1. Last time we checked in on the latest test for rookie head coach Jerod Mayo and his Patriots - a short turnaround Thursday Night Football game on the road at the divisional rival New York Jets after a heartbreaking overtime home loss - he and his team failed. And that’s putting it kindly, as the 24-3 final score vs. the Jets was not indicative of how lopsided that game was. The Pats were outclassed, out-hustled and outplayed in virtually every category on both sides of the ball. Most players chalked it up to a good old fashioned butt kicking and were ready to move on. Fans moved on by halfway through the third quarter.
Soon we will find out if these Patriots are a team that can get pushed around like 10 days back in the Meadowlands, or more like the team that gritted their way to a tough Week 1 road win in Cincinnati and held their own for four quarters against a surprising 3-0 Seattle Seahawks squad. The answer, more than likely, is both. That they have the capability, injuries withstanding, to match the physicality of an opponent and try to force their will, and run game, on opposing defenses, while playing some tenacious D themselves. Yet there will be times they are just plain overmatched by the talent of an opponent. Most of us were already planning for a rocky ride this “bridge season,” and Sunday in Santa Clara may confirm our feelings.
How the Pats respond, with extra rest, to a nationally streamed embarrassment will go a long way in giving us insight as to what kind of team we can expect to see the rest of the season, QB withstanding. The eventual replacement of Jacoby Brissett, whether it’s because he can’t get up anymore, or it’s just Drake Maye’s time, will obviously alter the equation. What we’re curious to see is what kind of toughness, what kind of effort, what kind of fight the Pats bring to Levi’s Stadium against a 49ers team that’s a bit dinged up themselves and also looking to re-establish their identity. Back-to-back road losses in which they were favored in both games and blew a two touchdown lead last week vs. the LA Rams will likely add some extra incentive to Kyle Shanahan’s crew to come out and assert themselves as Super Bowl contenders again.
“Right now it’s about who can get better the quickest, and that’s just what we have to do. We have to get back to the fundamentals,” said Mayo at his Monday morning media availability.
While he showed frustration on the sideline during the beatdown against the Jets, Mayo seemed refreshed after the long weekend, ready for a big week and game ahead. He also mentioned showing some slides to his players in a meeting to start the week, one slide containing a picture of a mirror, intended to create a feeling of self-reflection and remind his players that it’s all about them on the field.
“We gotta match troops with troops,” said Mayo at his Friday pre-departure presser, discussing both the mentality he wants to see from his team as well as how he wants his team to actively defend a 49ers team that uses pre-snap motion to create mismatches. Mayo also added, in a question about speeches to his team, that, “I always like to address the team, even the night before the game. I think they should hear my voice at the end of the day.”
These nuggets, as Mayo calls them, that he likes to share with the media align with a leader who brings a combination of energy, charisma, passion and knowledge to the fore. But all that could be for naught in a game where one team is double digit favorites (the 49ers are a 10.5-point favorite at last check.) A spread that size usually carries an expectation that a lopsided affair might be at hand, yet these Patriots have already once defied the odds as a road dog. A challenge of this magnitude could be the perfect culture test and reality check for Mayo and his team. The coach said he liked the energy he saw on the field during practice. Now the question is will Mayo’s words, motivation, energy and all the coaching translate into a representative bounce back effort.
2. In our latest prerequisite edition of “Maye-watch!,” checking in on when rookie QB Drake Maye might finally get his first start (he already saw his first NFL action in the 24-3 loss to the Jets)...it doesn’t appear as though Maye is any closer to starting for the Patriots, though some took the words of Mayo this week to possibly be a hint he’s closer to being ready.
“You want to get a guy like that obviously on the football field,” said Mayo on Wednesday when discussing how Maye has looked. Mayo has stood fast on Jacoby Brissett remaining the starter as he gives the team the best chance to win now.
For those burning to see Maye start ASAP, WEEI regular Tom E. Curran poured some nice cold water all over those embers when speaking with our afternoon show this week.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt addressed Maye’s progress, adding that Maye has looked really good at practice, but that “it’s a fine line” for him prepping Brissett to start while developing Maye and bringing him along for his eventual big day.
