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Tom Shaw-Mellors

Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 2 vs Pittsburgh

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Joe Sargent/Getty Images

A massive win in Pittsburgh brought the Patriots’ record on the season to .500 at 1-1. Let’s take a look at the ups & downs from week 2!

Ups ⬆️

Nelson Agholor

A much better week for Agholor who was on the down list following his late-game fumble against Miami last Sunday. He finished with 6 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, of which was a brilliant grab high up above the Steelers defender, before running it in.

Something which most of us thought Parker would be doing, Agholor decided to do instead, a great contest catch and score which was a huge point in the game.

Jakobi Meyers

Safety blanket Jakobi Meyers was at it again this week, hauling in 9 catches for 95 yards. For me, he’s been the most important cog in the offense so far this season, without him out there, I worry how the team will move the chains, another good week for #16.

Matthew Judon

Judon had a solid time out there on Sunday, he recorded a sack and also made a big play in coverage, breaking up a pass that was intended for Najee Harris. Judon’s performances tapered off last year down the stretch, but if he can keep a consistent level going this season, it will be huge for the Pats.

Brenden Schooler

The UDFA special teamer made a play against former-Patriots All-Pro Gunner Olszewski muffed a punt, allowing Schooler to recover for an important takeaway.

The Offensive Line

A much better week from the line, who seemed more on the same page, allowing the offense to get some drives together. More noticeably, Cole Strange was making so big blocks against Cam Hayward which stuck out to me, I wanna see more of that! Not the finished article by any stretch, but a note of improvement for the unit.

Downs ⬇️

Mac Jones

It was better, but still not good enough for our starting QB. Mac looked at times indecisive and then too decisive to the point of choosing a player to throw to prior to snapping the ball it seemed. The pre-snap penalties were killers, for which he must shoulder some blame.

The interception was a poorly thrown ball and right now he just doesn’t look as comfortable as he did last year. I have faith that he’ll turn things around and I think he has the ability to do so, but not good enough again.

Myles Bryant

A very weird scenario on his punt return, nearly costing the Patriots a possession. What an ugly play. I think we’ll see someone else fielding punts next week, perhaps rookie Marcus Jones?

Big game coming up this weekend against Baltimore, LFG!

PatsProp Preview – A Must Win In Pittsburgh?

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Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots head in to Pittsburgh needing a victory this week to kick-star their season against a Steelers team who won last time out. Pittsburgh will be without their franchise defensive star TJ Watt, who got injured in Week 1, but they still have an intimidating defense, helped along by former Pats DC, Brian Flores.

Patriots To Watch

Mac Jones

Mac was injured in last weeks loss to the Dolphins, but fortunately, post-game tests showed there was no serious damage. He also missed practice on Wednesday with a stomach bug, but was back on Thursday and is all good to go for tomorrow’s game.

I think Mac will have somewhat of a bounce-back against a tricky Steelers secondary, as always, he’s the main one to watch in a Pats uniform.

Kendrick Bourne

I don’t know what the whole situation is with Bourne, but he’s been in the dog house for something. I think it’s about time he’s given some more reps on the field and I have a feeling that he’ll be back to his normal level of involvement tomorrow.

Damien Harris + Rhamondre Stevenson

Harris and Stevenson had a nice start against Miami last week, but their success slowly fizzled out as the game progressed. There is a chance for the Pats run attack to flourish tomorrow, Pittsburgh allowed 133 yards on the ground last week, so both Harris and Stevenson should be fired up for a chance to shine.

These will be a must watch tomorrow, I expect them to share out the carries and targets, especially with Montgomery on IR.

Offensive Line

The line, like Mac Jones, needs to bounce back this week. Along the entire unit they’ve looked less than average through preseason and in Week 1. Trent Brown will be key on the blindside, where Jones got hit a few times last week, I also want to see a more solid game from Cole Strange on the interior.

When this unit works well, the offense performs, when it doesn’t, well, you know.

Matt Judon

Judon can be a real difference maker for the Pats, and against a Steelers team who probably won’t give the offense many opportunities to score, Judon’s performance on the edge will be crucial in forcing mistakes and helping Mac Jones get the ball back.

Pittsburgh Problems?

Mitchell Trubisky

It’s certainly a different era for the Steelers following the retirement of Big Ben, Trubisky doesn’t provide a long-term solution at QB for them and has the nagging trait of being able to lose his team the game all by himself.

If the Pats can make things uncomfortable for him, the offense could unravel quickly.

