress me week after week. What he did on Kyle Pitts was really, I think, just a testament to how much he's grown and really being able to take away one of the number one priorities on the opposing team's offense. Not only is he very good in coverage, he's breaking up passes. He's hitting extremely hard, uh you know seen him do at lenore ryan and a lot of people question whether or not he'd be able to do it at this level he's certainly doing that when you look at duggar and you look at the progression from last year to this

year have the patriots found their new bumper in that safety uh role um and and what do you think is the ceiling for this kid moving forward? Oh, that's a great question. Initially, as you know, I was kind of down on this pick because I had lived in North Carolina when I was in the military. I'd been to that tiny school where he went to, and I was thinking to myself, there's no way this kid can play in the NFL, playing in a tiny school like that. Well, that was a home run on my part right there. I think this kid's ceiling is unlimited. You know, he's so athletic. He's so physical. I mean, he made some hits last night that, you know, you could feel those in your recliner at home. I mean, he is a tough, tough kid.

He's getting better and better in coverage, you know, and he's such an athletic guy. He can play just about anywhere. I think he can play free safety. He can play down in the box. You know, I think he's going to be a weapon. And he's just, you know, I think he's one of the cornerstones of

this defense uh you look at you know everyone's talking about the rebuild i still don't think this team is finished with their rebuild i think they're halfway there you know i think they've done a great job with what they've done you know up to this point i still think they're going to make a lot of changes next year and when you look at this defense, I look at a guy like him, Christian Barmore, these young guys that are coming up. They're being drafted. Imagine that, being drafted by the Patriots and Bill Belichick. They're playing at such a high level and they haven't

even come close to reaching their peak yet. So, you know, you look at things and they have a nice blend of veterans in there. Guys bringing in a guy like Judon, you know, they've really hit it out of the park with their free agents this year and in the draft and things are looking up, but I think Duggar is going to be one of the cornerstones of this defense yeah i completely agree and uh look this is coming from you know

someone that has you know covered devon mccourty for a number of years had the opportunity to cover phillips both in san diego la and now out here in uh in new england and k Kyle just is such a blend of what these guys do well. And one of the things that a lot of people said when he was drafted was that versatility was something they would really be able to get behind when it came to Kyle Duggar. They mentioned him being able to play free safety down on the box, like you said, the ability to hit, the ability to really get in there and be physical, but also contribute on special teams we're seeing all of that blended into one and his performance on kyle pitts last night was really really something uh it hold him to three catches on five targets for 29 yards

this is a guy that bill belichick went out of his way to praise earlier this week as a true superstar at the position and it is he's a great tight end he aligns more as a wide receiver he's clearly their number one threat on offense especially with Ridley out there's no question about it he's the guy that they're zeroing in on and again you went into the game knowing that knowing that the Patriots were going to try to take away your primary weapon and they still were able to do it despite I'm sure Arthur Smith's coaching staff and their best efforts to try to get pits going. You know that they weren't going into this game saying, well,

Kyle just take the night off because they're going to, they're going to not they're going to take you out of the game. Anyway, they were trying to devise a way to get him into it, but coverage of guys like Kyle Duggar prevented them from being able to do it. So big night on the defense for New England, but it's a two-way street here on Locked On Patriots. We're going to get into the offensive side of the ball now. And Steve, Mac Jones, I would say an efficient night, but not an overpowering night for the

rookie. 22 of 26, finished with just over 200 yards passing one touchdown one interception um the interception to me was kind of i think a i don't want to say an example of what uh a rookie quarterback can do when maybe he gets a little bit too much hype you know early on and i don't want i'm not turning this into a negativity on Mac, folks. Please, by any stretch of the imagination, I've been very much impressed by what this kid can do. I continue to be, and the Patriots quarterback position is in great hands.

So please do not take this the way it may sound. But I get the impression at that point that Mac may have gotten a little over-eager trying to seek out Jonu Smith on the interception. He was covered from all angles. He definitely had Nikhil Harry, Damian Harris widely available. These are things that Mack is going to continue to grow into. That decision making will get a little more sound as he gets more experience. But overall, I think what the Patriots proved last night is they can continue to win games, even if Mack isn't at the top of his game. And he had a great game on Sunday against the Browns. What did you see offensively from this club?

