6 rings and football things: Patriots vs. Commanders Week 9 Preview with Phil Perry
Following their second loss to the Miami Dolphins this season, the Patriots are back to it again this weekend as they welcome the 3-5 Commanders to Gillette Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sunday.
Despite being big-time sellers at this week's NFL trade deadline, Washington still has a solid crop of players to keep an eye on in Foxborough. The Patriots do as well, especially in the spot they're in injury-wise. Here are 10 to watch:
10 - DT Christian Barmore, Patriots
Defensive tackle Christian Barmore has been great, of late, for the Patriots defense.
New England’s second-round pick in 2021, the former Alabama Crimson Tide star has tallied two sacks, six QB pressures, and ten run stuffs over the last two games.
On the other side of the ball this weekend, Washington’s offensive line has been arguably the worst in football, allowing 41 sacks (a league-high) of quarterback Sam Howell. This is a perfect opportunity for yet another Barmore coming out party as he quietly cements himself as one of the better young defensive tackles in the game.
9 - WR Terry McLaurin, Commanders
After being embarrassed by the Dolphins’ duo of stud wide receivers last Sunday, the Patriots now have to face another one this weekend in Terry McLaurin.
McLaurin was drafted by the Commanders in 2019 (44 picks after the Patriots selected N’Keal Harry) and he’s been sensational for Washington. After two straight 1,000+ yard seasons in 2020 and 2021, he signed a three-year, $71 million contract extension and hasn’t missed a beat. Through eight games in 2023, McLaurin leads Washington in both catches (42) and yards (495).
“This guy’s a really good receiver,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told Bob Socci on Patriots.com’s ‘The Belestrator’ segment this week. “Fast, he can attack the defense vertically, intermediate areas, and he’s good on the catch-and-run plays underneath so he’s a really a tough guy to defend.”
New England’s secondary has their work cut out for them.
8 - LB Josh Uche, Patriots and 7 - S Kyle Dugger, Patriots
I have linebacker Josh Uche and safety Kyle Dugger together here because both guys, in the midst of a contract year, were not traded at Tuesday’s deadline and will remain Patriots for the rest of the season.
On Sunday against Miami, Dugger was arguably New England’s best player on defense leading the way with nine tackles, a sack, an interception, a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection.
As for Uche, he stayed home prior to the deadline as he dealt with an ankle and a foot injury. A candidate for a big payday this Spring, watch for the former Michigan Wolverine to come on strong in the second half of the season, starting on Sunday against Washington.
6 - CB Emmauel Forbes, Commanders
Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes will forever be connected to Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Why? Because they were picked back-to-back in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Washington opted for the shifty Forbes with the 16th overall selection while New England, after trading back from No. 14, had arguably the best defensive back in the class fall to them at No. 17.
While Gonzalez’ rookie campaign was cut short due to a torn shoulder labrum, Forbes’ hasn’t been much better. He was a healthy scratch for the middle part of the season and when he returned last week, was bullied by Eagles’ WR AJ Brown for a majority of the contest.
New England’s pass catchers don’t stack up to Philly’s by any means, so perhaps Week 9 is a bounce back for Forbes. My eyes will be on him strictly for the Gonzalez comparisons.
5 - QB Sam Howell, Commanders
The Commanders selected Sam Howell in the fifth-round of the 2022 NFL Draft and after starting just one game as a rookie, was named the teams’ starting quarterback heading into this season.
A product of the Unversity of North Carolina, Howell has played decent football despite Washington’s 3-5 record through eight games. He’s completing 66.9% of his passes for 13 touchdowns.
The quarterback has, however, also been sacked a league-high 41 times and has nine turnovers on the season. His first season has been a roller coaster so, after finishing last week’s nailbiter in Philly with nearly 400 passing yards and four touchdown passes, perhaps the Patriots get Howell on a down this weekend in Foxborough.
4 - WR Kayshon Boutte, Patriots and 3 - WR Tyquan Thornton, Patriots
The Patriots’ wide receiver room is in even more disarray than it was to begin this season as both DeVante Parker (head) and Kendrick Bourne (knee) left Sunday’s game, with Bourne tearing his ACL and being ruled out for the season. While Parker returned to practice on Friday, the NFL’s concussion protocol has become nearly impossible to clear within a week’s time, so he’ll likely be sidelined as well.
New England will have to call on their young pass catchers in Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Tyquan Thornton to carry the load moving forward. Douglas, of course, has played for most of the season, but Boutte has been inactive since Week 1, and Thornton was a healthy scratch last week in Miami.
"Coming from college, playing every down,” Boutte said at his locker on Thursday afternoon about his limited role thus far, “It’s a learned experience and now my name's being called."
"I'm going to use that as fuel," Thornton told A to Z Sports’ Sophie Weller on Wednesday. "Definitely gives me more motivation to go out there and compete and work harder. Get better at the little things and being more consistent."
They both sound ready. But will they be? We’ll find out this weekend.
2 - DT Jonathan Allen, Commanders and 1 - DT Daron Payne, Commanders
After the Commanders traded away two studs along their defensive line this week in Montez Sweat and Chase Young, the rest of the unit now has to step up for the rest of the season.
Who better than their other two dominant front seven players in Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.
Allen was drafted out of Alabama in 2017 and has been a Pro Bowler each of the last two seasons. He has three sacks in 2023 and has tallied 33.5 in his career.
Payne, also an Alabama product, was drafted the year after Allen and he too was a Pro Bowler in 2022. He led the team in sacks with 11.5 last season and while he only has one in 2023, has provided as spark with three pass deflections and two forced fumbles, recovering both.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones may have thought his job would have been easier this week without Sweat and Young, but the two bullies in the middle can make it just as tough. Watch for these two to have a Sunday against New England’s inconsistent offensive line.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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