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The Browns came to town and the Pats shut them down!

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Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

As the Patriots notch up their second home win of the season against the Cleveland Browns, they move to the nail-biting 6 – 4 for week ten.

This morning (this afternoon, this evening, whenever you take the time to read this) Patriots fans are happy bunnies, of course! And I’m not known for my negativity, so you probably won’t find much in this recap today.

However, I did want to point out one thing, fortunately, it didn’t really impact the outcome of the win for the Patriots, but they still notched up six penalties at home. Pretty much the average for a game so far this season. 

Okay, I think that brings a healthy balance of negatives so lets move it right along to the positives shall we folks?

Seriously, I’m almost lost as to where to start!

The Patriots defense against the run did have a little shaky start but they adjusted to what the Browns wanted to do and shut them down. Then the Patriots offense bullied their way through. 

The good played great: Christian Barmore with constant pressure up the middle, forcing a number of errant passes, Jakob Johnson blocking like a darn wrecking ball, and Matt Judon, well, being Matt Judon! These names make my recap every single week, and to that point I apologise for being repetitive, but these guys deserve to be mentioned every darn week!  

Kyle Dugger showed up and owned up this week being second on the defensive plays list with 5 tackles, 1 assist and an interception. Only to be bettered by Ja’Whaun Bentley with 6 tackles and 1 assist on the board. 

The ‘old guys’, and I say that very tongue-in-cheek folks, played great. Kyle Van Noy, Devin McCourty and Dont’a Hightower showed us why old guys rule baby! If only Devin could have made that one handed catch for the interception early in the first quarter, the Browns might not have even racked up a touchdown! 45 -7 is great, 45 – 0, oh my!

N’Keal Harry is a slightly controversial topic in Patriots Nation, but he brought something to the game Sunday and may be making his mark as a very effective wide receiver blocker. Going into this match-up the name Myles Garrett was the one people were most concerned about, and well, Harry said “yeah, not in my house” and he shut that guy down!

Mike Onwenu looked to be an absent with the return and line up of Trent Brown but oh no, Belichick wouldn’t take out one of his best offensive linemen. Onwenu lined up as an eligible tight end and blocked the heck out of the Browns defense. I knew I liked that guy…

The Mac-attack had himself an awesome game, throwing the ball deep to prove there was a new gunslinger in town, and his name was McCorkle Jones. That’s Michael McCorkle Jones to you Cleveland.

I know I mention tight ends a plenty, but in my own defense, this year is a bit of a year for it on the Patriots. So, whilst keeping my excitement in check, I will simply touch upon the fact that Hunter Henry had four fabulous receptions, (they were all great catches so can easily be classed as fabulous). Of those 4 receptions, 50% were touchdowns, and 100% of his targets he caught. Just sayin’…

Finally, I can report Jakobi Meyers had his first receiving touchdown and it was thrown by Brian Hoyer. Not perfect, but you know what, I think the whole of Patriots Nation will take it. Pretty much the whole Patriots team celebrated it with him in the end zone. 

And even though at this point in time I haven’t seen which players were given the game ball, mine would go to Rhamondre Stevenson. Not only did he have 4 receptions from 4 targets and 37 yards, but the kid had 20 rushing attempts for 100 yards and a total of 2 touchdowns. But, the numbers aren’t what did it for me, it was watching this guy play. Powerful, masterful and impressive! He ran through gaps that were made well by the Patriots o-line and also a few that didn’t even seem to be there! And as I can’t roll my r’s, I’ll stick with chanting STEVENSON thank you very much.

Go Pats!

PatsProp Preview – Welcome Cleveland

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Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots improved their away record to 4-0 for the season last week with another impressive win over the Panthers. This week, they’re looking for their second home win against a Cleveland Browns team who are dealing with a bunch of adversity. Here’s your preview of tomorrow’s game!

One’s To Watch

J.J. Taylor

With both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson questionable to play tomorrow, we could see the lead-back role handed to J.J. Taylor. We haven’t seen him since week 7, where he scored two touchdowns against the Jets. I’m dubious about it Tayor is a lead-back style of player, but I’d love to find out. If Harris and/or Stevenson are active, I think they’ll lead the rushes, but Taylor is worth watching tomorrow the way things are going.