Was it so much that the Patriots may have just been a little out of sorts because it was Thursday night football? Or does Atlanta's defense deserve a lot more credit than they're getting? I thought Dean Pease really called a pretty sound game plan. And really, I think, threw a lot at the Patriots to help keep them in check. Yes, absolutely. I think you have to credit Dean Pease. You know, Dean Pease has given the Patriots offense, you know,

because he coached here for several years. So he knows what the Patriots' concepts, what they try to do. And he's always done a really good job of defending that. He's given them tough games. Last night was no exception. And again, I think these Thursday night games, it does limit you because, you know, you can't put as much into the game plan, which sometimes favors the defense. But at the same time, you know, you give Atlanta credit because the Patriots are running the football very well. But at times, you know, D.P.'s timed up some run blitzes

and some, you know, some blitzes on Matt Jones that, you know, were very, very effective. You know, when I looked at the Patriots' offensive line, I thought they had a really strong game. You know, they ran the ball for, what was it, like 134 yards. I thought the pass protection of Mac Jones was really good, other than, you know, they didn't do a good job of picking up those blitzes that were coming.

But overall, I mean, it's hard to find a lot of fault with what Mac Jones was doing. You know, he only threw four incompletions on the night, 22 of 26. He made a mistake on that interception at the time I was looking at. Nikhil Harry, who he had thrown to a couple of times early in the game. I thought he was wide open in the flat. He could have taken that one. You mentioned Damian Harris was also open. I think he got a little greedy there, and he was trying to force it to Jonu after that pass to Henry.

And, you know, he missed that pass to Henry in the end zone as well. But overall, you know, he was like, what, 15 or 16 in the first half? I mean, it's hard to find much fault with that. I thought he was, as you put out, he was very efficient with the one exception. He was taking care of the football. He was spreading the ball around. I liked what I saw from him. It wasn't anything, you know, earth shattering,

but he did what he had to do on a night when the offense wasn't at its best. Yeah, absolutely. Very well put. And I think that is very, very well put. And again, I don't mean to come down on the kid by any stretch of the imagination. I've been really impressed by what he does and I continue to be. He's completing 83.7 percent of his passes over the last two games. That's amazing for any quarterback, let alone a rookie. Started the night 14 of 15. So the efficiency, the accuracy is definitely there. Again, it's just the little things, you know, that he'll have to do in order to maybe pick up the blitz a little bit. I think the O-line, you know, could, you know, help him

there as well. I think they've been much better. And we're going to talk about the O-line in just a minute, folks. But again, you know, I really think that Mack has done a good job. This was, you know, probably, I'd say, like I said, an efficient average game for him. But it's good to know that the Patriots defense is there to pick up the slack when he's not 100% on his game. That defense will continue to round him out. And I thought the runners did a fairly efficient job last night, too. The Patriots are really developing a rhythm between Damian Harris and Ramondre Stevenson, going series by series in terms of snap counts

for these guys. And of course, Brandon Bolden in the situational runs as well. He's been excellent so far in 2021. Before we move on to future implications, folks, I just want to spend one more moment with my good friend here on the offensive line. And one of the most common questions and DMs that I got last night as we were, you know, going through covering this game and, you know, keeping a sharp eye on everyone that was out on the field is the presence of Ted Karras at left guard and the lack of presence of Michael Wainu either at right tackle or at left guard. And obviously with Trent Brown back in the lineup, he's going to get the lion's share at right tackle. A lot of Patriots

fans are clamoring for him to move over or for Karras to go to a reserve role or take over for Wynn. I've heard a lot of that despite the fact that Isaiah Wynn's been pretty solid the last few games. Steve, when you look at what the O-line is doing, are you surprised that Uenu is the odd man out? Or is this just the natural way that Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, and Carmen Brasillo do things? You ride the hot hand as long as you can, because I think it's more of the latter than the former.

I think the Patriots found a good combination. They're finding chemistry, and I don't think they want to delve into that too much. I don't think they want to disrupt that. And you need Trent Brown in this lineup, obviously. Oh, yeah. Trent Brown is just, I mean, such a huge man. I mean, we've seen him up close.

