Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Victory Monday: New England Patriots Shut Out Detroit Lions 29-0 in Bailey Zappe’s First NFL Start

Episode Date: October 11, 2022

With the New England donning their widely popular red jerseys, in conjunction with white helmets bearing the classic ‘Pat Patriot’ logo, the Pats put in a solid performance in all three phases of ...the game in a 29-0 dismantling of the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy of E2G Sports. The duo break down the action from Week 5 as well as rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe’s first NFL start.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONSimpliSafeWith Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnNFL to learn more.BetterHelpIt’s not a crisis line, it’s not self-help, it’s professional therapy done securely online, available to people worldwide. And they have a special offer for my listeners: get 10% off your first month at Betterhelp.com/LockedOn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:01 Oh, zappy day for the New England Patriots on Sunday as they snap a losing streak in the popular red throwback threads. It is Victory Monday here on Locked On Patriots. Stay tuned because you're about to be locked in for the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team, every day. We'll be right back. on all platforms, including YouTube. So please be sure to smash that subscribe button, download, subscribe to, and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your audio podcasts.
Starting point is 00:01:09 And of course, folks, today, remember that today's episode of Locked On Patriots is presented by PrizePix. PrizePix is a daily fantasy made easy when you pick two to five players, and if they score more or less than their PrizePix projection, you can win up to 10 times your money on your entry.
Starting point is 00:01:27 First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with the promo code locked on. That's prizepicks.com slash promo code locked on. Patriots fans, it is Victory Monday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. It is also hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. And folks, there's only one man that can join us on a Victory Monday. He is the legendary Connor Murphy Fisto himself. Thomas Murphy joins me on the pod today, and he'll hop in here in just a minute. I'm Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part
Starting point is 00:02:03 of the Locked On Podcastots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots, free and available wherever you get your podcasts. And Murph, it's always fun when you join me here on a Victory Monday. It's a little more fun when that Victory Monday also includes not just the pat on the back that you gave yourself, my friend, but also
Starting point is 00:02:25 the Pat Patriot you have adorning your back right now, my friend. Everybody wants to know. They want to know your thoughts on the game, but they really want to know your thoughts on those red throwbacks. How good did the Pats look yesterday in that victory? They were gorgeous. It was remarkable It should have been on a Paris fashion Week runway The only thing that could have been better Is if they wore the all whites The old all whites I love the whites
Starting point is 00:02:57 But having Pat On the helmet Just felt good It was kind of like, let's put Elvis to bed. Go sit down, eat a peanut butter and banana sandwich, and let Pat just rule for at least one day. And right now I'm saying, you know me, I'm a baseball guy. So superstition plays a huge role in, in my, my daily life, you know,
Starting point is 00:03:30 chicken every day on game day. Well, Butchie it's, it's, it's a tuna sub from, from subway, from a reputable place that we won't, we won't give free, free anything to here. But no, you won with Pat on Sunday. Let's keep it rolling. Keep it rolling. You know, the New England Patriots shared that sentiment. We heard a lot of that in the locker room.
Starting point is 00:03:53 Guys like Matt Judon, Ramondre Stevenson saying, we like the red jerseys. They're giving us good luck. Let's ride what we can while we can. That's right. And the New England Patriots definitely did ride that wave. The running game, the passing game, the defense, the special teams, everything clicking on all cylinders. I know people are pointing that it is the one in four Lions.
