Patriots Pre-Season Week 1 - Patriots 17, Seahawks 20 OT
Associated Press -- The New England Patriots received the ball to start the game and trotted out newly-acquired quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to start the game. Trubisky had notably been receiving the first-team reps over rookies Trey Lance and Sam Ehlinger and mainstay Jarrett Stidham.
Trubisky had to scramble out of the pocket multiple times on the first two drives and could not connect very often with his receivers, having to rely on tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back Sony Michel to gather completions. He would finish 3 for 8 for 27 yards passing.
Lance would fare just as badly, going 3 for 9 for 40 passing yards, but took many deep shots, including an impressive heave to Kadarius Toney that was just overthrown.
Stidham and Ehlinger both struggled the worst. Stidham had the best completion percentage, going 4 for 6 with 39 yards, but threw an interception while Ehlinger threw two interceptions.
The team's running game was a lot more impressive and productive, with rookie Rakeem Boyd getting the majority of the second half and overtime touches, going for 33 yards on nine carries. J.J. Taylor also had quality touches (four carries for 47 yards on the ground).
The defensive unit played solid but allowed backup Seahawks quarterback Tyrod Taylor to run rampant on them on scrambles, going for 128 yards on 11 runs.
The team had five takeaways though, two interceptions from Stephon Gilmore, one from Quincy Wilson, and forced fumbles from Patrick Peterson and Carl Davis.
Who's Hot
Todd Gurley II, HB - He was running extremely fluidly through the tackles on his limited action and is making noise. The only drawback is that he was not able to break one off. He'll probably get more touches next week.
Patrick Peterson, CB - He made high-impact plays and got some time at free safety, which was a big leap from his usual lockdown spot. Could definitely see Peterson lock up the spot opposite from Gilmore and push Jonathan Jones to free.
Kadarius Toney, WR - He made some tough catches in coverage and ran some incredible routes. As a young gun, he's going to get a lot more playing time in pre-season. Maybe he will be able to impress Coach Bill Belichick enough for a role in his rookie season.
Who's Not
Earl Thomas III, S - The fact that the team put the likes of Patrick Peterson and Stephon Gilmore at the free safety position throughout the game should spell a little bit of caution for Thomas. He is still expected to start at safety, but something to look out for.
Anfernee Jennings, OLB - The number of times Tyrod Taylor was sprinting past him as he broke contain was incredibly concerning. Jennings is still young, but he has had a year in the Patriots' system to have sound technique. This is worrisome.
Sam Ehlinger, QB - Two interceptions and such poor game management when he even got extra snaps with the game on the line is not great. He's already perceived to be a camp arm, but this is not a good look for him.
Associated Press -- If this is the display of offense that the New England Patriots are going to decipher who is going to end up on their 53-man roster for the regular season, this team is in some serious trouble.
It took to the dying moments of the fourth quarter and blown coverage (and okay, we guess a very impressive Sam Ehlinger throw) for the Patriots to get in the end zone against a talented San Francisco 49ers' defense.
Ehlinger, the Texas Longhorns product, linked up with rookie Dazz Newsome out of UNC for the go-ahead touchdown after the Patriots' lone score had come from a Riley Patterson field goal.
The defense played amicably, headlined by Jonathan Jones intercepting Josh Rosen.
Who's Hot
Todd Gurley II, HB - We typically try to spread the wealth, but Todd Gurley is playing himself into being the feature back role over the likes of Sony Michel and Damien Harris. We expected the latter two to get more opportunities to show their stuff, but this is Gurley's race to lose thus far.
Kyle Dugger, S - The Patriots' swiss army knife on defense is playing all over this defense and he is definitely going to takeover Devin McCourty's role as a leader on this team. He's still young, but he's surrounded by the likes of Earl Thomas, Patrick Peterson, and Lavonte David. So far, he is not being outshined.
Gunner Olszewski, WR - He may not be developing as a receiver as the Patriots might want him to be (due to constantly being overlooked and not getting enough reps, but that's a conversation for another article), but he is still one of the best returners in the league; consistently giving the Patriots excellent field position for an offense that truly cannot go anywhere.
Who's Not
Mitchell Trubisky, QB - Wow, way to be given the starting opportunity and throwing it out the window. Trubisky was expected to start this season and allow Trey Lance the opportunity to grow. So far, he's turned the ball over twice (interception and fumbled) and hasn't clicked with anybody. Forget starting, will he make this team?
Joejuan Williams, CB - The Patriots have been contemplating moving one of Jonathan Jones or Patrick Peterson to rotate at safety, which would give the likes of Williams more playing time. He has been getting toasted as of late, and Quincy Wilson is balling out with two games with interceptions in both of them. He's moving down the depth chart, and this isn't a good look for him.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR - It was expected that he is definitely going to end up on the Patriots' practice squad because he does have talent, but he isn't ready for a role with the team, but boy is he not getting any luck. He usually gets reps towards the end of the game but he's dropping the ball while Dazz Newsome is catching game-winning bombs. Not great for him.