While many, like our own Meghan Ottolini, believe the Pats need to make significant improvements before inserting Maye as starter, curiosity as to when Maye gets the nod intensified Monday night with the performance of fellow rookie QB and 2024’s No. 2 overall selection, Jayden Daniels, who dazzled a national audience in Washington’s 38-33 road win vs. Cinicnnati. Daniels was remarkable, going 21-23 passing for 254 yards and 2 TDs through the air, while adding 39 yards and another TD on the ground. It was an astounding record-breaking performance for the rookie out of LSU making just his third pro start. While heads were turned nationally as to Daniels validating his draft slot and Washington’s investment in him, it may have lit a few “Let Drake cook” fires locally, the thinking being if Daniels can do it with a less than perfect O-line then why not Drake?
We might be best served to remember that Daniels played five years of college ball to Maye’s two, making 55 starts between Arizona State and LSU. Most considered him the most pro-ready of all six QB prospects that were drafted in the first round, meaning that experience would have him ready to start and be successful soonest. Those sentiments seem pretty spot on as Daniels delivered dime after dime, including an impressive game-winner to Terry McLaurin with under a minute remaining.
Washington has better receivers than New England and a slightly better offensive line to complement the nice “college offense,” as Bengals defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt called it, that OC Kliff Kingsbury has installed for Daniels. This all tracks for Daniels starting, and Maye watching, though his rapid success is still unexpected.
Pats fans will undoubtedly continue to watch the progress of Daniels on field as Maye holds a clipboard and possibly comes in during garbage time, comparisons to abound for years to come between the two. Perhaps greater scrutiny will be applied after ESPN’s Mike Reiss dropped a nugget this week that he believes the Pats would have drafted Daniels over Maye were they in possession of the No. 2 overall pick last April. Those late season 2023 wins over Pittsburgh and Denver will potentially be revisited as blessings or curses depending on how Daniels and Maye play in the years to come. Stay tuned!
3. Though he goes by the nickname King Dugger on social media he’s now known as Captain Dugger on the Patriots, as safety Kyle Dugger was named a replacement captain for linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, who was placed on Injured Reserve this week. Bentley, who's been spotted at practice in a sling, is still a captain, but as Mayo pointed out this week, when he himself was a captain during his playing days and was injured then coach Bill Belichick asked if he could name a replacement captain that was healthy and on field. Another great example of Mayo taking a cue from his mentor and applying it to his team now, thus Dugger steps in to part of Bentley’s leadership role on field.
Dugger’s ascension to captain represents a continued turn of new leadership on the team, a team in transition and evolution in many ways. He called it “a big honor, knowing the guys felt that way about me,” an honor taken in stride by not the most vocally aggressive player, who often lets his big plays and hard hits do the talking for him. It’s the latest accolade for the fifth-year safety, who in the offseason was the only Patriots player named to any of ESPN’s top 10 positional rankings, finishing as the eighth-best safety according to league executives, coaches and scouts. He now gets to lead by example and help fill an on-field void left by the highly underrated Bentley, who gave the move his blessing.
4. That new captain is going to have to get used to some new faces on the field this week, and likely all season long. The good teams aren’t often shuttling guys in and out each week, whereas teams looking to set their base for the future do just that. And in the case of the Patriots, they’re looking for long-term talent while also looking for some immediate help.
On the offensive side, the Pats could be starting their fourth different left tackle…in four weeks (oh, how I wish that was a misprint.) Definitely not the blueprint for success but done out of necessity, this week it appears second-year player Demontrey Jacobs, claimed off waivers from the Denver Broncos in August, is likely to get the nod. Vederian Lowe hasn’t practiced, rookie Caedan Wallace injured his knee vs. the Jets and Week 1 starter Chukumwa Okorafor has literally left the building. That leaves Jacobs to potentially make his first pro start vs. the 49ers. Talk about trial by fire. Good news is that second-year guard Sidy Sow, who’s been out the past two weeks with an ankle injury, should be back alongside Jacobs to help stabilize another spot that’s been in transition on the line.
The Pats may be starting Jacobs out of dire need, but maybe he’ll end this absurd search for an answer at LT (he’d make the 13th LT they’ve started since the start of the 2022 season - THIRTEENTH.)
Mayo said about Jacobs, “He's a big man. He's very coachable. Does a good job throwing his hands… He's done a good job." The Niners front is a tough spot to throw the new guy in the mix, but if he holds his own there could be an opportunity ahead for him, and hopefully not a trip to the little blue tent.
On the defensive side of things, third-year lineman Eric Johnson, snagged off of waivers after he was released by the Colts in August, could perhaps see some snaps soon as defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said he wants to build some depth behind starters Davon Godchaux and Daniel Ekuale, both on pace for a career high in snaps (another spot where the loss of Christian Barmore really is felt). Said Montgomery about Johnson: “Great size. He’s going to be a good football player. We’re just teaching him to play the game that we play.”
