1. To say things are uncomfortable in Pats Nation right now is as obvious an understatement as saying children have a hard time falling asleep on Dec. 24. Even when we all knew this was the beginning of a rebuild, a reset season where expectations were to be tempered (the Vegas win total was 4.5 games, after all), nobody is happy with how things are going. Not ownership. Not the coaching staff. Not the players. Not the fans. Not even the media! Yes, the infamously negative Boston sports media, accused of living for the next controversy, always looking for ways to spin something right into something wrong? They too are tired of how disheartening this season has been.
When Mike Reiss, perpetually positive and delightfully mild-mannered that he may be, when he scolds the Pats, then you know there are problems.
Save for rookie QB Drake Maye and second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez, nobody is playing above expectation on a roster sorely lacking in elite talent. There’s no need to go into the issues on and off the sideline first-year coach Jerod Mayo is having, because at this point it feels like we’re piling on. Critics are having a field day with the offensive and defensive gameplans from Alex Van Pelt and DeMarcus Covington, respectively (though AVP gets a grace from the growth of his prodigy, Maye). And now ownership is in the crosshairs after being seen on national TV last week being emotional about the game during New England’s 30-17 loss at Arizona.
Though we do not employ any professional lip readers at WEEI it’s easy to see Jonathan Kraft was complaining about the play-calling (to quote Die Hard, “Welcome to the party, pal!”) when the Pats failed to convert a 3rd & 1 and 4th & 1 deep in Cardinals territory. For what it’s worth, Van Pelt said he knew the Krafts were upset with how he was guiding the offense, but that he was most upset because of the execution of the offense. That is part of the accountability Mayo talks about the team needing, but owning mistakes or frustrations doesn’t lead to anything aside from good optics. Learning from those mistakes leading to more positive actions? That speaks louder than any soundbite at a press conference postgame, mid-week or anytime, really.
Which is what leads us to the million dollar question: what can be done to avoid finishing the season on a four-game slide, with potential blowouts on the horizon against top tier opponents? Neither the Buffalo Bills nor the Los Angeles Chargers, both with postseason on their minds, will be feeling charitable toward the Pats because it’s the holidays. Mercy won’t likely be shown in any gridiron dojo. Are we steering into the inevitable of a brutal finish that calls every aspect of the football operation into question? Pleas for urgency and pledges to do better all ring hollow in the face of lackluster effort and execution.
The players don’t seem to be phoning in their efforts. Many players even come to the defense of their coordinators and coach when pressed about the current situation.
So is it a lack of talent or a lack of good coaching that’s caused this mess? The answer is likely both. We know there will be massive roster-based change, with several positional groups being drastically overhauled. But will this current administration be the ones to help turn things around? This is no ordinary situation for Jerod Mayo, Eliot Wolf and company. This is a total team rebuild in the face of learning how to coach, call games, deal with the media, etc. A herculean task for even the most seasoned of coaches and personnel managers.
The coaches and players will give it their all over the final three tilts, but will it be enough to avoid abject embarrassment? And what does ownership do? Grin and bear this grim reality, promising to give coach Mayo the players, coaches and resources next season he needs to succeed and prove he deserves the faith of owner Robert Kraft? Or bring sweeping organizational change this offseason. No need to ask the fans what they want (Patriots related social media is a toxic minefield these days). We’ve heard reports that they’ll give Mayo their support, but the din of unrest could be so loud they feel compelled to enact drastic change. If so, could an option have presented itself this week?
Mike Vrabel has been a popular choice regionally for head coach since last offseason. His reported interest in the job could alter ownership’s mind as to their plan to stay committed to Jerod Mayo and see this storm out as Vrabel is seen as a tough, strong willed football guy who will build a program and not be overwhelmed by the task of cleaning things up in Foxboro. Vrabel took over as HC of the Tennessee Titans in January of 2018 and had them in the AFC championship in January of 2020 (no need to revisit who he beat in that postseason, thanks). Ownership and fans adore him, and he could very well bring someone like old friend Josh McDaniels back to be OC, who many believe could do wonders with Drake Maye. Vrabel will be a popular name this offseason with openings in New York (times two) and Chicago coming immediately to mind.
And there you have it: could ownership believe they either hired the wrong coach or doomed him with the infrastructure they surrounded him with, necessitating a change, thereby bringing in another former Patriot who has a track record and doesn’t need mentoring to turn things around? There’s almost no need to debate other candidates if another head coach were to be brought in next season as the Krafts would more than likely prefer someone familiar, someone beloved by fanbase and ownership alike.