Matt Judon

With Baker Mayfield playing through multiple injuries, I think one of his priorities will not be taking hits where possible, so enter Matthew Judon. If Judon can break through and cause pressure on Mayfield, I think it could force some throws into danger areas for turnovers. Even if he doesn’t record many hits or sacks, Judon’s presence alone should be enough to cause issues.

Christian Barmore

The big defensive tackle continues to show what a great pick he was from this year’s draft, against a good rushing outfit, he’ll be key once again tomorrow.

J.C. Jackson

Mr INTs form over recent weeks has been unreal, he carries on from a double-pick game against Sam Darnold last week. The Browns will be without their franchise backs, so expect Mayfield to look more downfield, mainly for Donovan Peoples-Jones and Jarvis Landry, who the latter I think will be covered by Jackson.

Cleveland Danger

Who for the Browns could cause problems for the Patriots?

Myles Garrett

What needs to be said about Garrett? He’s one of the two best defensive ends in the league, also being part of an absolute nightmare tandem with his partner Jadeveon Clowney on the opposite edge. Mac has taken some massive hits so far this year, and Garrett is a big threat if he isn’t dealt with by the offensive line.

D’Ernest Johnson

With no Nick Chubb or Kareem Hunt, Johnson gets another opportunity to shine for the Browns. His first real chance came in Week 7 against Denver where he rushed for 146 yards and scored his first career touchdown. Whilst he’s not at the level of Chubb or Hunt, he can certainly run.

Jarvis Landry

With OBJ out of the picture in Cleveland, Landry will lead the wideout group as the veteran and number 1 option. Landry has battled through his share of injuries but is a player who still will garner plenty of respect and can do plenty of damage.

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Patriots Ups & Downs Week 9

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Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots win! A stellar defensive showing helped cover up for the lackluster offensive performance yesterday as the Pats came out of Carolina with a win, moving them to 5-4 on the season. Here are your Ups & Downs!

Ups ⬆️

J.C. Jackson

I put J.C. as one of my ones to watch yesterday, I felt he would bring his A-game with Gilmore on the opposition sideline, and boy did he deliver. Jackson missed two practices last week with strep, recovered enough to play, and hauled in two picks, taking one of them to the house for an 88-yard touchdown.

The question that arises now is what the team is going to do about Jackson after this season. Franchise? Extension? Free agency? All are on the table, I personally think they’ll tag him and either trade him or have the one-year rental whilst they try and figure out a replacement.

Jamie Collins

Since he signed as a free agent a few weeks ago, Collins has gone under the radar, but, he has that freaky athleticism to make unreal plays. That’s what happened yesterday, he intercepted a bullet pass from Darnold with ridiculous reactions, one of the plays of the season so far.

Hunter Henry

Another touchdown grab yesterday for Henry, his fifth on the season. He’s becoming the go-to target for Jones in the redzone and has been an impressive addition so far this year. Big up for big #85!

Rhamondre Stevenson

What a day for the rookie RB, he barreled his way through the Panthers defense on a number of occasions, combing for over 100 scrimmage yards (62 rushing, 44 receiving), rightfully earning himself a spot on the UP list! Both he and Damien Harris got banged up yesterday, here’s hoping they can recover this week in time for Cleveland, because man, this running back room has some juice!

Downs ⬇️

Isaiah Wynn

You know why he’s on this list, the muffed block which left Mac open to a blindside hit, causing a fumble and loss of possession. Not to mention, it could have seriously injured Mac, luckily he walked away unscathed. I wonder if Bill is regretting his decision to pick up Wynn’s fifth-year option?

The Patriots intercept a win in Carolina!

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Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

And so here we are, another victory road game Monday. They may not be clean, and they may not be pretty, the wins that is, but this is a team with a first year quarterback and more new pieces than I can count. Scrappy ain’t so bad. 

Once again the Patriots got into Sam Darnold’s head, and the poor kid threw 3 interceptions. Against the Patriots Darnold has now stacked up 1 touchdown, 9 interceptions, and zero wins. 

But it wasn’t all on Darnold, the Patriots offense didn’t bring the best versions of themselves to Carolina. The penalties for the offensive line-up were a little concerning, with false start calls on Jakobi Meyers, Isaiah Wynn and Hunter Henry, and an offensive holding call against Ted Karras. Not ideal.

The passer protection wasn’t as good as it has been either, still a work in progress I guess. 

But for yet another game I can compliment the blocking of Jakob Johnson and reiterate how I will forever be “in” on the fullback position. 