Starting point is 00:04:13 But folks coming into this game, that Lions offense was as potent as any other offense in the National League. The Showball League and the New England Patriots made them look very pedestrian yesterday in a 29-0 drubbing of the Detroit Lions at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. Murph, overall, when you look at a game like this, taking the uniforms out of this for just a moment, there are obviously good things. There are obviously bad things. We're going to dissect the offense and the defense in just a little bit here on the pod. But what were your thoughts, your overall impressions as you watched this New England Patriots team yesterday under the direction of Bailey Zappi, looking a lot more comfortable on defense, just some of your overall thoughts. Calm, cool, and collected. This was a
Starting point is 00:04:59 team that came in completely prepared for what the Lions do. The Lions make no bones about what type of team they want to be. And that just feeds right into Bill Belichick's genius. Okay. They dance with the one that brought them every single week. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, Bill Belichick broke it. They came out, my keys were sent up and they read them and took them to heart. This week, we played a lot of man. Zone is a way
Starting point is 00:05:37 that the Lions have been able to really exploit their run game all season long is when they get somebody else in zone, they get linebackers to bite on play action. And that's where Goff has really made his hay. The Patriots played a lot of man yesterday, and it took away the opportunity for these ballplayers on the Patriots side from biting on play action and letting him go to work on third and fourth down. This team shut them 0 for 6, 0 for 6 on fourth down. It was brilliant. I don't want to say this entire win goes to the defense. That would be disingenuous and disrespectful to the efforts that were put out on the offensive side. But the defensive game plan was perfect. It was perfect.
Starting point is 00:06:37 It was a perfect plan. Absolutely. I could not have said it better myself. It really was a perfect plan and very well executed. And again, we're going to get into some of the X's and O's and the intricacies of what that defensive game plan was and how the defensive front seven worked in tandem with the defensive backfield, which I thought had a solid game as well. A lot of great contributions. Obviously, Jack Jones is continuing his pursuit of being a fan favorite here in New England,
Starting point is 00:07:03 and he's winning in so many circles, rightfully so, by the way. This kid's got a good, he's got the good kind of two you want in that type of position. And he's, he's playing very, very well right now. He really is. Everybody knows my love for Jack Jones. I said on this show two weeks ago that I believe he's the next thing here in New England at cornerback. Bill has found cornerbacks throughout the years, be it undrafted free agents or mid-round picks that have panned out and done well.
Starting point is 00:07:41 And Jack's the next guy and and i forget i want to say that it was it was phil perry yesterday said that that he believes that he's he's going to be the next guy too um but i'm not really sure if it was phil or not but it was nice to get a little bit of a uh of a pat on the back from from somebody over there at npc well jack is definitely getting pats on the back not just for members of the media he's getting pats on the back, not just for members of the media. He's getting pats on the back from members of his own team and former teammates. I don't know if you saw this last night, but on Instagram, I believe, I don't think it was Twitter, but folks, please correct me if I'm wrong. It might be, but I believe it was on Instagram. I don't snap. I'll leave it to our illustrious listeners to correct me if I am wrong.
Starting point is 00:08:25 I do believe it was on Instagram that Jack Jones posted a picture of himself wearing the Pat Patriot uniform, obviously. And Matt Judon right away giving him props. But Malcolm Butler giving him props right away saying such an blank beast. This is a family show, so I'm going to clean this up. He called him an blank beast this is a family show so i'm going to clean this up he called him a blank beast and coming from malcolm butler especially a guy that may have essentially been beaten out for that type of a position by a rookie uh and i know malcolm had his health issues so i'm definitely not going to go there um but at the same time, Jack showed a lot of promise as early as training camp when Malcolm was still here trying to work his way out of that roster. So for him to earn that type of praise definitely tells you something about the kid and about his work ethic.
Starting point is 00:09:15 Great job by Jack Jones yesterday. Last week was nice and flashy, and it was a brilliant step. But the anticipation that he showed this week, and, you know, this is the over-aggressiveness that we've talked about here before, and he could get burned on this later on in the season. But yesterday he read that perfectly. He went over and he left his assignment, made that pick. But the most impressive thing was the fact that he got both feet down there. He looked like a wide receiver
Starting point is 00:09:53 trying to get in. I get my feet down, we score and we win. It was beautiful. And I've watched it like eight times now. And it was just so impressive to get both feet down there and end that drive. It just goes to the mentality of this Patriots defensive backfield, and I believe he's the one that is cranking it up to 11. Absolutely, and you know who else was very impressed by the fact that he got both feet down and actually compared him to a wide receiver as well. Coach Bill Belichick said that this morning on the Greg Hill Morning Show on his appearance on WEI, part of the Odyssey family, definitely bringing that to light. So you and Bill are like-minded, my friend, as usual,
Starting point is 00:10:42 because we all know Bill's reading those keys on a Saturday, ready to punch them and ready to turn them on Sunday, and it worked on Sunday. Murph, before we take our leave of this subject and we take a little bit of a deeper dive into the offense, into the defense, I just want to take a few moments to just give some love to Nick Folk, because I know how much love he's going to get on a lot of different podcasts throughout here on the Patriots realm. But Nick tied his career high yesterday, had five made field goals, extended his NFL record to 63 straight field goals made under 50 yards. He made them from 37, 32, 44, 37 and 29 yards, respectively. You know, in the last time Nick Folk missed inside the 50 was? 2019.