The pressure is on every week in the NFL, and despite any assurances we’ve heard about coming from the front office to Mayo’s office, the NFL is results oriented, and if the final three games go south for the Pats, then all bets are off. Whoever created this mess is immaterial at this point. Who ownership believes is best suited, beyond any promises made or deals done five years ago, will be decided upon by early January. Vrabel’s record speaks for itself. Now would be the time for Mayo to do less speaking about the mistakes he made when he spoke and let his team’s play do the talking for him.
2. TACKLE FOR A LOSS - The whole of Patriots Nation, and the NFL, were saddened Thursday when Patriots star defensive tackle Christian Barmore was placed back on the non-football illness list with a recurrence of his blood clotting issue that sidelined him for the first 10 games of the 2024 season.
Barmore played in just four games this season, registering one sack. He looked to be playing his way back into shape, going through what felt like a preseason in-season. Coming off the bye there was hope he would be a factor on a defense that is desperate for playmaking and someone to generate pressure. Asking him to return to his dominant form of 2023 would have been a tall order, with the hope he could look more like himself than he had all season. Instead his season is over, a mostly lost campaign, and perhaps a football career in the balance as well. Barmore was looked to be one of the stars on a defense that was to hold the team together as the offense retools under rookie coach and QB.
Hopefully football can be discussed as part of his plans at a later date, because of greater concern is his health. A recurrence of a blood clotting issue is a serious matter that needs to be handled sensitively. Football can wait. Here’s hoping for a full recovery and medical clearance to resume a normal day to day life without blood thinners or worry for a 25 year old man with so much ahead of him. A return to the field next season with no health concerns would be icing on that cake.
3. BUFFALO SOLDIERS - The Buffalo Bills are coming into Sunday’s showdown in Orchard Park as hot as any team in the NFL. They’re averaging over 39 points per game over their last four contests, having just put up 48 in a win on the road in Detroit. QB Josh Allen is playing his best football to date, likely the league’s MVP as he carries the ball and his team into the endzone time and time again. Previous iterations of Allen have given the Pats fits, with Allen going 4-1 vs. the Pats in his last five, 7-5 all-time vs. New England, one of those being the 47-17 playoff demolition in Buffalo. Now he’s playing supercharged, a man on a mission to try and deliver the first championship to his title starved fans. Pats could be in for another playoff-level beatdown come 4:25 p.m. in a game that was flexed, sadly, not to give America a look at Drake Maye but rather more eyeballs for Allen’s impressive run.
When fans tune in they might see two things that look rather familiar. One would be Buffalo’s new uniforms, which will look eerily similar to a certain uniform combo of the Patriots no less.
We get it, Buffalo! You want to be the Patriots or at least have what we did so badly now you’re dressing like us? Jeez (insert winking smiley emoji here).
Second…there are comparisons galore being made between Drake Maye and Josh Allen, as people see some of young Josh Allen in Drake Maye as a rookie, from the size, the strong arm and most especially the tremendous running ability.
While Allen struggled more in his rookie season (he had 10 passing TDs to 12 INTs but also eight rushing TDs), he really came on in 2019 and has been a football force since. He also was on a more talented roster with a solid coaching staff in place, plus his Alex Van Pelt was Brian Daboll, the current New York Giants head coach who coveted Maye in the 2024 draft (it’s all coming together now, isn’t it?). Allen’s command of the field and a defense’s need to account for his many talents at all times is exactly what Patriots fans and the NFL at large are beginning to see in Maye. Problem is the talent surrounding him, and potentially the coaching staff as well. The comps are logical, but Allen definitely had the better surrounding talent and infrastructure in his development. Any changes made by the Patriots this offseason will be not only for overall organizational benefit but also to continue expediting Maye’s ascension, hopefully, into the next Josh Allen. Hopefully their first matchup isn’t as brutal as a 14.5 point spread suggests.
4. TWIRP (This Week In Receiver Problems) - The 2024 Pats receiver room is truly a work of art. We talk about the issues they’ve had, the lack of talent, the hope that someone emerges as a leader or a playmaker in a complete void of flash. The group’s past week has really been something to behold, though:
**Ja’Lynn Polk, mired in a miserable rookie campaign, came out of the bye and registered zero catches against the Cardinals.
