Breaking Down PFF’s Week 2 New England Patriots Grades

The New England Patriots followed up their road win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 with an overtime home loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. New England received some solid individual performances, but not enough. While certain units excelled, others faltered. The lack of production from Patriots wide receivers, coupled with the team’s inability to stop Seattle quarterback Geno Smith, contributed to their first loss of the season.

After each game, Patriots Football Now will post which players received the best and worst grades from Pro Football Focus. The PFF scale goes from 0-100. A grade below 60.0 is indicative of being replaceable by a non-roster player. Pro Bowl grades are 85.0 and higher. A look at the Patriots players who stood out, for better or worse, in Week 2:

Elite – Patriots Running Backs

The New England Patriots offense left a lot to be desired yesterday. However, any frustration should not be directed at the team’s running back duo of Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. Stevenson was a workhouse again, rushing 21 times for 81 yards and a touchdown. His one drawback was his second fumble of the season, though once again New England retained possession of the ball.

Also Read – Ten Takeaways From the Patriots Week 2 Loss to the Seahawks

Gibson received the week’s highest grade for New England (81.8). He played only 12 offensive snaps but made the most of them. Gibson carried 11 times for 91 yards, including a 45-yard gain. The duo added three receptions for 16 yards, giving them 188 yards from scrimmage for the game.

Awful – Patriots Wide Receiver

Rookie Ja’Lynn Polk scored his first NFL touchdown to start the scoring yesterday. It was an exciting milestone for the second-round pick. There would not be much else for New England’s wide receivers to celebrate on Sunday. The unit finished the game with three receptions for 19 yards. Polk and K.J. Osborn were the only wideouts to make a catch. DeMario Douglas (50.3), Tyquan Thornton (52.4), Osborn (54.0), and Polk (57.5) were all among the lowest-graded Patriots players on offense.

FIRST @NFL TOUCHDOWN JA'LYNN POLK!!!!!@jpolk_22 | @JBrissett12 pic.twitter.com/loEvUOB7H9

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 15, 2024

Excellent – Hunter Henry

Henry was the one reliable receiving option for quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the game. He finished the afternoon with eight receptions for 109 yards. The rest of the team finished with 40 receiving yards combined. If New England can keep finding Hunter Henry while getting other options involved, the offense will have an easier time keeping the chains moving.

Struggled – New England Offensive Tackles

The play of the left tackles was a concern in Week 1. Chukwuma Okorafor started but got pulled in favor of Vederian Lowe after only 12 offensive plays. Lowe fared better, though was far from elite. But in Week 2 the offensive tackles for New England struggled on both ends. (Note: Okorafor left the Patriots on Saturday).

Right tackle Mike Onwenu is supposed to be one of the Patriots’ most reliable players, but he struggled against Seattle. He received an overall grade of 52.2, including an abysmal 37.9 in pass protection. Vederian Lowe scored better in pass-blocking than in the run game once again, though he allowed four pressures. PFF gave him a 56.8 overall.

Defensive Head of the Class – Jaylinn Hawkins

It’s not often that a player with zero tackles or turnovers earns the highest grade on defense. However, that’s exactly what happened with New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins yesterday. Hawkins played 29 snaps on defense with 22 being passing plays. He was targeted in coverage twice but allowed no receptions. As stated, Hawkins finished with no tackles but was credited with a pass breakup and earned an overall grade of 80.0.

Great play by Jaylinn Hawkins from a split-safety zone to break up that third down pass. Deep dig route to JSN had a chance, but Hawkins closed and broke it up. Seattle punting.

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) September 15, 2024

Work in Progress – Layden Robinson

Rookie Layden Robinson started at right guard for the second week in a row. He earned a 58.3 grade. This is still not great, though it is an improvement from Week 1 (54.9). Robinson struggled in pass protection in Week 1. It was improved in Week 2, dropping from five pressures allowed to three and from two quarterback hits allowed to zero. However, he did allow a sack and his run-block grade went in the wrong direction, dropping to 58.2 against a solid Seattle front.

Strong Effort – Deatrich Wise Jr.

The New England Patriots’ other defensive end, Keion White, received most of the attention for his work yesterday. Wise received the highest grade among the Patriots’ front seven however. He made a stop and recorded one quarterback pressure. Wise had no missed tackles. It was the solid, if unspectacular performance fans have grown accustomed to from Wise.