__________________ Regrets Aren't Something You Did, It's Something You Didn't Do
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Associated Press -- Is it a little disappointing to lose to the absolute firestorm that is the Houston Texans organization? Absolutely. It is even more embarrassing that it was the anemic Texans' defense that decimated the Patriots' anemic offense.
Jarrett Stidham was the highlight of the game, getting the start in the newly re-organized quarterback depth chart (Stidham, Lance, Trubisky, Ehlinger in that order) and that starting offense was rolling for the most part. They still have some growing pains, but we liked what we saw.
Who's Hot
Jarrett Stidham, QB - Stidham has been licking his chops for the opportunity to get the starting role and the Patriots' coaching brass finally gave him the opportunity. He starred for the offense, throwing a beautiful touchdown pass and finishing with a 146.9 QBR. We know the Pats want Lance to sit for the majority of his rookie season, so its him against Trubisky (and Ehlinger, we guess). This is big for the Stidham camp.
Quincy Wilson, CB - Three games, three interceptions for the guy who barely got an invite to training camp because his brother was drafted to the team (allegedly). He's made crucial plays and is playing himself into the secondary rotation. Who would have seen this coming?
Dez Bryant, WR - Getting targets has been tough for the former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl receiver as he continues to rally back. But when he ripped off a post route for a long touchdown, we all remembered the guy who used to repeatedly throw up the 'X'. He's on the outside looking in for a roster spot, but this game certainly helped.
Who's Not
J.J. Taylor, RB - This isn't a good look for the gimmick running back that was thought to have made James White obsolete. He has two yards on the ground in the last two games and has seen the likes of Todd Gurley and Damien Harris be a lot more useful as route runners.
Patrick Chung, S - This isn't great for the COVID-19 opt-out returnee and veteran safety. Kyle Dugger is arguably one of the best players on the team (yes, we really said that) and Chung is a lot more expensive, older, and slower. He picked up three tackles today (compared to Dugger's nine) and would save the Pats some money if he was given his walking papers.
James Ferentz, C - He allowed the lone sack given up by the Patriots' offensive line (probably because Sam Ehlinger cannot read an NFL defense, but that is besides the point) but because of the limitations of the offensive line and the fragility of David Andrews (he left the game early), he probably won't be cut. God forbid Andrews truly goes down though.
Patriots Pre-Season Week 4 - Patriots 21, Ravens 27 OT
Cuts and Practice Squad Placements -- The New England Patriots have officially finished the pre-season 1-3 after a narrow overtime loss to quarterback Trace McSorely and the Baltimore Ravens. Another adamant attempt from fourth-string quarterback Sam Ehlinger on the comeback trail.
This game was huge for position battles and players looking to push themselves onto the 53-man roster.
Here are the unfortunate souls that will not be suiting up for the Patriots' 53-man roster.
Cuts
Ryan Izzo, TE - He got outplayed by UDFA Noah Gray and he has more than overstayed his welcome while constantly being usurped by younger tight end options such as Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene. He's going to be the odd man out here.
Anthony Johnson, WR - Camp hands that barely got any snaps during the pre-season games. Surprised he lasted until the final day.
Simeon Thomas, CB - Probably would have had a better opportunity had the likes of the Wilson brothers not shot up as they had. Unfortunate, but chances are he might land on someone's practice squad at worst.
Marquise Copeland, DE - This is a numbers game cut. He just didn't have what it took.
Ahmad Thomas, MLB - Deone Bucannon came in and swept the job right from under his nose. The development of KJ Britt did not help Thomas' case either.
Brandon King, OLB - The special teams ace was expected to stay around, but this is a numbers game, and Preston Brown was more important as a depth piece than King was for the special teams unit.
Myles Bryant, CB - This one is easy to see what happened here, Quincy Wilson stole his spot in the rotation with his excellent pre-season.
Dante Olson, MLB - See the reasoning for Ahmad Thomas and double it up. He played well, but not nearly well enough.
Robert Windsor, DT - Depth cut for sure, the emergence of Beau Allen didn't help Windsor's case.
Yodney Cajuste, T - He was the odd man out on the offensive line and the team did not have room on their practice squad to keep him around with all their receivers needing spots.
Mitchell Trubisky, QB - This one came as a surprise due to how desperately the Patriots entered free agency looking for a starting-caliber quarterback. Trubisky was given the opportunity to start and quickly got outplayed by the likes of Trey Lance and even Jarrett Stidham. He is too expensive to be a third-string quarterback and not talented enough to reliably run the Patriots' offense.