Starting point is 00:11:29 Close. It was a 45-yard field goal attempt versus the Miami Dolphins on September 13, 2020. Just in the heart of that pandemic period. Cam Newton is the quarterback at that point. But he has not disappointed. Oh, I the quarterback at that point. It's just, but he has not, he has not disappointed. Oh, I won't go that far. I will. I will. But in any case, just an amazing, amazing feat for Nick Folk.
Starting point is 00:11:57 And really, I mean, they call him Big Kick Nick for no reason, if not for no reason. I mean, this guy definitely is as automatic and as reliable as you can get. And when you have that type of reliability, and you saw him yesterday put those points up on the board with one offensive touchdown, they made this look like a much more lopsided game than it really could have been. And they know a lot about that, Nick Fulton. Exactly.
Starting point is 00:12:21 Five field goals is amazing. And they really, really needed this yesterday. I think we got into – I hate when I do that. They were in the red zone, what, four times, and they didn't score. Not sure where Mike is going to lead this conversation, but the two takeaways that I have from this game is the fact that they were 0-4 in the red zone. And on third down, they were just 3-9. That is against the better teams in this league.
Starting point is 00:13:00 That's not sustainable. We have to keep in mind, people, that Detroit has one of the worst defenses in the NFL. And what Mike just said, the work that Nick did yesterday made this look like more of it. He's the reason that this was a blowout. He and the defense on the special team side, he really saved the day on the special teams for the special teams that other than Nick's work, I think did not have a very good day. There was another huge return where people left their lanes and, you know, it wasn't great except for Nick. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, I mean, it's just, it goes to show you that when you have a reliable kicker and that's one area of the game that you don't have to worry about,
Starting point is 00:13:51 it makes you that much more potent. It really puts that much less pressure on the offense to be able to make things happen. And the Patriots have been fortunate in the Bill Belichick era, whether it be Adam Benetzeri, Stephen Kostowski, or now Nick Fole. They've had some pretty good legs manning the uprights over at Gillette Stadium. And Murph, we are going to get into some of those offensive highlights and lowlights because your guy Ramondre looked fantastic yesterday.
Starting point is 00:14:17 Maybe more fantastic than he's looked in quite some time. We're going to get into that and some of the woes that the Patriots may have had in just a moment. But first, folks, just want to take a few moments to bring you a little information about our good friends over at PrizePix. They are daily fantasy made easy. Let me tell you how they work. You pick two to five players, and if they score more or less than their PrizePix projection, you can win up to ten times your money on any entry. There's no competing against other people.