Cornerback Concerns – Marco Wilson

Seahawks’ QB Geno Smith completed 33 of 44 passes for 327 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. That stat line is going to land some defenders on the dishonorable list. Wilson received the lowest grade in New England’s secondary (38.8). He received his second pass interference call of the season. Although some argued it was a poor call because it was uncatchable, nobody could argue that Wilson did not bring down the intended receiver on the play.

WOW… THE #PATRIOTS GET SCREWED BY THE REFS AGAIN, A PASS INTERFERENCE WAS CALLED ON A BALL THAT WAS 10 YARD OUT OF THE ENDZONE.

It ended up resulting in the Seattle touchdown.
pic.twitter.com/yk8Jg1jALy

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 15, 2024

Solid on Sunday – Anfernee Jennings, Jabrill Peppers

Jennings finished the game with six tackles (four solo), two stops, and a quarterback hit. He has become one of the New England Patriots’ most reliable defenders, setting a strong edge. Peppers also had a solid afternoon. The safety amassed five tackles (three solos), three stops, and a quarterback pressure. PFF gave Jennings and Peppers defensive grades of 72.5 and 71.7, respectively.

More Cornerback Concerns – Marcus Jones

New England enjoyed a strong tackling performance in Week 1, with only three missed tackles on defense. That number jumped to eight against Seattle. Marcus Jones was the biggest culprit, with three missed tackles. Jones had a nice pass breakup in the game but allowed seven receptions on ten targets for 63 yards.

Uncharacteristically Off – Jahlani Tavai

Jahlani Tavai earned the New England Patriots MVP Award in 2023, ranking among the top-graded linebackers in the NFL and playing solid on special teams. He had a strong Week 1 performance, but his grade dropped to 41.2 in Week 2. With Ja’Whaun Bentley and Oshane Ximines getting injured in the game, more was needed from Tavai. He struggled in coverage, allowing receptions on all five targets, and had a missed tackle too. Look for a bounce-back game from Tavai on Thursday.

Silver Lining on Special Teams – Joe Cardona

The Patriots special teams were a major bright spot in Week 1. Things did not go as smoothly for the unit in Week 2. Punter Bryce Baringer continued his strong start to the season, but the Seahawks were able to pick up yardage in their return game. And perhaps the biggest play of the game was the blocked field goal attempt by Joey Slye. Had that been good, Seattle would have been forced to try and score a touchdown in regulation instead of kicking a field goal to send the game to overtime.

But long snapper Joe Cardona had another strong game for New England. In Week 1 he recorded his first career forced fumble. This week he recorded a tackle for the second week in a row. It is Cardona’s first multi-tackle season since 2019. His snaps were also no issue.

Downgraded Upon Review – Kyle Dugger

Kyle Dugger did a lot of things well in the game, including a huge fourth-down stop behind the line of scrimmage. He finished with seven solo tackles and five stops. But after the game, it was clarified that the coverage miscue on DK Metcalf’s long touchdown reception was on Dugger. It was exactly the type of big play the Patriots cannot afford to allow and expect to be successful.

DK Metcalf WIDE OPEN for a 56-yard TD!

📺: #SEAvsNE on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/nLjzMeiUub

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

Confusing Grades – Jonathan Jones, Joshua Uche

Jonathan Jones received a 56.9 overall and a 57.0 in coverage. He allowed only three receptions for 27 yards. His grade was apparently hurt by the pass interference call against him in overtime. Since it was a terrible call, it seems unfair to dock Jones here. While Geno Smith was 3-for-3 targeting Jones, that is not a lot of targets for a cornerback in on 44 passing plays. The grade simply does not match the performance here.

Joshua Uche received the week’s lowest grade on defense, 38.1. In 3 defensive snaps, he recorded two tackles and three quarterback pressures. His abysmal coverage grade seems to be the result of one pass completed on his for a nine-yard gain. Once again, Uche’s grade doesn’t make enough sense to include him among the week’s worst performers.

Weekly Disclaimer

Once again, it is important to note that the grades issued by Pro Football Focus are their independent scoring of players’ performances. They do not represent the assessment of Patriots Football Now (as noted in some cases above). The reports are used to offer a different perspective on the performances of players in a given game.

Will the running backs continue their strong play? Can the wide receivers start producing more? Are the New England Patriots going to continue to make Hunter Henry an offensive focus? And how will cornerbacks bounce back on Thursday against the New York Jets? Stay tuned.