Dez Bryant, WR - The last cut of the Patriots' roster. Damiere Byrd and N'Keal Harry was younger options than Bryant, and the team could not reasonably keep Bryant around. If Bryant hangs around and an injury comes around, Bryant could find his way back onto the roster.
Practice Squad
Rakeem Boyd, RB - Boyd is extremely talented, and he came into camp in shape and ready to take the league by storm. However, Todd Gurley II made him expendable and would give him no snaps in this stable. He will make his way to the practice squad.
JJ Taylor, RB - Taylor is one of those fringe backs that might seem some elevation to the active roster because of his knowledge of the playbook and his experience playing. Again, Todd Gurley II has sort of taken his role as a pass-catching back.
Amon-Ra St.Brown, WR - Sort of surprised St.Brown is being kept around with the likes of Kadarius Toney and Dazz Newsome outplaying him all pre-season, but he had talent. Just needs to shore up some of the mental mistakes. A year on the practice squad could help his development.
KJ Britt, MLB - Britt sometimes got lost in the rotation, but he's young and has a lot of raw talent and potential. He needs to figure some stuff out and getting to practice alongside studs like Lavonte David all season long will definitely help with that.
Patrice Rene, CB - Rene is an extremely raw product that had some injury troubles during his time with UNC. The Patriots like what he brings to the table but know there is a lot of work to be done before he challenges for a roster spot.
Dazz Newsome, WR - Newsome is extremely talented, and if not for Kadarius Toney, would probably be the most likely offensive player to make the jump to the active roster. He just needs time to sit back and learn the system.
Noah Gray, TE - He's the odd man out, but he's extremely talented and has shown some promise. Rob Gronkowski, as he has continued to age, has shown some fragility. Having Gray as an insurance policy isn't bad.
Marco Wilson, CB - Wilson continues to add to the development pipe of cornerbacks, and he will get his opportunities. Getting to start his career watching the likes of Patrick Peterson and Stephon Gilmore is huge. Having your brother on the team isn't too bad either.
Sam Ehlinger, QB - He was arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the last two weeks of the pre-season. He held it down as best as he could with what he had. He'll get the opportunity to grow and see what he has down the stretch.
Kadarius Toney, WR - A big surprise to see him hit the practice squad, but Toney outplayed a lot of wide receivers on this team. The team stuck with N'Keal Harry over Toney, which was an interesting tidbit, but I would not hold my breath. Toney will hit this active roster sooner rather than later.
And finally, the long-awaited start of the 2021 regular season is upon us. For anyone who is keeping up, thanks for holding the faith. It's time for some football.
Patterson's kicking redemption leads Pats over narrow victory over Falcons
Atlanta Falcons (0-1) at New England Patriots (1-0)
Week 1 -- Gilette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)
Week 1 Results
LAR 21 - 24 TEN || GB 48 - 13 CIN || CHI 20 - 26 PIT || SEA 38 - 21 DET ||
SF 24 - 35 MIN || JAX 37 - 31 NYJ || PHI 24 - 38 WAS || HOU 24 - 18 IND ||
ATL 30 - 32 NE || NYG 20 - 34 LAC || CAR 13 - 10 ARI || BAL 26 - 20 DEN ||
TB 24 - 42 NO || MIA 24 - 7 BUF || DAL 31 - 38 LV || CLE 21 - 38 KC
AFC Players of the Week
Josh Jacobs (RB, Las Vegas): 11 carries, 143 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 4 receptions, 83 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
Vince Williams (LB, Pittsburgh): 10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception
NFC Players of the Week
Matt Ryan (QB, Atlanta): 28 of 39, 466 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, 1 interception
Dre Greenlaw (LB, San Francisco): 7 tackles, 1 interception
Transactions
Las Vegas Raiders sign HB Devontae Booker to 1 year, $1.75 million contract
Notable Injuries
Tyler Boyd (WR, Cincinnati): Torn Pectoral, Season
Travis Etienne (HB, Buffalo): Knee Cartilage Tear, 3 weeks
Haason Reddick (OLB, Arizona): Dislocated Ankle, 6 weeks
Le'Veon Bell (RB, San Francisco): Dislocated Knee, 2 weeks
Will Hernandez (G, New York G): Hamstring Tear, 7 weeks
Von Miller (OLB, Jacksonville): Dislocated Elbow, 3 weeks
D'Andre Swift (Detroit): Broken Ribs, 2 weeks
Jalen Richard (Las Vegas): Complete MCL Tear, Season
Robert Woods (Los Angeles R): Dislocated Ankle, 4 weeks
Matthew Judon (Washington): Broken Thumb, 4 weeks
T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh): Complete ACL Tear, 8 weeks
Mike Hughes (Minnesota): Foot Fracture, 8 weeks[/quote]