I mean, it's such a huge man. I mean, we've seen him up close. I mean, it's scary how big he is. And then, you know, Troy Aikman during the telecast last night was chuckling about, you know, the poor cornerback that has to come up and seal the run. Because Aikman was saying how for such a big man, he gets out to the edge really fast. And it's just unfair for a 190-pound cornerback trying to seal that. Back to your point, I think you hit the nail on the head. It doesn't matter who

a guy is or what his pedigree is. The Patriots go with the guy who's playing best. They go with the hot hand. And right now that's Karras. And, you know, they're still bringing a when you in, you know, on jumbo packages and whatnot. And Josh McDaniels even said the other day that, you know, depending on who they're playing, a when you might find himself back in the

lineup. And I could definitely see that happening. But, yeah, the offensive line, I think, has really picked up its play. And, you know, even though Isaiah Wayne is the favorite whipping boy of, you know, the fan base and a lot of the media guys, I think he's been playing pretty solid. He's been really good in the running game. He's had a couple of issues in the passing game,

but that's the, you know, life of a left tackle. But overall, I really like the way these guys have been playing. They've run the ball extremely well. You know, Atlanta made it a concerted effort to try to stop the run last night. They still got 134 yards and averaged four and a half yards of carry. Absolutely. I completely agree with you, especially on Wynn. I'm glad that you mentioned, yeah, there've been some difficulties. I don't mean to make it sound like he's been flawless back there, folks. He definitely hasn't been, but he also hasn't been quite the liability

in the offensive line that some have portrayed him to be uh isaiah's really i think uh straightened out a lot and uh done a better job of you know picking up his packages communicating well and he seems to be pushing off his stance a little bit better i think that was something that really hampered him early on this year i don't know if it was just adjusting to you know a new battery made on the other side of him, or whether it was, you know, possibly something he was feeling in terms of health-wise or whatever. But he's pushing off his stance a little bit better, and he's getting back to that strike-first mentality that made him such a good offensive lineman. It really was the reason why the Patriots chose to

take him in the first round when they grabbed him out of the University of Georgia. So with regard to Karras, yeah, Bill Belichick said it best early on this week when he talked about that you're going to get a consistent guy. You're going to get someone that is going to give you 110% every single time he gets out there. He knows his assignments. He knows this team very well, and he knows how to play in this system. And you can always rely on Ted Karras to give you uh the type of performance that we usually see from him which is a very good one uh someone that can really protect uh both against the run and the pass and I think he's been great at the guard position and deserves his playing time and I also am glad you mentioned

McDaniel's comments on a way new because people are starting to wonder, that was a big comment or question that I got last night. Is a way to win the dog house? Oh no. Trouble in paradise. Patriots don't like him. I don't think that's the case here. I think they're going again with the hot hand and I think they're going to continue to ride that. And I do think you will see a way new probably in more situational packages or maybe even more, some regular, you know, alignments on the O-line when they play different teams, maybe even as soon

as this game coming up with the Tennessee Titans post-Thanksgiving. Steve, it's always a blast when you come back here. We're already going into, you know, more detail than even previously expected, and I love it. I'm thrilled to have you back here, my friend, but folks, we're not done just yet because in just a moment, Steve Balistrieri and I will take a look into our Belichickian crystal ball, try to predict the future for these New England Patriots. What have these last five games taught Steve about the Pats? And we'll even take a very, very quick look ahead at what they might face at the tenant when they host the Tennessee Titans on November 28th. More with Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com when this Victory Friday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

Patriots fans, the great Steve Balistrieri is back here on Locked On Patriots. It's Victory Friday, savoring the Patriots' 25-to-zip win over the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And Steve, we talked a little bit about the performances, the O-line, the defense. Matt Jones maybe not being as sharp as he usually is, but efficient enough to win. As a whole, these wins or these last five games, this five-game winning streak that the Patriots are currently riding, has really done a lot to open the eyes of a lot of national pundits. It really has, I think, brought a lot of what we saw in this team early on in the season, maybe even in the offseason a little bit, to fruition, the vision that Bill Belichick had when he put this team together in the offseason.