The Patriots defense played great, and as Bill always says, defense wins games! The interceptions by JC Jackson were delicious! He saw Stephon Gilmore’s one interception and raised him one! Two for JC and one for Jamie Collins and there was even a tip or two of the ball by Kyle Van Noy. You get an interception, you get an interception, everyone gets an interception… Halloween came a little late this year with interceptions getting given out like candy, and poor Darnold may have been seeing a few ghosts again.

Now, every week I hail the guy for being a baller, but Matt Judon is held more than a kid’s favourite teddy bear, and he still managed to get a hand on Darnold whilst being enveloped by an offensive lineman. 

A name I know that was on many peoples lips, Christian Barmore, and well, the kid had himself a GAME!

The injury list is always a cause for concern but right now it’s getting rather long, and after this Carolina game, particularly on the running back front! Rhamondre Stevenson was really letting loose until he got caught out with a head injury. Mid way into the second quarter he showed Sean Chandler who was boss with not only a stiff arm but one that threw the guy outta the club! Boom!

Brandon Bolden continues to roll up and show up, proving he is a valuable part of the Patriots offense, and towards the end of the second quarter he made a great adjustment to turn and make a difficult catch. He pulled out the stutter step to get a good run and even pulled a trick on Stephon Gilmore gaining himself a few extra yards.

Hunter Henry maintains his “Mr Consistent” badge with his fifth Patriot touchdown in six games. 

I think I gotta give a gold star to Mac Jones. He may not have had one of his best games, but he’s a rookie quarterback who not only “quarterbacks” really well, he pushes the pile, blocks, jumps on a loose ball to recover, and he pulls back his huge offensive linemen to try and make sure they don’t get into any disagreements. This kid rocks, it may be just my opinion, but he’s my quarterback baby! So hold my darn coffee, and bring on the Cleveland Browns! Woof!

PatsProp Preview – We’re On To Carolina

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David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Following a massive win on the west coast last Sunday, the Patriots head to Carolina looking to improve to 5-4 on the season. They’ll also come up against their former star cornerback, Stephon Gilmore. Here’s your preview of tomorrow’s game!

One’s To Watch

Mac Jones

Jones was quite lacklustre against the Chargers, but, the key thing was that he didn’t commit any mistakes and did what he needed to help the team secure the win. He’s one to watch every game this season, I would love to see him have a big day tomorrow and lead the team to it’s third straight win.

Matthew Judon

Judon turned up last week and disrupted Herbet a bunch, and the Pats will need him to be active again this week. Regardless of who’s at QB tomorrow for the Panthers, I think Judon is the key to disrupting their offense, watch out for him tomorrow.

J.C. Jackson

After missing a couple of practice days this week with an illness, J.C. Jackson returned Friday and was off the injury report entirely, so he plays tomorrow. I think he’ll be wanting to put on a good show with his former teammate on the opposite sideline, as he’s now the number one corner for New England. I feel J.C. is due an interception tomorrow.

Nick Folk

Folk has been so important for the Pats so far this year, and with an offense that can struggle in the redzone, I have a feeling he’ll be needed on field goal duty a few times again this week. All eyes on him.

Gunner Olszewski

The field position Gunner gave the offense from return duty last week was HUGE! I think that performance will drive him into some good form and we could see more of it against the Panthers, which may be pivotal against a good defense.

Panthers Roar

Who for the Panthers could cause problems for the Patriots?

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Patriots Ups & Downs Week 8

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Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The Patriots climbed to 4-4 on the season as they earned a big win over the Chargers yesterday! There were many good performances, so let’s go through them now! Here are your Ups & Downs from Week 8!

Ups ⬆️

Adrian Phillips

What a game for Phillips, against his former team he produced an MVP performance, picking off Herbert twice, one of which he took to the house for a touchdown. The former UDFA has become a valuable piece of the Pats puzzle since he arrived at the start of last season, I hope they extend him for a few more years.

Gunner Olszewski

There is something about playing at Sofi Stadium that gets Gunner going! He had his best return game of the season, helping the Patriots secure good field position on a number of occasions. He’s a big up this week!

Damien Harris

Another solid day for Harris on the ground, nothing special, but he scored the only offensive touchdown of the day. Really, if we’re being honest, the offense should have run it in on third and fourth down when they tried to force throws into the endzone. Another UP day for Harris!

