How about these Patriots?
Led by their defense, the Patriots rolled over the Panthers, 24-6, in Carolina on Sunday. The unit forced three turnovers and made Sam Darnold look really bad.
The biggest was J.C. Jackson’s 88-yard pick-6 in the third quarter that ended any hope the Panthers had of winning the game.
Offensively, the Patriots did a great job establishing the run and playing physical. This is clearly the offense’s identity and is something the unit can look to build on as the weeks go by with every running back contributing.
New England improved to 5-4 with the win.
Here are 10 quick thoughts from the game.
1. New England’s running backs led the way. They accounted for 220 of the 273 total yards. Damien Harris had a rushing touchdown, so he now has five straight games with one, the longest streak by a Patriots player since LeGarrette Blount in 2016 (also five straight). But, Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson were injured during the second half. If these injuries are serious, New England may have to look to bring in a running back or two from outside the organization.
2. Mac Jones wasn’t spectacular, but he did enough to win the game. The rookie finished 12-for-18 passing with 139 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Jones was expected to have some issues in the game since Carolina has one of the better defense’s in the league, especially defending the pass. He made a few key throws and for the most part limited the mistakes.
3. The Patriots defense is hitting its stride at the right time. Besides forcing the turnovers, it did a great job defending the run and containing running back Christian McCaffrey. He finished with 54 yards rushing and didn't do much in the passing game until the game was out of reach. The front-seven may of had its best game of the season.
4. Brandon Bolden deserves a ton of credit for the job he’s done replacing James White has the Patriots’ third-down back. Not only has he caught the ball out of the backfield, his physical running style has helped out as well. He finished with 54 yards rushing and 27 yards receiving.
5. Christian Barmore has emerged as one of the most underrated players on the Patriots defense. The rookie had a terrific game, including a big pass deflection in the first half that saved the Patriots from giving up a big play. The Alabama product has the second-most pressures on the team behind Matthew Judon.
6. The Patriots did have issues with penalties early in the game. They committed four first-quarter penalties, which were their most first-quarter penalties since 2017. They had five accepted penalties against them in the opening quarter all season entering the day. It was a sloppy start, including a number before the snap.
7. Before suffering a head injury late in the game, Stevenson was great. He's a very physical runner and showed he can catch the ball out of the backfield. The rookie finished with 62 yards on 10 carries.
8. Jakobi Meyers once again did not record a receiving touchdown. He now has the most receiving yards in NFL history without a receiving touchdown. Although he was quiet in this particular game, Meyers has been solid for the offense this season, being one of Jones' go-to targets on third down.
9. Stephon Gilmore did have an interception against his former team. He picked off a Jones pass over the middle intended for Meyers in the first half. Gilmore had probably defended that route hundreds of times in practice over the last four years. He played pretty much like he did last week in his Panthers debut — strictly on third down. Gilmore is still working his way back from the quad injury suffered late last year.
10. At 5-4, the Patriots are certainly playing their best football of the season, which sets up a big game at home next Sunday against the Browns. Every game against an AFC opponent the rest of the year has even more importance.
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