And really, I think just a lot of the moves that he's made have started to pay off, and they've paid off big, whether it be Matt Judon going after him in free agency, bringing in a tight end like Hunter Henry to be able to give a big-time red zone target to Mac Jones. The draft is looking phenomenal right now. Whether you take Mac Jones at number 15, Christian Barmore in the second round, Ramondre Stevenson coming in and making huge contributions, the Patriots are rounding into a playoff caliber team, and they may be one of the better teams in the AFC right now. Steve, over the course of the last five games, knowing what you know about the Patriots, observing them, how you have been, what are your thoughts on the prognosis for the rest of the season here in New England and what this may mean for their postseason run?

Well, I mean, we go back a few weeks ago. They were 2-4. They had lost a couple of really close football games that could have went either way. And we kept hearing the players say, we might be 2-4, but we're not a 2-4 football team. And now they've seemed to turn the ship around. They're heading in the right direction. They're playing really, really good complementary football. And now this is a team that has totally bought in. You can sense it. You see it with the communication on the field.

They've bought in. Belichick has a way of doing this. And, you know, the play has gotten much tighter. You know, this is a team right now, when they bring their A game, as they did last week, they can beat anybody. Now, you know, that's not saying that I think they're a Super Bowl team. I still think they're close to that. You know, I'll say close to being a contender.

But I don't think they're there yet. However, you know, when you look at, they've turned things around now. The next four games are really going to tell you if this is a team to keep an eye on in January. They have Tennessee, two games against Buffalo, and a very tough Indy team. If they come out of these next four games, 2-2 or even 3-1, I think the rest of the league better watch out because they might be ahead of the power curve. As I said before, I think their rebuild is still in the middle of it. I don't think it's done yet.

But, boy, if they come out of this next month 3-1 out of those four games, it's time to watch out, folks, because they'll be in prime position. I really like the way the team's coming together. I think the offense is starting to come. You know, when you look back, I mean, almost I think it's 60% of the receiving yards come from guys who weren't on the team last year. It's taken a while. You know, they have a brand-new quarterback. They have a lot of new pieces on defense as well.

And things are starting to come together. And we've seen this so many times with Belichick. They play their best football from Thanksgiving on and if that's the case with this team they can make some noise in January absolutely absolutely so well said and I'm glad that you mentioned that these next few games coming up uh tough games that are coming up on their schedule whether it be the Tennessee Titans coming up in just over a week or the Buffalo Bills twice in the month of December, the Indianapolis Colts going midway through the month.

These are going to be games that the Patriots have to win. Just because you say that we're going to find out more about the Patriots as they take these teams on doesn't mean you're knocking the team, folks. That's a very common thing that I hear, and I say an awful lot here on lockdown Patriots or in my writing for sports illustrated, I'll get feedback. Oh, you keep saying that, you know, where we need to find out what this team can do and when they play this one and you don't enjoy the game that, you know, they just won. Yeah. We're absolutely

enjoying the game that they just won. There's no question about it, but in order to be a Superbowl contending team, which I know the fan base wants them to be, and to be totally honest with you, Steve, I think they have a chance to be, but they're going to have to beat the Tennessees of the world. They're going to have to beat the Indianapolis of the world. They're for sure going to have to beat Buffalo. There's no question about it. If they want to be considered in that realm and that elite type of air that is existing in the AFC right now. And I mean, they're going to need at least a win, if not two wins against Buffalo, if they want to try to contend for a division. So we're enjoying the moment. There's no question about it.

You should enjoy the moment because the Patriots are playing great right now, but they will continue to increase their prowess as they get more of these victories under their belt. And if they don't, it brings them back down a little bit more in terms of what their ceiling can be. So it's just a matter of realism and it's not trying to paint them in a negative light. Me of all people, I'm definitely happy to see the New England Patriots do what they're doing because it's good for us, Steve. There's no question about it, but it's good for the region. And to see this team back to its winning ways has been great. Before I let you go today, my friend, it's still over a week away. It's very, very early, but the Tennessee Titans are going to come into New England after Thanksgiving. And right now they hold the top spot in the AFC. They lose Derrick Henry.

A lot of people thinking, well, that's it. They're going to come back down to earth now, but they've looked like they've been able to quell that storm. Thanks to Adrian Peterson, solid coaching by Mike Grable, a very good defense, Tannehill playing well. When you look at what this Tennessee team can do, is this a realistic opportunity for the New England Patriots to make a true statement here? Or is it still a little bit early in terms of considering this a must win for the Patriots in a week from this coming Sunday?