Najee Harris

Harris is the biggest threat Pittsburgh has on offense for me, yes, they have some decent wideouts, but Harris showed last season as a rookie that he belongs among the top backs in the entire league. He’s dealing with an injury, but is expected to play and could prove the difference for the Steelers.

Minkah Fitzpatrick

The Week 1 AFC Defensive POTW provides a huge turnover threat for the Steelers and will be looking for his next interceptions on the season. Fitzpatrick doesn’t just bring a big presence on defense, he’s an ace special teamer, showing as much last week as he tipped a would-be game winning field goal in the closing seconds of the game.

Patriots Ups & Downs: Week 1 vs Miami

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AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Whilst I was really excited for the season, I can’t hide my disappointment of yesterday’s 20-7 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots fell behind in the first half to a 17-0 deficit and never recovered, plus they encountered some potentially serious injuries. Here are the ups & downs from week 1.

Ups ⬆️

Jakobi Meyers

Meyers turned out to be one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise dull day for the Patriots as he hauled in 4 catches for 55 yards. The stats don’t scream out a special game, but the catches were far from easy.

In a game which saw the offense really struggle, Meyers once again showed why he’s such an important commodity. A good game for him.

Matthew Judon + Deatrich Wise Jr.

Judon had the difficult task of competing against Terron Armstead all day, but, he shone through with a nice play to record his first sack of the season. The defensive rushing attack had some success yesterday which was encouraging to see.

Like Judon, Wise also flashed on a number of occasions and again stood out with his sack on Tua, which caused a fumble that was recovered by the Dolphins.

Downs ⬇️

Mac Jones

Mac had a disappointing game where he never really looked comfortable against a solid Miami defense. He started well on the opening drive of the game, before a deep shot to DeVante Parker was picked off.

Jones took a number of hits, which left us all concerned after the game as he went straight into the X-Ray room for examination on his back. Fortunatley, the tests were negative and he was experiencing back spasms.

I like to stay positive when I can, but, I do fear for this season a little already, with Mac’s availability up in the air for Week 2, it’s going to be a long week.

Offensive Line

I don’t think the line played well at all, Trent Brown didn’t seem all that interested or impactful, and our rookie first-rounder was benched early on after missing a block which led to a sack. The questions will start up again about whether or not the unit are getting clear instructions from Matt Patricia, who is also the defacto OC. If the O-line doesn’t get things in order quick, we might not have a starting QB for the entire season.

Nelson Agholor

I feel a little harsh putting Agholor on here, but ball security is one of the biggest priorities for Bill, and he fumbled what was a promising late drive, after a good catch from Kendrick Bourne. Agholor will come back from this, but it summed up an awful day for the Pats attack.

PatsProp Preview – Starting Off In Miami

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Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

THE NFL IS BACK!!!! The wait is finally over, we have actual football back this evening, and the Patriots will be back in action on Sunday with a trip down to Miami.

The recent history of this rivalry isn’t kind for the Patriots, only having won 2/6 of the last encounters with the fish.

Patriots To Watch

Mac Jones
Mac heads into his second season as captain, after being selected by his teammates to the position earlier this week. This is a big year for Jones, who struggled through the preseason with offensive inconsistantsies, he needs to have that big year-two jump that is so often talked about.

He’ll lead the attack with a pretty similar offense, but will have a new target in DeVante Parker, which is definitely an upgrade on N’Keal Harry. Like always, Mac will be one to watch.

Cole Strange
The first-rounder will get his first taste of pro football against the Dolphins, and I’ll be keen to see how he settles in for the first few games. Strange has had a good camp by all accounts, but I just want him to go out there and put a solid shift in and build from there.

Trent Brown
When Trent Brown has a good game, so do the Patriots, usually. Brown will be key in both the pass and run games, questions for me still linger about his commitment and overall happiness at being moved to left tackle, but we’ll see what Sunday brings for the big monster lineman.

DeVante Parker
Parker comes with intrigue and will play a role for Jones in contested-catch passing attempts. I recall a time with one of my first game previews for the blog reviewing the battle between Parker and Gilmore when he was then on the Dolphins roster, times have changed and Parker isn’t the same player, but I think he could be a useful outlet for Jones. One to watch.

Jalen Mills
After having somewhat of a tough first season, Mills has come out of Training Camp as the consensus starting cornerback for the Patriots alongside Jonathan Jones. Mills having a good game to start his season will be crucial, especially against the likes of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill looking to cause havoc on the opposing side of the ball.

Dolphin Danger

Tua Tagovailoa
Tua has slowly become then nemesis of the Patriots in recent games, mastering the game-plans set by Brian Flores. He’s bang average in my opinion, but is now tooled up with fast weapons on an office which has history in dismantling the Bill Belichick set defense. The Pats will need to get after him and force him into making mistakes.

