After snapping a six-game losing streak in Week 8, the Patriots hit the road in Week 9 to take on the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans, who were 1-6 entering Sunday coming off a blowout loss to Detroit, were seen by many before the season as an opponent New England had a real chance of beating during a season where wins would be hard to come by.
Unfortunately for Patriots fans, Sunday saw the Titans adding to their win total, as New England fell at Nissan Stadium in Nashville 20-17.
The Patriots are now 2-7 on the season, and have not won back-to-back games since winning three in a row in the middle of the 2022 season.
Here are your “Ups & Downs” for Week 9. Let’s start positive:
Ups:
- Marcus Jones: After the third-year return man had a 62-yard punt return at the top of the third quarter in Week 8, he followed that up early in Week 9 with a 44-yard punt return in the first quarter that set the Patriots up from their own 47 yard line.
Jones gave the offense incredible field position to start their third possession of the game. But it was all for naught, as rookie quarterback Drake Maye threw a bad interception three plays later.
Ahead of the final possession in regulation, Jones was at it again.
On 4th and 7 from the Titans 17 yard line, Tennessee inexplicably punted to the dangerous Jones, instead of kicking away from the playmaker with their late 17-10 lead.
Jones fielded the ball at New England’s 25, and proceeded to pick up 25 yards on his way to the 50 yard line. This, once again, gave the Patriots incredible field position for their final possession, where they needed 7 points with no timeouts and 1:45 on the clock.
Maye and the offense got that done, and it was in large part due to Jones' playmaking ability.
For a team that struggles to find the end zone, having a player like Jones who can consistently help flip the field is massive.
- DeMario Douglas: The second-year wide receiver had another great week, making big plays for a Patriots offense in desperate need of them.
On their first possession of the second half, Maye connected with “Pop” on 1st and 15 from the Patriots 47 yard line for a 21-yard gain to the Titans 32.
A few flags, I mean plays later, Maye found Douglas again - this time for 4 yards on a 2nd and 3 that set up 1st and goal for New England.
Douglas finished the day with 7 catches for 35 yards, so we’re obviously not fitting this guy for a gold jacket just yet.
But these two plays coming on the same drive highlight the type of player Douglas can be once this offense rounds into form - someone that can make the big play to keep a drive moving, as well as the possession receiver-type plays on second-and-third downs that are crucial to any successful offense.
…that’s it for this section today, folks.
A special category was created for this week highlighting more of the positives later in the column.
Downs:
- Offensive Line: Outside of Maye’s scrambling, the running game for New England was a no-show, which has become a trend in recent weeks for a team that has publicly talked about wanting to be known as a pound-the-rock group.
Patriots running backs were held to 15 rushing yards on 12 carries on the day.
Gross.
For a passing game that’s still a work in progress, for it to be relied on as the main source of offensive production is a recipe for disaster for New England.
Speaking of the passing game - the offensive line has continued to look better in pass protection, but they were 50% to blame for a turnover in the second quarter, 90% to blame for a turnover in the fourth quarter, and were far from perfect on Sunday.
The second quarter turnover came when Maye threw a bad pick directly to Titans safety Amani Hooker.
It was a bad mistake by Maye, but the rookie quarterback was under intense pressure on the play. It’s safe to say Maye is able to make a better decision on that play if he has more time to make a decision.
The fourth quarter turnover came on 2nd and 13 from their own 32 yard line with 7:03 remaining in the game.
Maye was under pressure, and his backside tackle Vederian Lowe had completely lost his one-on-one battle with Titans linebacker Arden Key. Key hit Maye as he tried to dump the ball off to his running back, triggering a sack-fumble that was recovered by All-World defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Five plays later, the Titans took a 17-10 lead with 4:27 to go, with Tennessee quarterback Mason Rudolph finding receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in the corner of the end zone for 6.
If not for an amazing punt return by Jones to set-up heroics for Maye, this would have been the mistake Patriots fans and media alike would have pointed to as the dagger in this game.
Dagger or not, it led to points for an offense that was having a hard time finding them on Sunday.
The offensive line only allowed 4 sacks for a loss of 21 yards, but the lack of pocket throughout the day led to Maye having to use his legs to make plays for the Patriots.
He was able to pick up 95 yards on the ground on 8 carries, which is great!
But when you consider the rookie suffered a concussion just seven days prior on a play where he was forced to use his legs to make a play, it makes you look at that rushing stat line in a new light.
A few of these runs for Maye ended with the rookie sliding late, keeping his head high. That’s exactly what led to his concussion in Week 8.
The offensive line needs to do a better job of keeping Maye out of these situations.
Another bad performance for a unit that has struggled all season long.
- Front 7: Look, Tennessee’s offense was no great shakes on Sunday. I get it.
But when the Titans were able to move the football, it was at the expense of the defensive line and linebackers.
Veteran running back Tony Pollard rushed for 128 yards on 28 carries, including a 32-yard run on the first possession of the game that helped set Tennessee up for their lone touchdown of the first half.
Later in the game, Pollard was unstoppable on the final drive for the Titans, picking up 36 yards on 7 carries on the way to a game-winning field goal for former Patriots kicker Nick Folk.
Third-year running back Julius Chestnut was also effective, adding 22 yards on the ground on 5 carries.
When the offensive line for Tennessee wanted to get a push, they did.
On top of their inability to keep the running game in check, Rudolph was able to find success underneath the defense.
The scoreboard doesn’t show that, and neither does his stat line.
But on the Titans' first possession of the game, one that saw Tennessee take the ball to the house on 8 plays for 75 yards, Rudolph completed balls for 10, 12 and 9 on their way to the score. He also scrambled for 13 yards mid-possession to keep the drive alive on 3rd and 12 from their own 34.
A bad offense was able to operate because New England’s front decided not to show up on Sunday.
