1. For different reasons, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick both had frustrating weeks. Dealing with COVID-19 issues aside, Belichick had to deal with some poor quarterback play from Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham in the 26-10 loss to the Chiefs Monday night in Kansas City. There were a variety of issues ranging from interceptions, poor clock management, to just taking bad sacks at inopportune times. The Patriots turned the ball over four times — their most since Dec. 16, 2012 — and the quarterbacks were involved in all four. It’s very unlikely Brady would have had a game like that and turning the ball over four times is very frustrating for a coach, especially when the defense played as well as it did against the powerful Kansas City offense. Then Thursday night, Brady had to once again deal with a number of penalties going against Tampa Bay, which whether fair or not, is a reflection of the head coach. Against the Bears Thursday, the Bucs committed 11 penalties for 109 yards. Even though they have played one more game than the rest of the league, they lead the NFL in number of penalties by a wide margin. They have committed 42 on the year — seven more than Chicago and 10 more than the Jets. Brady never had to worry about that in New England as it was always one of the least-penalized teams in the league. While both are focused on their own teams and not looking back at the past, it’s worth wondering if either, or both, missed the other this past week.
2. Monday’s Patriots-Broncos game is a sneaky big game for New England. If the Patriots are going to be playoff contender and even be in the second tier in the AFC, these are the games they need to win. Denver comes in at 1-3 with its only win against the Jets, which came in the closing minutes. It’s one of the worst teams in the league and even with the week the team had, the Patriots need to win this type of game. If they lose and fall to 2-3, they go into their bye week with a bad taste in their mouth and then have to come back with a game against the defending NFC champion 49ers. From a confidence and momentum standpoint, Monday is a big one for New England.
3. There’s a notion by some across the country that Belichick is all about football and not really paying much attention to COVID protocols like some other coaches, but that could not be any further from the case. Belichick is in fact one of the coaches taking COVID the most serious, as evident by keeping the Gillette Stadium facility closed on Friday. “What’s best for our football team is the health and safety of our team,” he said Saturday. “That’s our No. 1 priority. So, without that, we don’t have a team. We have to maintain the integrity of not only our football team, but also the extended team – our families and the loved ones for every member of our team. That’s got to come first. I think everybody recognizes that, feels the same way and we’ll have to work maybe a little bit harder to make up for some of the on-the-field practice time that we’ve missed this week, but we can’t compromise the health, safety and well-being of our football team, including our staff.”
4. Even Cam Newton does play Monday, Damien Harris will be a key player in the game for the Patriots offense. He’s coming off his first career 100-yard game and with Sony Michel on IR, Harris will likely be the lead back. Speaking Saturday, Harris talked about the confidence that he has. “I think, personally, most of my confidence comes from being on the practice field, going out and preparing every single day to put my best foot forward on Sundays or whatever day we ultimately are playing the game,” he said. “But I think that's where my confidence comes from, going out there and working on what's going to happen in the game, preparing myself to go out there and play a tough, physical and competitive football game.”
5. It’s likely if Newton cannot play, Jarrett Stidham will be the starter after he relieved Brian Hoyer a week ago. And while Stidham wasn’t great in the game, he will be in a better position to succeed this week. Up until Saturday last week, he was the third-string QB running the scout team. This week, he likely went through all the meetings with the mindset as a starter and that should lead to better results on the field.
6. In terms of who has impressed most through the first quarter of the season, on defense, Kyle Dugger has to be one of the players mentioned most. He hasn’t shown any signs of coming from D-II Lenoir-Rhyne and has carved a nice role for himself in the Patriots secondary. He should get even better as the year goes along.
7. While last week’s game created a short week for the Patriots, this week will not be the same as they will be on their bye week following the game. It’s unclear how Belichick will handle things this year from a scheduling standpoint, but in the past the team has practiced a few times before getting a few extra days off over the weekend. The NFL has recently released new COVID guidelines and players are not allowed to leave their given cities during bye weeks.
