With the Patriots playing on Saturday this week, welcome to a special Saturday edition of the Sunday 7!
1. HAIL MAYO - The big question on the minds of most fans in Pats Nation after last Sunday’s disappointing 24-21 loss to the heavily favored Buffalo Bills wasn’t, “How did they blow that game?” but rather, “Did Jerod Mayo do enough to preserve his job?” (That’s where we are as a franchise and fanbase right now.) And the answer is yes, he most likely did. Or to use a familiar Pats parlance, “It is more probable than not that Jerod Mayo returns as HC of the NEP.”
The Patriots began last Sunday’s game with perhaps their best half of football of the season, and most certainly their best quarter, driving concisely down the field for an opening touchdown with a gorgeous pass from Drake Maye to Kayshon Boutte. Another drive led to a powerful 14-yard TD run by Rhamondre Stevenson in the second, giving the Pats a shocking 14-0 lead. That may have been enough to show ownership that Mayo can prepare for a daunting challenge and his team responds when coached accordingly.
Sure, Patriots 2024 mistakes and issues reared their head thereafter, and the coaching style seemed to get more conservative, leading to the loss (Stevenson’’s ball security issue can’t all be on Mayo). His players, though, backed him to a man, from Drake Maye, who’s proud to be a Patriot and doesn’t want to hear BS stories about his coach or his OC Alex Van Pelt, to players like Christian Elliss, who may not remind anyone of Dont’a Hightower but certainly plays hard for his coach.
We’re not here to judge the entirety of the Mayo regime’s 2024 on one game, or one half of football. The effort shown in those first 30 minutes against Buffalo is what fans and media alike want to see regularly. The effort, approach and results shown in the final 30 minutes in Buffalo are what fans and media hope to see less of. Not to mention the ire that the Patriots effort in Arizona the week before drew. Mayo himself said at one of his media availabilities that he believes what the Pats out there vs. Arizona was anomalous to who the team is, what their effort is consistently, and that they’re more the team that had energy and effort vs. Buffalo. By the way, none of that was walked back or course-corrected at a later presser.
However, a new report from Josina Anderson seems to suggest that while Mayo is safe for next season, there will be changes made as the entire executive operation and coaching structure will be re-examined and called into question.
Should Mayo get the second shot at righting the ship, who on his staff will return as well (don’t check social media unless you want to read “Fire everyone!” over and over again.) Cases can be made for and against each and every coordinator or positional coach as there’s no palpable improvement in any one room. Though there's a growing sense that change could be coming to the defensive coaching ranks first as that unit was expected to perform better than an offense with a rookie QB and little talent elsewhere. Injuries have certainly held the defense back from its 2023 form, make no mistake. However, after reading MassLive’s excellent but unsettling piece on Keion White’s regression and frustration you have to wonder if there isn’t a larger problem at hand for the unit. Coordinator DeMarcus Covington says many of the team’s issues on defense this season have been due to communication issues and fundamentals breaking down…but who else is to blame or be called into question than the man in charge of just that? Losing Ja’Whaun Bentley was big, no doubt, but the loss of one man who called the plays and wore a captain’s C can’t be blamed for an entire unit falling into occasional disarray.
With so many jobs on the line and the direction of a franchise once held as the league standard in question, each and every play over the remainder of two “meaningless” games is important. Show up like the Pats of the first half in Buffalo and that’s all anyone can ask. Play like the Pats in Arizona again and it could mean the difference between being a part of the effort to improve the Pats next season, or looking for work elsewhere.
2. MAYE THEY ALL BE BELIEVERS - Some may tire of pumping Drake Maye’s tires on the regular in the face of a losing season where five games would be the maximum number of victories possible (although we all believe three will be the landing spot). However, with Maye one of only two true bright spots on the team, the other being cornerback Christian Gonzalez, we have to keep reminding ourselves, and Pats fans, that Maye is a tremendous potential building block for this team, who is equally impressive to his own fans as he is opponents.
Sure, Maye needs to bring the turnovers down, as his and Stevenson’s ball security issues were major culprits in the Pats’ 24-21 loss to Buffalo. An interception in seven straight games, and eight of 10 total is far from desirable, even in a lost season. Maye knows he has to be more careful with his reads, and not fall into traps baited by opposing coordinators with far more pro experience, which he’ll likely see Saturday vs. an opportunistic Chargers defense.
Maye’s accuracy and improvisational playmaking continue to be off the charts, two components of his game that give hope, turn heads and inspire confidence for growth next season and beyond.
These traits and more led ESPN’s Ben Solak to declare that Maye in fact, not Washington’s standout rookie comeback artist Jayden Daniels, was the most impressive of the rookie QB class, and a damn fine one it is at that.