Tyreek Hill
Hill is one of the deadliest receivers in the league and joined the Dolphins from KC for big money this offseason. Alongside Waddle, Hill has the ability to turn a short 5-yard completion into a 75-yard touchdown out of nothing by just using his raw speed. My assumption will be that the defense will play a lot of zone against him, and he must be stopped or things could get ugly.

Xavien Howard
The Dolphins have one of the league’s best ballhawks in Xavien Howard, not forgetting his 37-yard pick six on Mac Jones the last time these two teams met in January. Howard probably is Miami’s deadliest threat on defense, he’s one to watch for sure this weekend.

Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection

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Just like that the preseason is over and done with, tomorrow the team will cut the roster size down to just 53 to comply with league rules. Here’s my Patriots roster projection:

Quarterbacks (3)
IN: Mac Jones, Brian Hoyer, Bailey Zappe

Notes:
No changes for this position, Hoyer’s contract indicates that he’ll be the backup and won’t be going anywhere, Zappe will be kept as a third-string developmental player.

Running Backs (5)
IN: Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong Jr., Kevin Harris
OUT: J.J. Taylor

Notes:
I think Taylor will miss out on the initial roster cut-down, but with Montgomery’s injury status up in the air, Taylor could be back on the roster much sooner if another team doesn’t pick him up.

Wide Receivers (6)
IN: Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, Lil’Jordan Humphrey
OUT: Kristian Wilkerson, Trey Nixon, Josh Hammond

Notes:
With Thornton getting injured against Las Vegas, I suspect he’ll be placed on IR tomorrow after the deadline, opening up the chance for Wilkerson or Nixon to make it back on the team, but no real surprises here.

Tight Ends (3)
IN: Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Devin Asiasi
OUT: Matt Sokol, Jalen Wydermyer

Notes:
No surprises here either, I think the team will carry three at the position, with perhaps one final shot for Asiasi to show some worth, no room for Sokol or Wydermyer who were camp bodies.

Offensive Line (8)
IN: Cole Strange, Trent Brown, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Isaiah Wynn, Yodny Cajuste, Justin Herron, Kody Russey
OUT: Will Sherman, James Ferentz, Drew Desjarlais, Bill Murray, Chasen Hines, Arlington Hambright, Yasir Durant

Notes:
There is a bunch of questions that still remain unanswered regarding the offensive line, plus, they haven’t looked great through the preseason. Wynn remains for now, but I could see him getting dealt before the trade deadline, some of the cuts I’ve included should make their way back onto the PS.

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Patriots Tweets Of Note: Training Camp Day 14 – Joint Practice w/Carolina

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Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Here are your Tweets Of Note from Day 14 of the Patriots Training Camp!

Some new absences today, most notably, Hunter Henry. Zack Cox also notes that Isaiah Wynn missed his fourth-straight practice, although Bill Belichick described his condition as “day to day” yesterday.

Nice moment for Myles Bryant who has had a good camp thus far. With Joejuan Williams and Malcolm Butler being done for the season, opportunities are up for grabs, giving Bryant some extra motivation ahead of the regular season.

Nelson Agholor is another who’s had a solid camp, which was probably needed by him with questions about his future on the roster doing the rounds. The team seems like they want the offense to push the ball downfield more in the passing game from what’s been seen at practice, Agholor surely should think he’s the man to be that threat for the team.

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Patriots Tweets Of Note: Training Camp Day 13 – Joint Practice w/Carolina

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Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

The first joint practice of camp rolled around today as Carolina came to town. The practice itself proved to be a fiery affair, with as always, much to reflect on as a Patriots fan.

No post yesterday as it was a light session without pads, but here are the Tweets Of Note from Day 13 of Patriots Training Camp.

Mike D once again provides a great shot of Gillette Stadium, a beautiful day for football.

Williams, who was at serious risk of not making the roster this year misses the season anyway through injury. Williams will remain on IR unless the team decides to complete a settlement with him.

Just Wynn and Butler missing today, although BB said Wynn was day to day, so good chance he’s back tomorrow.

The intrigue of Tyquan Thornton continues, earlier he beat his former teammate, who is also very quick in a 1v1 drill.

Bethel has had somewhat of a quiet camp, but I back him to make the roster with comfort, he’s an elite special teamer and a good depth cornerback alternative.

Sounded like a strong day for both of the Pats line units, Trent Brown popped up in many Tweets today as being solid.

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