Pats Planet🪐

Written By: Ethan (@TheBostonBuzzer)

New England is buzzing after the Patriots came back to Gillette Stadium and delivered a commanding 32 – 13 win over the Cleveland Browns in front of their home crowd. I know many people will say that stomping the Browns doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but there are a number of real developments that could be seen throughout the game. So today, we are going to dig deeper and determine what should be held onto from this contest, whether positive or negative. 

1. Drake Maye Continues to Impress

This one can go without being said, but second-year quarterback Drake Maye provided yet another masterful performance. He finished the day going 18-24 (75%) through the air, throwing for 286 passing yards and 3 TD’s. He also added 50 rushing yards on a mere 7 attempts, showing his ability to turn potential sacks into first downs. 

Although he started the game a bit shaky, throwing an interception to Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger, he responded exactly the way you would want an MVP-caliber quarterback to, going 8/8 for 114 yds and 3 TD’s in just the second half alone. This game puts another feather in Drake’s cap and shuts down the crowd saying that he wouldn’t be able to perform against a top defense like the Browns. 

As Patriots fans, we should be excited. It seems as if we have found ourselves our franchise quarterback, and he is just getting started. 

2. Run Game Starting to Progress

Coming as a bit of a surprise to Patriots fans, the ground game was able to show signs of life against a stout Browns rushing defense. The Patriots were able to run the ball for a more than respectable 177 yards. And, while a portion of these yards came from Drake Maye scrambles, it was evident that McDaniels and the offense may have found ways to get rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson more involved. Henderson had 10 carries on the day, accounting for 75 yards. He also played a big role in the Patriots first drive of the second half, which really opened up the field and led to a second half barrage of points. While we all know that TreVeyon has more in the tank, it is good to see him providing positive plays for the team and beginning to get back to what he was in college at Ohio State. I have no doubt that he will continue to develop. 

Also in the run game, Rhamondre Stevenson had 14 carries for 34 yards. Although he didn’t have his best day, there were a few plays where he was able to keep his legs churning and steal extra yards. He also displayed his pass-catching ability, catching a ball in the rezone that resulted in a first down and making an incredible catch down the sideline where he was unfortunately unable to come down in-bounds. 

All you can hope is that the Patriots are able to replicate this success on the ground in future games, because I do know one thing. This team with a consistent rushing attack would be an absolute force to deal with. 

3. Kayshon Boutte’s Emergence

At this point, it is becoming a weekly tradition that Kayshon Boutte finds his way into the endzone. The 23 year old receiver has burst onto the scene this season and has a special connection with Drake Maye. In today’s game, he had 3 receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown on a beautiful double move deep down the field. He also had a disgusting comeback route that was reminiscent of great receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. 

I think it is beyond safe to say that Boutte’s play this season is not a fluke. He has proven that he can be consistent on a game-to-game basis and provide big catches in meaningful spots. 

He is showing why many scouts projected him as a first-rounder prior to his ankle injury at LSU and is doing so in spectacular fashion. 

4. Will Campbell Struggles against Myles Garrett

As was to be expected, rookie left tackle Will Campbell had a tough day against Myles Garrett, who amazingly recorded 5 sacks in the game. Garrett lined up against Campbell on two of his sacks, working through chips by Hunter Henry and eventually beating the left tackle to get to Drake Maye. Considering the arm length controversy, I’m sure this will be a huge talking point around Patriots circles this week, but there are several reasons I don’t believe there should be much concern surrounding Will Campbell. 

• Myles Garrett is one of, if not the best defensive player in the league. Will Campbell will not have a harder matchup for the remainder of the season. 
• Campbell did not allow any pressure in the game outside of the two sacks, which both came against Garrett. He shut down all other pass rushers he saw and had multiple good 1-on-1’s against Garrett.
• Many tackles prefer to be given no help, as chipping can throw off their timing and technique. 

With all that being said, the offensive line does need to be better going forward and I do expect it to be. Let’s not overreact to one bad performance where much of the problem revolved around the greatness of Myles Garrett, who will likely be a first-ballot hall of famer. 

5. Patriots Run Defense is For Real

Transitioning to the defensive side of the ball, it is safe to say that the Patriots rushing defense is for real. They are now the only team since 1950 to go the first 8 games of a season without allowing an opposing running back to reach 50 yards in a game. 

That proficiency was clear today, as they shut down rookie phenom Quinshon Judkins and forced the Browns to go away from the run game. Judkins was limited to only 19 yards on 9 attempts coming off a huge performance against the Dolphins in which he found the endzone three separate times. This forced first year quarterback Dillon Gabriel into obvious passing situations, where he had an extremely tough time processing the field and finding the open receiver due to excellent coverage on the part of the Patriots secondary. 

This is a facet of this Patriots team that will translate late in the season and I don’t project any letdown from this interior defensive line, which has been amongst the best in the league all year long. 

6. Slow Starts, Dominant Finishes

Following the trend that has developed throughout the course of the season, the Patriots got off to yet another slow start, allowing the Browns to go up 7-3 in the first quarter. As it has countless times, the defense struggled mightily on the Browns’ first drive of the game, where Dillon Gabriel connected with rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. for the game’s first touchdown. 

However, from there the tide turned. The defense had snuffed out what the Browns were trying to do on offense and eliminated the play-action game for the remainder of the day. Patriots defensive backs Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones looked dominant, making several key pass breakups and safety Jaylinn Hawkins made a spectacular one-handed interception on one of Gabriel’s only deep throws of the ballgame. 

From here on out, don’t panic if the Patriots go down early, it’s just part of their plan. They start out slow, figure out what their opponent wants to do, and shut it down from there. 

7. Third Quarter Dominance

Another pattern following this Patriots team around is the historic third quarter dominance that they are having. Through the last six games, the Pats have not been outscored in any third quarter. Adding to this, the combined score in these quarters is New England 60, Opponents 13. Even more impressive, this total is 35-0 in the last two games and 38-0 through the last three. 

There is no team in the league better at coming out of the half with a clear, defined strategy and then going out there and executing it. Against the Browns, the defense did not allow a single score in the quarter and the offense exploded for three touchdowns through the air. 

This is where credit to Mike Vrabel, Zak Kuhr, and Josh McDaniels is due. It is evident that they are making necessary adjustments and communicating them effectively to the players. 

If I were another team, I would be sure to build a lead against the Patriots, because you know they are going to come out firing on all cylinders in the second half. 

Final Thoughts

So for all of these reasons, screw anybody that is trying to say that the Patriots are playing an “easy” schedule. They cannot do anything to control who they are playing, and are taking care of these lesser teams with authority. A win is a win in the National Football League and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. 

Patriots fans should feel encouraged by the team’s performance over the 5 game winning streak. Their young players are showing clear signs of development and there are not many coach-quarterback combinations in the league that I would currently take over Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye. 

The rest of the league better watch out, because the Patriots are coming back for their throne and I’m not so sure that anybody is going to stop them.