Well, I think these next four games, I think they're going to approach these that, hey, these are games that we have to win because, you know, I think Belichick will tell them straight up, our playoffs start right now. You know, these are teams that are going to be in the mix. And, you know, we want to be in the tournament and we want to be counted amongst them. We have to start stepping up. You know, we saw earlier this year, they went tooth and nail with the Bucs as well as the Cowboys, but they came up short. And now, you know, I think the message is going to be, okay, we showed, we can play with these teams. Now we have to show we can beat them. And I think that's going to be the, you know,

their mantra moving forward. You know, Tennessee is, I think Mike Grable still did such a great the, you know, the mantra moving forward. You know, Tennessee is, I think Mike Rabel still did such a great job. You know, they lost some pieces. They lost actually quite a few big pieces and they just continue to keep winning. After they lost Derrick Henry, I was like you, I was thinking, okay, he's such a big part of their offense. They're going to come crashing back to earth, and it didn't happen. You know, that is one tough, resilient football team, and you're talking about a defense that's really, really good. So that's going to be a great game.

I'm glad that the Patriots have 10 days to prepare for this one because I think they're going to need it, and I'm looking forward to a great football game because, you know, you're looking at strength on strength and teams that like to be physical, and that's Tennessee and New England. Yeah, without any question. There's a lot to be said about football in the trenches, especially in the early part of the winter, the latter part of the season you're getting into late November, early December.

You've got to love it. It's a lot of fun to see. And I think that it will continue to be a lot of fun to see for the New England Patriots and their fans. But this Tennessee team coming in is going to be a handful on both sides of the ball. And I, for one, I'm looking forward to an amazingly entertaining game post-Thanksgiving. It might not be on Thanksgiving, but you've got a Sunday treat coming up for you. After all the turkey and everything is finished, folks, you're going to enjoy this one in New England. Steve, what can I say?

It's been great having you back here, bud. And you will continue to be back each and every week because we love it here on Locked On Patriots. Our listeners love it. And the voice of reason is something we've love it here on Locked On Patriots. Our listeners love it. And the voice of reason is something we've been missing here like you can't imagine. And I want to give a major shout out to both Thomas Murphy and the Countess of Clas herself, Ms. Claire Cooper, who has become a weekly fixture here on Locked On Patriots. And folks, that will not change just because Steve is coming back here into the weekly fold.

We will continue to have Claire here lending her tight endage expertise as much as possible on a weekly basis as schedule permits. She'll be here next week during Thanksgiving week. So we look forward to having her back here as well. But it's great to have you back here, but before I let you go, please let everyone know where they can find you, interact with you, and what you have coming on the horizon from the great pen and the great voice of Steve Valistrieri. Well, you know, these short weeks are difficult on all of us. You know, usually I'm just putting together the keys to the game and key matchups for the Sunday game, and now that's already in the book. So now I'm looking at my weekly report card right now.

I'm actually putting it together as we speak. And, you know, there was a lot of really, really high marks on the defensive side of the ball this week. As you can imagine, when you shut out anyone, as you said at the beginning of the show, you're doing your job in the NFL. I don't care who's playing, who's missing. They're all professionals, and that's something that can't be overlooked. It's been 265 games since the Falcons were shut out at home.

That's a pretty good barometer on how well the defense is playing. Also, I'm going to start looking at, you know, start doing a deep dive on the Titans and seeing how the Patriots might, you know, opt to attack this team offensively and defensively. I look forward to a great game. And then plus, without the Pats playing on Sunday, this is going to be a good weekend to sit down and enjoy watching some of the other games out there. I know I'll be watching the Bills closely and what they're up to. And obviously, Tennessee, although they're playing Houston this week, so they should be able to handle that.

Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, the true military man and Steve never goes away doing some recon this weekend for all of Pat's nation and getting us ready for what we can expect to see from some of the Pat's biggest rivals. Always a blast, always a lot of fun when you come here on the show, but we look forward to talking ball with you again here next week prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. But in the meantime, my friend, continue to stay safe, continue to get better and stay well. And what can we say? It's great to have you back here on Locked on Patriots. Great to be back.