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Starting point is 00:15:32 If you deposit 50 prize picks will give you $50. And don't forget to enter the promo code locked on at signup for an instant deposit match up to $100 prize picks.com. Patriots fans, the great Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com joins me here today on Victory Monday, but most importantly, bud, it is hashtag LockedOnMurfMonday and we are coming at you with all
Starting point is 00:16:00 of the breakdown of the Patriots 29-0 victory over the Detroit Lions in Gillette Stadium at Foxborough on Sunday. Now, Murph, we've talked a little bit about the New England Patriots and just in general what your thoughts were about the game. But you know as well as anyone that efforts like what we saw on the field on Sunday are that their game plan, there's no question about it. They're designed, but there's also a lot of happenstance that involves in these things as well. When you look at the offensive side of the ball,
Starting point is 00:16:39 we mentioned going into the break that the Patriots had a very dismal record going into the, to try to make things happen, trying to convert on third down, trying to get the ball into the red zone, but yet it's a 29 to nothing victory. What impressed you by what you saw yesterday on the offensive side of the ball? Let's start there and then we'll get into what concerned you in just a moment. Let's start off on a high note. Okay. Yeah. What concerned, what, what impressed me was the fact that they were moving the chains on early downs. Okay. The, the Patriots have had a difficulty getting yardage on first down. That was not the issue yesterday. They were converting on second down on first and second down. So it kind of makes, mitigates what's been happening on third down. What Ramondre Stevenson was able to do yesterday with the opportunity that he was
Starting point is 00:17:35 given is, I don't want to say unexpected because I actually wrote it on Friday, on Thursday, to go to publish on Friday, was to ride Ramondre. I love Damian Harris. I think he's a fantastic back. But what the Patriots are able to do with Stevenson on the field and keep teams off balance, not only with what he can do running the ball from behind scrimmage, but in the passing game, he gives the defense something else to think about. He's Brandon Bolden at the age of 24. There I go. I got Brandon Bolden into a conversation who didn't get this opportunity. But right now, Ramondre is, and he probably will going forward because we're just not sure how serious Damian Harris' hamstring is right now.
Starting point is 00:18:34 That's not something that can be screwed around with. It's definitely – he's going to need rest and time, hopefully not too much, maybe a week off. I can see him sitting out the next game maybe just to be safe. But what Romandre was able to do was amazing, and it opens up so much more for everybody else. I also wrote this week that the Lions are vulnerable up the seams. And what Zappi was able to do in showing the patience that he did behind the line of scrimmage, letting plays develop, it went right to the first drive, the shot to Hunter Henry up the seam was just brilliant.
Starting point is 00:19:25 I was dancing around here thinking that's exactly what I want out of a quarterback. That's exactly what we needed. And you can give that tip of the cap to the offensive line. This offensive line over the last two weeks, before anybody starts saying that Murph is on the zappy train, I'm really not. I like the kid. I think he's a fantastic ball player. But this is still Mac Jones' team. And what the offensive line has been able to do the past two weeks, this goes some game plan specific, he's getting more time in the pocket and he's being able to move in the pocket
Starting point is 00:20:07 a lot better than Mac has been able to in his first three games of the season. Absolutely. I'm glad that you mentioned that because obviously Zappi is right now the toast of the town. And understandably, the kid played very well yesterday. I was very impressed by the poise, the competitive spirit. I was impressed by the confidence and the way he sees the field. This is something that Bill Belichick talked about after the game as well. And mentioning that a lot of times what he sees is very like-minded with what Bill Belichick sees. And we all know the last time Bill Belichick said something like that about a quarterback, he was here for a couple of decades and won a whole lot of championships.
Starting point is 00:20:43 Bill loves this. Bill loves this. Bill loves this. He really does. He loves the fact that he got this kid in the fourth round. And he loves the fact that he's not a top 15 pick. Make no mistakes, people. Last year, the pick of Mac Jones was a collective. They didn't know when they would have an opportunity to draft somebody like Mac Jones again, because you have to pick so high. But believe me right now, Bill Belichick's inner child is dancing a jig over this fourth round pick because it just goes to his nature that yeah, I can find somebody in the fourth round or the sixth round,
Starting point is 00:21:26 come in here and be successful with the right system. But I thought he couldn't draft Murph. I thought he was a terrible drafter. He can't draft. Okay. Conversation for another day, I guess, my friend. Bottom line, with regard to Zappi, you know that that type of bravado is going to start to come through a little bit. And you saw that a little bit yesterday.