Nick Folk

The most consistent Patriot, Nick Folk everybody! Folk went 4/4 on field goals yesterday, continuing his unreal stretch with the Patriots.

Matthew Judon

The red-sleeved demon HAUNTED Justin Herbert on Halloween, recording 1.5 sacks and multiple pressures as the former Pro-Bowler returned to form. I mentioned in my preview that Judon would be one to watch, and he was.

[Read more…] about Patriots Ups & Downs Week 8

The Patriots grind out a win in LA baby!

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Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald

It’s not an easy season to be a Patriots fan, a roller coaster of game performances and Tom Brady doing so good elsewhere. It’s pretty tough being a rookie quarterback too. I mean, Mac Jones is giving the Patriots literal blood, sweat, and almost tears! I feel sorry for whoever has to wash his road game white jerseys, blood is an absolute pain to get out…

But his sacrifice was not in vain, as the Patriots bring home a win on the road.

Unfortunately, it was a scrappy and perhaps messy game. It wasn’t one of the best performances we have seen by Mac so far, although that may be less of an “on paper” kind of thing and more of a visual confirmation. And some of the solidity that had begun to grow back on the offensive line seemed to have been edging away a little. 

Plenty is being criticised of the coaching too. Now, I am loath to attempt to be critical of something I probably know less about than Nike the dog, but towards the end of the second quarter, Mac threw the ball all over the place, and the Patriots did not undertake a run play. Normally that’s no big deal, but in a game that was currently sitting at 10-14 with the half bearing down on them and against a defense that is known for being weak against the run, I thought perhaps a run drive may have been a good choice. Don’t get me wrong, that’s just my rookie opinion and they did end that drive in a field goal bringing the deficit to just one point. 

The officials didn’t help much either, with what felt like a million penalties called against the Patriots and maybe two called on the Chargers. Obviously, I am exaggerating for dramatic effect, but you’re fans, you know that’s how it really felt. 

The actual recorded statistics were in fact, 4 penalties by the Patriots for 30 yards and 5 for the Chargers for 40 yards. As the sands of time fall, it would appear that officials do not call holding on Matt Judon, I mean, he is that much of a beast – they must think he is just too tough to need it, right?

But I digress as usual, but hey, we all know you come for the wit, and stay for the tight endage, wink wink. 

Moving swiftly along to the more positive aspects of the game such as the great showing of Myles Bryant! Devin McCourty had a fabulous tackle and tug-out of the ball towards the end of the second quarter, only bettered by that glorious hand flick Kendrick Bourne undertook to prevent an interception, although it was following the miss of a high ball catch, it was still kinda beautiful.

Jakob Johnson continued to prove his worth and the fullback spot on the roster, with some fabulous blocking, notably the first Damien Harris rushing touchdown of the game. Not only that, but perhaps due to the absence of James White, Mac has begun to utilise Johnson in short passes too. Fabulousness for all you fullback fans out there!

Hunter Henry was a little quiet in this game, perhaps expected what with the Chargers weakness against the run, but the Chargers know what a great tight end Hunter can be and had him covered plenty, and that was obvious right from the start of the first quarter. 

It would seem the revenge tour was not to be for Hunter, other than the great second quarter reception that almost, almost, resulted in a touchdown and the lovely end of game punt catch, but the other ex-Chargers player, Adrian Phillips, made up for the both of them! Phillips notched up two interceptions and a touchdown against his former team, and he looked pretty darn pleased with himself. 

I have to end my recap this week with my favourite moment of the game. Chargers defensive lineman Jerry Tillery had the latest hit on a quarterback I may have ever seen. It was so late David Andrews had been stationery for what felt like ages, only to turn and witness the terrible slam Tillery made into Mac. Andrews, being the utter beast he is, stepped over Mac to get in Tillery’s face with the speed of someone, well let’s say a guy a bit little less squishy than Andrews is. The fierceness on Andrews’ face was momentous and I may have swooned a little. 

Now, I do not condone any form of violence, but if you can find someone who will fight for you the way Andrews would for Mac Jones with the look on his face Andrews had, that person is a keeper… Just sayin’

And so concludes the game against the Chargers. I hope the Patriots can keep this, albeit scrappy, momentum going into Carolina, they are presently 3-0 on the road! Now, where did I hide the good Halloween candy…

Go Pats!