- Ja’Lynn Polk: In his first week back from concussion protocol, Polk was called for two different penalties, adding to the season-from-hell for the rookie.
In the first half, Polk was called for holding on a 1st and 10 from the Titans 35.
Had Polk not committed the penalty, it would have been an 11-yard gain for fellow receiver DeMario Douglas.
Instead, Polk was called for the 10-yard penalty, and it was 1st and 18 from the Titans 43.
A play that could’ve gotten momentum rolling for the Patriots offense was wiped off the board.
On the first drive of the second half, Polk was called for an illegal shift on 1st and 10 from the Titans 48 yard line. The rookie wasn't set before the ball was snapped.
While the drive did ultimately end in points for the Patriots, Polk’s second penalty of the game underscores his inability to improve as a player throughout his first season.
In addition to the penalties, Polk was held catchless on one total target.
The 37th overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft has continued to look lost within the struggling New England offense.
- Bryce Baringer: Usually a mainstay in the “Ups” section of this column, Baringer is making a rare appearance in “Downs.”
In the waning moments of the second quarter, Baringer hit the field for a punt on 4th and 2 from his team’s 37.
Baringer shanked the ball like he’s never punted in his life, giving the Titans the ball at their own 48 yard line.
That’s a 15-yard punt for a player who has arguably been the team’s most consistent player in 2024.
Luckily for New England, Tennessee’s offense is as bad as anyone in the NFL, and was unable to take advantage of the awesome field position for points before the half.
But with how good Baringer has been this year, we at “Ups & Downs” need to be fair.
When a player plays poorly, we have to call it out.
- Kendrick Bourne: The veteran receiver had a bad sequence in the first quarter that I wanted to make sure doesn’t go unnoticed, especially with Bourne’s standing as one of the vocal leaders in New England’s locker room.
On the Patriots’ second possession of the game, Maye threw a ball to Bourne on 2nd and 9 from their own 21 that fell incomplete.
One play later, Bourne was called for a false start, setting up a 3rd and 14 from the New England 16.
For the cherry on top, Bourne ran an out-route on that 3rd and 14 short of the sticks. He made the catch, but didn’t give himself a chance to pick up the first down based on how he ran the route.
Mental mistakes from a leader in the huddle are something a young, struggling offense cannot afford.
Some Ups, Some Downs:
- Drake Maye: There were some really nice throws in this game from Maye, as well as some impressive plays with his legs that picked up a handful of first downs.
And a lot of that has been covered while highlighting/lowlighting others in this column.
He deserves credit for that, so he can’t be placed in the “Downs” category.
And let’s give this kid a ton of credit for what he did on the final play of regulation, where the offense went 50 yards on 11 plays over the final 1:45 with no timeouts, ending in a game-tying touchdown pass to Stevenson that he deserves all the flowers for.
Maye dodged, ducked, dipped, dived and dodged for well over 10 seconds in the backfield, eventually finding Stevenson for a jump ball touchdown catch while being pulled down by three defenders behind the line of scrimmage.
It was as Mahomes-ian as we’ve ever seen in New England.
It was awesome.
Regardless of today’s outcome, the Patriots have a real one at QB.
But it’s the mistakes the rookie made on Sunday that will keep him out of the “Ups” category in Week 9:
- We covered the interception while talking about the offensive line, but we made a point to say it was a bad pick for Maye for a reason. The rookie threw the ball off his backfoot, directly into coverage. He was clearly rattled by the pressure, but he needed to just get rid of that ball instead of trying to force a throw into coverage.
- The strip-sack in the fourth quarter was almost entirely the offensive line’s fault. I get it. But better pocket presence for Maye down the line probably negates this turnover in the future. One of the best things Tom Brady used to do was just fall down and take a sack when the pressure was on him, avoiding the opportunity for a takeaway by the defense. We’ll see if Maye is able to add this to his repertoire before the end of the season.
- Like we mentioned during the section on the offensive line - Maye needs to do a better job of keeping himself out of harm’s way. 8 carries for 95 yards is cool, but you’d love that to be closer to 4 carries, and you definitely want his slides to come sooner and start lower. His last carry of the game had the rookie looking like he was doing a Jim Brown impression, lowering his helmet to try and pick up an extra yard-and-a-half. This is how you get another concussion, young fella.
- On the final play of the game, Maye threw his second interception to Hooker on the day. This time, it was deep downfield on a ball intended for Kayshon Boutte on the Titans 11 yard line. Boutte was in double coverage, and the ball was underthrown. There was 2:17 left in the game, and it was 1st and 10 from the New England 41 yard line. There really wasn’t a need to force something here. Maye got ahead of himself trying to make a play, and it resulted in Tennessee sealing the win.
The last drive of regulation was incredible, but it’s not enough to wash away the rookie mistakes from Maye on Sunday.
- Joey Slye: The 28-year-old kicker was 1 for 2 kicking field goals on the day.
He missed a 56-yard field goal on the offense’s first possession of the ballgame, as the Patriots were unable to respond to the Titans’ opening drive touchdown with any points of their own.
Three possessions later, Slye hit from 52 yards out, giving New England their first points of the game.
When you’ve hit from 63 yards earlier in the year, you’re expected to hit from 56 in perfect weather conditions.
So one “Up,” one “Down” for Slye on Sunday.
- Jahlani Tavai: Tavai is a part of the front seven that struggled all game long for New England, so that alone is going to keep the six-year pro out of “Ups.”
But his first half tip drill interception in the end zone to keep the Titans from going up two scores is worth a tip of the cap, thus qualifying him for this special category.
The Patriots will get back at it in Week 10, as they head back on the road to take on the Chicago Bears (4-4).
Chicago is also sporting a rookie QB this season, with 2024 number one pick Caleb Williams under center.