Starting point is 00:21:47 The kid moves the ball well. He's accurate, short intermediate areas. He's got an arm when he needs to use it. We saw him use both of that yesterday. And like you said, scan the field. Exactly. And that really is a very big part of what he does. I'm sorry to step on you, but one of his most impressive plays yesterday
Starting point is 00:22:06 was not even a completion. Mike's nodding his head because he knows where I'm going to go. He dropped back and he's looking left and there's nothing there. He looks to the middle, he looks back to the left, and then he goes all the way to the right of the field to throw to Hunter Henry. And he put the ball only where Hunter could catch it. Nobody was going to pick this off. And Hunter couldn't hang on to the ball. I think he should have. It's my philosophy. If you can touch it, you can catch it. But it was still very impressive that he did. He made that throw from the far hash mark across the field and put it somewhere where only his receiver could grab it. That's, that's,
Starting point is 00:22:53 that's a quarterback with, with serious potential. Absolutely. It really is. And I knew the exact play that you were going to describe. I knew at the moment you said it, because I thought the same thing. First of all,
Starting point is 00:23:08 I'm definitely highly invested in wanting to see Hunter do well obviously being a fan of his and covering him back in the days when i was covering the charges i've seen this kid from the ground up uh myself and claire i think are still the only two big hunter henry flag wavers that are out there right now but hunter's coming along folks you're gonna see him come along you're starting to see him break out and get more comfortable, and that is a good thing. But when it comes to Bailey Zappi yesterday, big thing to consider and a big thing to remember, folks, is that Bailey was neither hit nor
Starting point is 00:23:34 sacked yesterday. And a big part of that was erased. Exactly. That was erased. That is true. You're absolutely right on that. But in terms of the stat sheet, nothing registered on the stat sheet in terms of being hit or sacked. A big part of that was a big part of that Patriots offensive line. You know who I'm talking about.
Starting point is 00:23:51 Big Trent Brown absolutely stand out yesterday on this line. The whole line played well, but he looked every bit of, and I wrote about this for Sports Illustrated last night. I called him the irresistible force because he really was. I mean, folks aiden hutchinson was the second overall draft choice by the Detroit Lions Trent Brown erased two in that game you didn't hear his name and you heard absolutely yeah he absolutely kept him at bay every single moment of that game and he deserves a huge huge part of the game ball for that so i was very impressed with Trent also very impressed with the line.
Starting point is 00:24:25 I thought they opened up a nice, I really liked the blend that the Patriots are using of gap runs as opposed to zone runs. These guys are starting to find their rhythm a little bit. And then of course, Ramon Drey Stevenson definitely looking absolutely fantastic. I want to give a little love to Jacoby Myers too. This is the last two weeks,
Starting point is 00:24:41 last two weeks with a knee injury. He comes in 111 yards, seven catches, one touchdown. I'm full of fun facts today, Murph, so I really want to share another one with you. Ramondre rushed for 161 ground routes yesterday. Myers, 111 receiving yards. It was the first time that the Patriots had a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game since October of 2014 when Stan Ridley, Steven Ridley, and Rob Gronkowski did it. Ridley had 113 yards rushing and Rob had 100 yards receiving. So definitely a good moment for Ridley and Gronk. Oh man. So it goes to show you that history can repeat itself.
Starting point is 00:25:26 And it was a good thing that history repeated itself yesterday for the New England Patriots. Right. Murph, you can't finish off a discussion when it comes to the New England Patriots and a 29-0 shutout without taking a little bit of a deeper dive on the defense. And that's exactly what we're going to do, folks. When we return here on Locked On Patriots, Murph and I are going to bring this episode right back home with a talk about the Patriots' defensive effort on Sunday. But first, Murph, if you haven't tried the Bilt Bar Puffs yet, and I know you have, but
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Starting point is 00:26:16 Run to built.com to snack a box for you and the family. It'll be the perfect treat. Or you can find a really good hiding place, like I know Murph is trying to do right now, and just hoard them for yourself. That's how good these are. You're going to love them. Not only are the cookie dough flavors available, but right now, all you pumpkin spice fans,
Starting point is 00:26:33 pumpkin spice puffs, limited edition. Get them while they're hot because they're not going to be around that long. But like all the built bars, the puffs are covered in 100% real chocolate. That means they're healthy and they're tasty and of course the chocolate cookie dough is covered in chocolate light fluffy texture it's just amazing it's so good you've got to try it but what's really great about bill is that all of their bars are made with collagen protein where your body absorbs that more efficiently and it provides tons of health benefits so eat something that tastes good and is good for you.
