The Patriots are back home in Week 2, and after an uneven season opener, they need the change of scenery. Losing to the defending Super Bowl champions is nothing to hang your head about, but New England didn’t exactly look sharp, and the issues that showed up last season are still hanging around.
On top of that, they’ll be without A.J. Brown for at least the next month-plus.
That makes Sunday’s matchup with the Steelers feel like a chance to reset. Pittsburgh wasn’t all that convincing in its opener either, and while the Steelers have shown they can shake off a bad game quickly, the Patriots have their own list of problems to clean up first. Here are the biggest ones.
The run game is at the top of the list. Josh McDaniels talked it up, but New England couldn’t get much going on the ground in Week 1.
Rhamondre Stevenson kept slamming into traffic and finished with just 51 rushing yards on 18 carries, a 2.8-yard average that never gave the offense much breathing room. TreVeyon Henderson could be back after sitting out the opener, and that would be a major boost for a team that needed Drake Maye’s legs seven times for 47 yards just to reach 109 rushing yards for the night.
The Steelers’ front doesn’t look as imposing as Seattle’s, and if Henderson is available, his speed and burst should give the Patriots a different gear. The play-calling, though, has to be sharper too.
There’s also the question of how they plan to handle D.K. Metcalf.
He’s a dangerous receiver, but he also has a reputation for letting games slip away from him when things go sideways. In the opener, he was a non-factor, catching four of 10 targets for 40 yards.
Aaron Rodgers pointed to the officials for some of the missed opportunities, but Metcalf still never really got rolling. The Seahawks handled Christian Gonzalez differently against Jaxon Smith-Njigba, moving him around rather than sticking him on one spot all game.
New England may need a different plan here, especially with Metcalf’s tendency to get rattled.
Romeo Doubs is another player who needs a response. His Patriots debut went sideways fast, and it was hard to miss.
He was mostly a decoy, then came the drop on what should have been a gain of more than 20 yards after he started running before he had secured the ball. Maye should have put it on him in stride, but the next-play turnover only made the sequence look worse.
Doubs said he "wasn't locked in" in the opener, and that can’t be the story again. Joey Porter Jr. might also be out, which would give Doubs another chance to settle in as the team’s WR1.
Up front, all eyes are on Will Campbell. He came into the game with plenty of attention after a rough finish to his rookie season, and early on he looked like he could hold up against a tough defensive line.
But the full 60 minutes told a different story. Campbell was flagged for two late penalties, gave up a sack, and allowed two pressures.
Now the challenge gets even tougher with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig on deck.
Campbell has flashed enough to make you believe, but consistency is the issue, and Mike Vrabel’s patience will matter if Caleb Lomu is waiting for a shot.
And then there’s Drake Maye. For the most part, his journey has tilted in the right direction, but Week 1 showed he still has to manage the moments when things get messy.
He looked like a quarterback pressing to make a statement after the Super Bowl, and maybe he was trying to do too much. Maybe Seattle just has his number.
Either way, he has to move on quickly. Great players don’t carry the last mistake into the next snap, and Maye needs to treat February and Week 1 like they’re already gone.
The upside is obvious. The swings, when they come, can still be startlingly low.
In Other News...
Patriots Suddenly Have A Trade Watch Worth Following On Defense
The Patriots defensive front is already under the microscope after Week 1 exposed some soft spots in the linebacker group, and that has made the trade market worth monitoring a little earlier than usual. One name that has surfaced is Giants edge linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, whose role in New York appears to have shrunk enough to raise questions about where he fits long term.
For New England, the appeal is obvious: a player with pass-rush talent and a chance to help a defense that needs more impact at the second level. The buzz is that Thibodeaux could be had for a mid-round draft pick, which is the kind of price that can turn a speculative idea into a real conversation, even if the Giants are not ready to settle the issue just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Rookie Is Already Filling A Role New England Desperately Needed
The Patriots used a busy April draft to stock up on help, and a few of those rookies have already found ways to matter. Caleb Lomu, Gabe Jacas, Eli Raridon and Namdi Obiazor all arrived in New England with different jobs ahead of them, but early in the season the team has seen contributions across the board. Jacas got to the quarterback for his first NFL sack in Week 1, Raridon put his name in the record book by scoring the first touchdown of the NFL season, and Obiazor has started to carve out a place on special teams.
For New England, Obiazors role may wind up being the most immediately important of the group. The Patriots are leaning on him and other rookies to help replace the special teams losses from last season, and he has already shown he can handle limited snaps with three tackles. It is the kind of quiet but necessary contribution that can matter more than flashy offensive moments, especially for a team trying to rebuild depth wherever it can find it. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Keep Tweaking Roster Depth With Another Notable Shuffle
The Patriots kept adjusting the bottom of the roster Monday, bringing safety Elliott Davison back onto the practice squad after clearing space by releasing tight end Shane Zylstra. Davison had already spent time on New Englands practice squad earlier this season, and the former Saints defensive back gives the team another familiar name to lean on as it continues sorting through depth options.
Zylstras release came with an injury waiver, another reminder that the practice squad churn is rarely just about talent evaluation this time of year. New Englands current group also includes several other reserve options, and the team has kept the door open with recent workouts for a couple of players as it tries to keep the right mix available behind the active roster. [Read more 🡒]