When you consider what Maye has done with his surrounding cast of characters and coaching staff it makes his body of work, turnovers and all, that much more impressive. There are some fancy analytics involved as well, but in keeping with our fan’s eye view of things, we concur that Maye has been equally impressive if not more so just because of what and who Daniels is working with (and if nothing else they both have strong cases for going first or second overall if there was a 2024 redraft).
Sure, you knew Maye was the best thing this team had going for them last week as well. But getting a little extra optimism funneled your way isn't a bad thing, because there are plenty more concerns to come. For now let’s hope Maye can lock down the turnovers, stay healthy and continue to raise chins, spirits, expectations and point totals in Pats Nation.
3. TWIRP (This Week In Receiver Problems) - Another week, another dynamic showcase for the Pats dynamic duo at wide receiver (please note a sarcasm font is not available on this platform). Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker accounted for all of 11 snaps, one target and zero receptions between the two, with Baker actually out-snapping Polk for the first time, eight to three (no stat in there is worth texting home about). While it was nice to see sophomore standout Kayshon Boutte have a big boy day at Highmark Stadium (five catches, 95 yards, one TD), it pains us to no end to see the rookies struggle. Sadly, their struggles may get magnified this Saturday due to the presence of a very successful rookie receiver on the opposing team.
Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (no secret here he was my No. 1 draft crush of 2024) is having a standout inaugural campaign. He might well set the record for rookie receptions and yards by a Chargers receiver, which is impressive given the Chargers’ history of standout wideouts. However, his presence is all the more painful this week given how he landed in coach Jim Harbaugh’s arms.
The Patriots were on the clock with their second-round pick, No. 34 overall, in the 2024 draft, and decided to trade out, moving back to 37 with LA, where the Pats took Ja’Lynn Polk. The extra pick the Pats received was 137, which they flipped to move up to 110 overall, and that was used on Javon Baker. At 34th overall, the Chargers selected Ladd McConkey, and the rest is another frustrating chapter in Patriots wide receiver history.
Granted, LA has a more talented roster and functional offense with Justin Herbert back to Pro Bowl form in his fifth year, working with coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman. It’s not like the rest of LA’s receivers are the 1999 St. Louis Rams by any stretch. McConkey is very talented and his quickness, elusiveness and pro readiness would have been a fit in all 32 schemes, on all 32 rosters. That New England, in an effort to “weaponize the offense,” went quantity over quality at pick 34, may haunt them this Saturday and potentially for years to come.
We MIGHT have to give this scenario one more year to render final and full judgment. Maye is a stud and standout as a rookie QB. However, the rest of the offense is kind of a mess, especially the O-line. The Chargers’ O-line isn’t perfect, but their tackle situation with Rashawn Slater and rookie Joe Alt is outstanding. A year from now, with another offseason of free agent additions, a draft and time for Polk and Baker to mature MIGHT help them tilt the tables back toward the Pats a little bit. For now, this is one of the most lopsided one-for-two deals in recent history.
4. PICK YOUR POISON - The dominance that Pats fans experienced over two decades may never be replicated in the NFL again. That feeling of knowing that while other teams have won six Super Bowls, no team did it with the same coach and QB like New England did with Brady and Belichick. That unreal stretch of relevance and excellence from 2001-2019 leaves the organisation on a pedestal that, in a troubled time like now, gives fans comfort. It’s not great now, but nobody will ever be better than Tom and Bill (who are happy somewhere else now).
However, one team is posing a legit competitor to that throne. They’re already halfway there as far as the six Lombardi trophies New England won in the 21st century goes, and they don’t seem to be slowing down. In fact, the threat to Brady and Belichick’s throne, the Kansas City Chiefs, have their best record to date through 16 games in a season at 15-1, with one game remaining on the schedule. They are coming together and playing their best football of the season at the right time on the heels of beating two playoff bound teams (Houston and Pittsburgh) over a five-day stretch. They have won back-to-back Super Bowls and right now are the odds-on favorite to win a third straight, a feat not accomplished in the Super Bowl era. Impressive indeed.
While there’s no guarantee the Chiefs make it back to “The Big Game” or take it home, let alone win that AND two more Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes at QB and Andy Reid as coach, they do look set for success over the long haul. Plus, what reason do we have to believe that a team that finds a way to perpetually regenerate talent around the coach and QB will falter? It almost seems…inevitable.
That’s why we’re suggesting Pats fans, gross as it seems, pick their poison and become temporary fans of the two teams that have a shot at unseating the Chiefs in the AFC this postseason: the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills.
Take a moment if you need.