Starting point is 00:27:06 Go to Bilt.com right now and use the promo code LOCKEDON15 to get 15% off your next order. That is promo code LOCKEDON15, L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N-1-5, at Bilt.com today. I gave the churro ones to my cardiologist last week. Very good. See, their cardiologist recommended. How much better can you get? Heart healthy, delicious. Bill always, always knocks it out of the park. And you know who else knocked it out of the park yesterday, Murph? The Patriots defense. They put a zero up on the board. Dean Wormer would have been proud. What was the Lions offensive scoring
Starting point is 00:27:45 total yesterday? 0.0. Now, you know what? And no one was fat, drunk, and stupid. That's no way to go through life. And the Wingland Patriots played solid in all three levels of the defense. Murph, when you look at this game, breaking it down, your thoughts on the defense, what went right? Are there any concerns that Patriots fans should still keep a sharp eye out for? Your overall impressions of the defense yesterday. The fat, focused, and I can't come up with a third one. The fat and focused defensive line yesterday was just amazing. They took it personally the past couple of games,
Starting point is 00:28:30 and they decided, you know, number one offense or not, we are going to shut these guys down. I don't care who's in there, who's out of there. Nobody's getting a yard on us on Sunday. And that's where it all started with the guys up front. I love the linebacker play yesterday. It was, you know, nothing short of Judonian. There's a word for you right there. Judonian.
Starting point is 00:28:56 Yeah, Matt Judon spent the entire day in the backfield of the Lions, not a lot of hits, but this man was under pressure. Jared Goff was under pressure on every single throw. He had no idea what he was doing. It was almost a trip back to the boogeyman days. It was just a great day for the defense across the board. I really can't pick on anything that these guys did that was a serious breakdown or something to be worried about going forward. Whether you like it or not, the Lions boast the number one offense in the NFL, and this team made them look like a Pop Warner group. They truly did.
Starting point is 00:29:51 You know, I mean, Devin Godchild talked about this after the game in that he felt a little disrespected when, you know, Detroit would align in, you know, fourth and one, fourth and two short-yarded situations, and they're going for it sometimes on their own part of the field. That is a little bit of a knock to a defense saying you cannot stop us new england was laserly focused yesterday on getting these guys stopped and i want to give a lot of credit to devon godshaw obviously dietrich wise at the edge also juwan bentley i thought turned in a solid performance middle part of that defense absolutely uche with four rushes very very uh big um step up game for these guys
Starting point is 00:30:26 because let's face it the run defense had been much maligned for the last six quarters they had looked very porous and that was a concern of mine heading into this game or can the patriots control jamal williams and that detroit running game i know deandre swift wasn't around but williams is still a very good runner and the patriots made him look like he was stymied yesterday on so many occasions another one of the pieces that i really wanted to mention before we wrap things up today was the way they handled tj hockinson because yeah this was something that i had a chance to talk to a few friends of mine who cover the lions um and they had mentioned hockinson as somebody that can change the complexity of the game. And with an unhealthy Kyle Duggar, that is a very tall task for England to control him.
Starting point is 00:31:12 But Kyle was back in the lineup. He looked great. And he really solidified. And he solidified that four-man safety group that the Patriots utilized. You didn't just see Kyle defending him. My man AP was in there on him on occasions. Adrian Phillips, folks. Devin McCourty, obviously. Jabril Peppers got involved in the act.
Starting point is 00:31:31 Then you see guys like the linebackers come up and Jelani Tavai is coming up. Jelani Bentley is coming up. They were forced. They disrupted his routes. They forced him to go over or under the coverage, which is not where his sweet zones are. They took away that healthy part of the middle, which is where he loves to operate. Mack Wilson at the goal line there.
Starting point is 00:31:48 Absolutely. Everybody contributed. I think Mack Wilson got a little laser-focused himself with Jamie Collins being brought back onto the practice squad because people have been talking about him. It was a group effort. You can't put too many stars on it. You did with Duggar, and that was well-earned.
