Game Report

By hook or by crook the Patriots are back in the win column. Here in the UK it was 04:30 when the game ended, does anyone have coffee? Here are the ups and downs from Week 9.

Ups ⬆️

Jakobi Meyers

Wow. What a night for the birthday boy! Meyers recorded 12 catches for a career-high 169 yards last night. It’s great to see him taking this opportunity to show that he can be a contributor for this team moving forward. His best game as a Patriot and the best player on the field.

Nick Folk

Now I’ll admit, I was quite critical of Folk after the first couple of weeks, but he’s turned out to be one of the most consistent players on the offense. A doubt going into the game with a back injury, Folk was a perfect 3/3 on field goals and 3/3 on extra points. His third and final field goal was a 51-yarder and the game-winner, a brilliant moment for him.

A game in which many, myself included, struggled to see a scenario where Denver would come away victorious yesterday, ended up with egg on our face as the Patriots fell 18-12. Here are the ups and downs from Week 6.

Ups ⬆️

Cornerbacks

Say what you will about yesterday’s performance, but in parts, the defense played very well. More specifically, it was the CB’s who played well. Firstly, Jon Jones went 1/8 on passing targets against him and allowed just 16 yards, recorded two PBU, and one INT. Stephon Gilmore had a good game also, along with J.C. Jackson who grabbed the other of Drew Lock’s interceptions.

Whilst they did allow some chunk plays, they were instrumental in red zone defense by restricting the Broncos to just field goals all day, they were by far the best unit on the field.

The Patriots improved to 2-1 with a 36-20 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in an empty Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Today is a good day, more ups than downs to discuss, that’s for sure.

Ups ⬆️

Rex Burkhead
Who else could be could be the first name on the ups list? Burkhead found the endzone three times and was vital in the team’s win yesterday. In the offseason, there was discussion that he could be a candidate to leave the roster ahead of the new campaign, but after signing a new deal, he’s shown his worth once again in one of the best performances of his career.

A loss that feels kinda like a win, do you get what I mean? Sunday night filled me with optimism for the rest of the season, after all, we went toe to toe with one of the best teams in the league. Here’s Sunday’s ups & downs.

Ups ⬆️

Cam Newton
After proving he could still run the ball effectively last week, Newton put up the highest amount of passing yards for a Patriots offense in three years on Sunday night. Whilst still rushing for two TDs, he showed superb accuracy to his receivers, who all stepped up to help him. Had a few wayward passes and threw a pick, but all in all, another up week for Cam.

Julian Edelman
Any questions about Edelman’s commitment to the team were answered. He racked up career-high 179 yards from 8 catches, and at times flew around the field like it was his first game in the league. Aside from the big game statistically speaking, the chemistry between Cam and Jules is growing every week, and I think they can be a formidable force this year.

Some major positives to take from yesterday’s win against the Dolphins, I present your new weekly post-game player review, here’s yesterday’s ups & downs.

Ups ⬆️

Cam Newton
A fine start for Cam’s Patriot career in a game where he made very few mistakes. Newton led the Patriots offense passing 15/19 155 YDS, and rushing for 75 YDS, 2 TD’s. Something of note was his accuracy, although the passing game wasn’t off the charts today, Newton was good with his throws, he just needs better targets. A solid first start for the new number 1.