Josh Uche has certainly shown some spark early in his second NFL season.
The former second-round pick had an impressive spring and summer as he looks to make the “Year 2 Jump” that Bill Belichick so often talks about.
In the season opener against the Dolphins, Uche played just 15 defensive snaps, though he did notch a sack. A week later, Sunday’s win in New York, the sophomore linebacker saw his playing time more than double against the Jets. And his production grew as well, with Uche recording two of New England’s four sacks of rookie QB Zach Wilson, though both came in the closing minutes of the game.
Uche’s role, like that of so many Patriots especially on the defensive side of the ball, will likely vary from week to week. But there is no question the young defender is continuing to work toward a more impactful spot in the rotation and it’s hard to ignore his three sacks in 50 snaps on the year.
Beyond Uche’s work, here’s a look at some of the other notable nuggets from New England’s snap counts against the Jets:
--The Patriots played 73 defensive snaps at MetLife Stadium, with Devin McCourty the only player on the field for each one. The 12th-year veteran has played 100-percent of the defensive snaps in each of the first two games of the year, something he did in 12 of 16 games a year ago.
--New England had 58 offensive snaps against the Jets with four offensive linemen (Isaiah Wynn, Mike Onwenu, David Andrews and Shaq Mason) and QB Mac Jones playing every one of them.
--Jakobi Meyers (90 percent), Nelson Agholor (86) and Hunter Henry (81) were far and away the leaders in snaps among skill position players against the Jets.
--Jonnu Smith, who was limited in practice last week with a hip injury that popped up midweek, played 50 percent (29) of the snaps after playing 73 percent of the snaps in the opener against the Dolphins.
--James White was on the field for 29 snaps (50 percent), most among running backs. He took advantage of the reps, serving as the Patriots leading receiver with six catches on six targets for 45 yards while chipping in with five rushes for 20 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown.
--Damien Harris logged 24 snaps (41 percent), leading to 16 carries for 62 yards. That included an impressive 26-yard effort in which he seemingly broke tackle attempts by virtually every Jets defender.
--With Trent Brown inactive dealing with a calf injury, the Patriots split the reps at right tackle out of necessity between first-time starter Yasir Durant and Justin Herron. Durant played 31 snaps (53 percent), while Herron played 30 (52 percent). Neither has been overly impressive through two weeks of action trying to fill in for Brown.
--New England continues use a variety of bodies in different roles on the defensive side of the ball, a staple of so many successful Patriots defenses over the years. Seventeen players played at least 25 percent of the snaps, 13 playing at least 45 percent.
--There may have been a thought that Ja’Whuan Bentley’s role might shrink in 2021 given the injection of talent on the rebuilt front. But that has not been the case. With Kyle Van Noy (throat) inactive against the Jets, Bentley played the second most defensive snaps (68, 93 percent) on the team. Bentley played 72 percent of the snaps in the opener against Miami.
--Jalen Mills’ 56 snaps (77 percent) were most by a defensive back not named McCourty, followed closely by second-year safety Kyle Dugger’s 55 snaps (75 percent). Dugger’s role expanded over the second half of his rookie season and he’s now a mainstay in the backend on most downs.
--New England utilized plenty of three-safety, big nickel looks against New York with McCourty (100 percent), Dugger (75 percent) and Adrian Phillips (75 percent) on the field together. McCourty and Phillips each recorded interceptions in the win.
--Deatrich Wise led defensive linemen with 42 snaps (58 percent), although Christian Barmore (40 snaps), Lawrence Guy (28 snaps), Davon Godchaux (28 snaps) and Henry Anderson (18 snaps) all got their chances up front for a run defense that struggled. New York ran for 152 yards on 31 carries.
--Barmore saw his play time grow from 26 snaps in his NFL debut.
--Matthew Slater not surprisingly led the non-specialists in reps in the kicking game with 19 (76 percent). The core special teamers included Justin Bethel (18 snaps), Brandon King (18 snaps), Cody Davis (18 snaps) and Brandon Bolden (15 snaps).