That’s right: two conference rival teams of the Pats, with one the five-time reigning champ in the AFC East, the division the Pats dominated for two decades, represent the best shot at knocking off Mahomes, Reid and co. Each team is armed with a legit MVP candidate at QB, Josh Allen of Buffalo and Lamar Jackson of Baltimore, and has an offense capable of bumping off the Chiefs on their best night and reppin’ the AFC in Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
Allen and Jackson have been on fire of late, though the Pats admirably suppressed the Buffalo QB last Sunday. For a month, Allen was unstoppable as the Bills averaged 40 points a game over five straight. Now it seems Lamar Jackson is trying to finish strong, steal the trophy and most importantly right the wrongs of postseasons past. His statistics and accomplishments of late are positively jaw dropping.
Each team has been knocked out of the playoffs by the Chiefs in recent postseason runs on multiple occasions. So if they want to change their franchise’s fortunes and re-write their own storyline in legendary font, they’ll have to go through Arrowhead to do it.
What say you, Pats fans? Are you OK with the Chiefs Kingdom inching one Lombardi closer to the Patriots’ half dozen banners? Or would you rather the Bills or Ravens break through?
5. THE WOE LINE - Wouldn’t be a week in 2024 Pats Nation without offensive line issues, and while we could spend days discussing how Buffalo seemed to live in the backfield of Drake Maye last Sunday in Orchard Park, we’ll turn our attention to the state of affairs over the final two tilts.
Starting center Ben Brown, who’s played well or certainly well enough not to be the ire of our content storm since coming over from the Raiders practice squad, was a practice non-participant for most of this week with a concussion. That means the Pats could and should well be starting their fourth center of the season Saturday. Again, not exactly how they drew it up. Could this be the return of Cole Strange vs. the Chargers, and if so will he play his first game at a new position vs. one of the most fearsome pass rushes in the NFL? A face full of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa is never desirable, let alone in your first NFL game in over a year. If Strange can play and play serviceably at center it could be a big step for the Pats and the line as they hit the home stretch and a massive offseason.
Also, Caedan Wallace returning after being out injured since Week 4 could also provide a boost on the line. It would be nice to see if Wallace can find some form and be part of the solution in a two week audition against the Chargers and Bills, showcasing that the Pats could look to address other spots in free agency and the draft after using a high third round pick on him last April.
The line truly has been the biggest concern on a team with problems aplenty this season, and of course it’s only compounded when you see other players who used to wear the Flying Elvis playing at an elite level all over the line on teams with big postseason dreams.
Deserving of this week’s honorary Bob Lobel “Hey how come we can’t get guys like that?” mention.
6. LOCAL COMPETITION - While we live in the day and age of Red Zone, YouTube TV multi-view and everything streaming from any device anywhere, the Pats will have their work cut out for them Saturday afternoon, and not just in the form of handling a playoff bound Chargers team. No, they’ll have local eyeball and attention span competition in the form of the 7-5 Boston College Eagles taking on the 6-6 Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Pinstripe Bowl from Yankee Stadium. That game kicks off at 12 p.m., and while the Pats certainly are the more popular team regionally, there could be interest in watching what many believe could be a more competitive game (Nebraska is a 3.5-point favorite over BC). The Eagles get a one-hour head start on the Pats, and though both games are “meaningless” in the form of playoff pursuit for the local teams, coach Bill O’Brien is generating some excitement for the Eagles and a big game and bowl win could go a long way toward raising the Eagles’ popularity in New England, ESPECIALLY if the Pats struggle early.
Eagles coach Bill O’Brien joined us Thursday morning on WEEI for his weekly interview and was a great chat as always, saying he was unaware that the Pats were flexed out of Sunday and into broadcast competition against the Eagles until just recently.
BC, a member of the ACC, which includes Bill Belichick’s UNC Tar Heels, could continue their ascension after O’Brien recruited a former four-star QB he once brought to Alabama to now join his Eagles. A big move for a program on the rise.
7. NTKs - And finally, all those elements you as a Pats fan Need To Know for the best or at least most informed broadcast experience possible.
SPREAD: The Chargers are a 4.5 point favorite with an Over/Under of 43.5.
ALL-TIME: Over 45 contests that includes two postseason games, the Pats hold the 27-16-2 advantage over the San Diego/LA Chargers. Of course who could forget last season’s thrilling 6-0 Chargers victory in Foxboro. Oh, that’s right, everyone who watched it. That was seen as one of those one-score games fans hoped the 2024 team would improve upon. Such has not been the case to date.
WEATHER: Like the hearts of most Pats fans these days, cold damp and drizzly with a high of 40 degrees (lousy weather dogged the Chargers at Pats game of 2023 as well).
BROADCAST: The game, flexed from Sunday the 29th to Saturday the 28th at 1 p.m., will be broadcast on NFL Network, with Chris Rose and friend of WEEI Ross Tucker on the call, and Steve Wyche rocking the sideline duties.