New tackles on both sides of the ball possibly getting looks? Well, if you armchair scouts out there are looking for something new each week from the Pats you’ve gotten it the first month for sure, with more new faces likely on the way soon.
5. How about some of the old faces we haven’t seen around recently? We know Ja’Whaun Bentley is on IR, likely to remain there for the season but not official yet. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who started the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list as he continues to recover from ACL surgery, shared some encouraging video in an IG post this week.
Bourne would be a very welcome return for a struggling Pats wide receiver corps. He along with linebacker Sione Takitaki and safety/LB Marte Mapu are eligible to come off the PUP as of next week, Week 5. With an empty roster spot at the moment the smart money is on Bourne, though Takitaki coming in and helping out a linebacker room in need of a boost after Bentley’s injury would be most welcome, too.
One other face we may not see on the field this season but his teammates are seeing plenty of, especially on Fridays, is defensive lineman Christian Barmore. Barmore, who was diagnosed with blood clots at the end of preseason and might well miss the season as he recovers, has been placed in charge of a weekly event called “Friday Funnies”, as was reported by friend of the Six Rings podcast Chris Mason of MassLive.com.
While teammates think Barmore is very funny in-person, they’re not terribly pleased to date with his work, where he is tasked with finding some funny videos to share in an edited compilation. Said fellow D-lineman Davon Godchaux, “Barmore has been doing a bad job. I think I told him, ‘I’m going to try to be in control this week.’ Barmore has been doing a bad job.”
While Barmore’s condition was quite serious, it’s nice to hear he’s around the team and working on something lighthearted for his teammates, whom he hopes to join back on the field soon.
6. It really is a new era of football in Foxboro, and not just with all the players, coaches and coordinators. It’s a new era of insight for the fans and media alike, too. While Mayo loves to remind people about his nuggets he shares with the media, hinting that he shares more than his mentor Bill Belichick, it’s also a new era of insight from the players as well, and not just on social media.
Sure, players likely speak with more freedom on the socials under Mayo than Belichick, but the number of podcasts where players are sharing stories and intel from games and behind the scenes seems to grow by the week.
The Quick Snap Pod, with co-hosts Brian Hoyer and David Andrews, mixes a former and current Pats player together for a mix of analysis, stories and behind the scenes intel that would have been unheard of in the previous regime. In the most recent episode, with Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones the special guest, Andrews reveals everything from how he felt the team played against the Jets and why they failed to which current Patriots player is the best locker room DJ and who on the team he’d let date his daughter. Hard to imagine that show getting distributed weekly when Bill was in charge.
Andrews’ Quick Snap Pod joins defensive lineman Davon Godchaux with his weekly “Chaux Talk” video podcast, often featuring current Patriots players. He even had coach Jerod Mayo as a guest recently! Though Bill Belichick is the new king of media, the idea of him sitting next to one of his players and sharing stories before a game is beyond laughable.
Podcasts and video series are nothing new for NFL players (just do a simple google search and you’ll find hundreds of pods with current players). Cam Newton had his video pods he produced while with the Patriots, but that seemed an exception to the norm. Plus he never had teammates on or discussed recent games. It’s a fascinating peek at how players are learning to control the narrative and produce their own content, and how Mayo and his team are loosening things up for the players to be free or be right back after this important word from our sponsor.
7. And finally, here are your NTK’s - Need To Knows - about Sunday’s game, including weather, network, broadcast team, historical record and more.
–ALL TIME: San Francisco has a 9-5 all time advantage vs. New England, with a 4-2 record in the Bay Area. SF won the last meeting in 2020 at Gillette, final score of SF a ton, the Pats not much. The Pats’ last win vs. the 49ers was 2016, at Levi’s Stadium, a game remembered for a tremendous catch and run TD pass from Tom Brady to Malcolm Mitchell. Good times.
–BROADCAST TEAM: The game will be broadcast on FOX, with a 4:05 p.m. EST kickoff. FOX’s second team of the dynamic Joe Davis and a color analyst and two-time Emmy winner who’s not afraid to speak his mind in the booth (*cough-cough*), Greg Olsen, will be on the call, with a whole lot of America getting this game.
–WEATHER: clear and sunny with a high in the low 80’s, nothing meteorologically getting in the way of some football.