**Kayshon Boutte scored an assist on Drake Maye’s lone INT vs. Arizona, said the INT might have been because the ball was low (not cool), then kinda threw his offensive coordinator under the bus only to Mayo it and apologize afterward.
**Javon Baker, still without a catch in his rookie year, missed the Arizona game because he was in concussion protocol following a car accident during the bye week.
**Kendrick Bourne, who caught a nice deep ball from Maye in the second half (more of those please) owned up to bad blocking on a play that could have sprung Pop Douglas for a big gain. We appreciate the accountability, but better is expected from an eighth-year veteran.
At least Bourne provided the needed levity in the locker room this week in a wonderfully awkward exchange with WBZ’s Dan Roche.
DeMario Douglas escapes our wrath this week since he caught that snazzy TD flick from Maye, but it’s not like he was 1989 Jerry Rice before that play.
The Pats will likely bring sweeping change to this room over the offseason, or at least add some more talent, short of sweeping change. They did add to the room this week, signing 32-year-old veteran receiver Alex Erickson to the practice squad. Erickson, an eight-year veteran, last played for the Chargers in 2023, catching 16 passes for 232 yards and a TD over eight games with three starts. Perhaps he gets a look over the final three for New England to see if he could be a mature veteran presence in a room in need of stability and guidance.
5. QB GIFTS - Quarterbacks usually give generously to their offensive linemen around the holidays. Over the years we’ve seen some rather lavish and unique goodies gifted to the big boys up front from the signal callers they protect. And this year has been no exception.
Patrick Mahomes put together a wild gift set for his line…
Brock Purdy, who’s expecting a lavish pay day soon, spent over half his salary buying trucks for his linemen.
And Joe Burrow, who recently bought himself a Batmobile, gave his linemen handcrafted katana swords from Japan (true warrior move.)
So this begs the question, what do the Pats QBs get for their line? Do Brissett and Maye go in on a slit, with Maye picking up 2/3rds of the freight? Who do they buy for, seeing as they will have started the most offensive linemen in the NFL this season (and that’s BEFORE Cole Strange sees any snaps!). The roster shuffling along the line has presented problems for the Pats this season, but this is an unexpected one for sure.
6. DRAFT SZN - The Pats have their QB, this we know. After that there’s not a single area of the team that doesn’t need an infusion of talent.
The Patriots currently hold the third overall pick next April. Looking at their difficult remaining schedule it’s likely they remain in that spot, though they could inch up a notch if the Raiders win one or two of their remaining games (the Jaguars and Saints are on their radar). The Giants are a disaster and likely won’t win another game, giving them a real shot at the top overall pick.
With both the Raiders and Giants being QB-needy unlike New England, that likely will give the Pats their choice of whomever they deem the best fit, and there are plenty of needs. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, with his dynamic two-way ability, comes to mind immediately. He could address multiple needs and add some needed starpower to the equation as well.
However, now with Christian Barmore’s health an issue and the ability to depend on him to anchor the D-line and pass rush going forward (the Pats are 29th in the league in QB pressures) in question, they may consider looking for defense first. Michigan’s Mason Graham could be a player to keep an eye on as he was a dominant force on Michigan’s defensive line this year and a unanimous All-American.
Of course the offensive line remains THE top priority, with LSU’s Will Campbell and Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. the top O-linemen in the draft. Arizona’s Tet McMillan is the best wide receiver coming out, but we can’t see the Pats going after a receiver that early without a certification he'd be a stud. These likely will be the top names circulating throughout Pats Nation and draft talk therein if you want to study up and develop a far-too-soon draft crush before Christmas Day.
7. NTKs - And finally, as always, last but never least, those extra somethings you need to know to enhance and complete or at least ensure you have a broadcast and best possible gameday experience: the NTKs!
ALL-TIME: The Patriots hold the 78-50-1 advantage over the 129 times the Bills and Pats have played. Much of that is thanks to Brady and Belichick’s dominance over the two decades they ran the show and the AFC East. Since Brady left town, Buffalo has won five straight AFC East titles.
SPREAD: Buffalo is a modest 14.5 point favorite over New England, with an over/under of 46.5 points. That’s for both teams, not just Buffalo.
WEATHER: Quintessentially Buffalo weather en route: cloudy, windy, chance of flurries, a high of 17 degrees. What a sight the lots will be prior to kickoff.
BROADCAST: The game was flexed from 1 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. on CBS (Channel 4 locally), with Ian Eagle and Charles Davis on the call, Evan Washburn reporting from the balmy sidelines.