Starting point is 00:32:15 The scoop and score was fantastic. Absolutely. But what he was able to do in coverage and shutting down Hawkinson, who has been nothing short of a number one fantasy pick. Let's put it that way. His fantasy numbers have been fantastic all year long. And this is what Kyle Duggar is able to do when he's 100% healthy. This is what was missing last year at the end of the season going up against Buffalo. You know, people keep forgetting things like that. Kyle Duggar is just an amazing athlete,
Starting point is 00:32:52 and I hope he wears a Patriots uniform for his entire career. Yeah, I think New England Patriots fans would definitely agree with you. Kyle has quickly become a fan favorite here, and with due cause, he is one of the catalysts of what makes things happen in this defense and of course you mentioned him earlier if there is a good slice of the game ball to be thrown around that judon continues to be the explosive defender that the patriots wanted him to be when they brought him in uh two sacks big you know nine yard sack of golf in the second quarter that forced a fumble on the 13-yard sack. Six and five games.
Starting point is 00:33:27 That facilitated, absolutely. And at this point, he also finished the game having logged four quarterback hits and two tackles, one of which went for a loss. So he was all over that field, Murph. As you eloquently put it, he spent a lot of time in that Detroit Lions backfield, and that is not happenstance, folks. That is by design. So a complete effort for the New England Patriots.
Starting point is 00:33:47 Era of good feelings. Solve all the problems, folks. No, it doesn't. But for at least a week, the New England Patriots are riding this one pretty high, as they should. It was a great win for the Pats yesterday, and they moved to 2-3 on the season. And we'll continue to break that down here and also get you ready for the Cleveland Browns coming up this weekend at Cleveland.
Starting point is 00:34:09 And the Patriots are going to have their hands full there as well. But Murph, in the meantime, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me here on Locked On Patriots. You are the true Don of Locked On, and I always appreciate you coming on and sharing the microphone and yucking it up with me. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know where they can find you, what they can expect from the great Penn, the great voice of the legendary Green King of Sting himself heading into this week's six-match-up now
Starting point is 00:34:37 with the Cleveland Browns. Well, of course, you can follow me on Twitter at TeamRF207. You can find all my writing over there at E2GSports.com. Just put out a nice piece about the wrap-up of the wild card series that we were just able to watch some of the best baseball that I've seen in a while. Really, really. 15, 15 innings. Oh, my God, 15 innings of no-burn baseball.
Starting point is 00:35:05 And I'm sitting here happy as a clam. And, of course, tomorrow you can catch Steve Balistrieri and Claire Cooper along with me on One Patriot's Place. We have a fantastic guest. Alex Barth is going to join us from 98.5 The Sports Hub. Always fantastic to have Alex in. It's one of those days where I just sit back and let Alex talk, you know. And to get me to sit back and let somebody else do the talking is something else.
Starting point is 00:35:35 It's going to be a good show. Check that out. Of course, the Monster Keys are out every Friday. And, you know, this week we've got old buddy Jacoby Brissett that we've got to shut down. Absolutely, and it will be a tall task for the New England Patriots going into Cleveland and trying to get the win, but it's always better to bargain from a position of strength, my friend, and the Patriots are doing just that as they ride into the city
Starting point is 00:36:00 of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And Murph, thank you once again for joining me here today on Locked On Patriots. But a special and heartfelt thanks to all of you who continue to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I want to thank you all for hanging in there with me today, fighting a pretty bad sinus cold. And a couple of times I was trying to block a sneeze, had some butt lapses in the process. But you always hang in there with me and I always appreciate your support.
Starting point is 00:36:26 So please continue to make Locked On Patriots, not just the daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, but also your first listen every day. Now that you made us your first listen, make your second listen. Our good friends over at Peacock and Williamson, who bring you all of the latest developments from the entire world of the NFL. Peacock and Williamson available wherever you get your podcasts, free and available, so download, subscribe to, and follow.
Starting point is 00:36:52 On behalf of my good friend, the legendary Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com, folks, thank you once again. Continue to stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, my friends, and enjoy the rest of Victory Monday. Ramondre, he looked fantastic. Fantastic. Fantastic.

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