Patriots Daily: Was New England Soft Again?; Hail Mary in D.C.

Head coach Jerod Mayo called the New England Patriots “a soft football team across the board” following their Week 7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The next day, Mayo changed that comment to state that the Patriots played soft, not that they were soft. He used three criteria to clarify what made for a soft football team: running the ball, stopping the run, and covering kicks. Based on Mayo’s definition, New England played soft again in Week 8 despite emerging with a win.

The New York Jets entered the game averaging 82.4 yards rushing per game, ranking 31 of 32 NFL teams. Against New England, New York rushed 28 times for 112 yards. The 4.00 yards per attempt improved their 3.87 average entering the game. Was that considering stopping the run effectively?

The New England Patriots rushed 31 times for 111 yards (3.6 yards/carry). If quarterback scrambles from Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett are removed, the Patriots ran the ball 25 times for 54 yards. That translates to 2.16 yards per carry for the Patriots running backs. Was that considered running the ball effectively?

New England did not allow a punt return touchdown against New York, as they had against Jacksonville. However, Jets punt returner Xavier Gipson had quite an afternoon for himself. He returned four punts for 71 yards. This included a 40-yard return on the first punt of the game. Was that considered covering kicks effectively?

Based on Jerod Mayo’s definition of what makes a team soft or tough, the New England Patriots played soft on Sunday against the New York Jets. But this time, the Patriots won the game. As a result, nobody was eager to say the s-word after Week 8, most notably the team’s head coach.

Hail Mary in the Nation’s Capital

The top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft met for the first time yesterday. First overall pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears visited Washington. They faced the Commanders and the second overall pick, Jayden Daniels. Washington led 12-0 in the third quarter. Chicago did not take the lead until 25 seconds remained in the game. A touchdown and two-point conversion gave the Bears a 15-12 advantage.

Washington returned the kickoff and then threw incomplete on first down. The Commanders had 12 seconds to get from their 24-yard line into the end zone. Daniels completed passes of 11 and 13 yards, giving them one last chance to throw a Hail Mary for the win. The pass was tipped and landed in the hands of Commanders’ receiver Noah Brown for the Washington win. And the relative ease with which it was scored makes the entire situation even more unreal. Epic finish

A;FK;JD;KJF;LAKEJFLKJVAL;KEJL;JF;EFJ;LFAKJ

JAYDEN DANIELS HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko

— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024

Patriots Fact of the Day

Drake Maye received credit for his first NFL win yesterday despite an early exit. QB Wins automatically go to the starting quarterback of the winning team. Maye becomes the thirty-second rookie quarterback to beat the Jets. and the sixth Patriot to do so. Mac Jones is the only Patriots rookie quarterback to do so twice, but in 1960, the Patriots defeated New York with two different rookie QBs.

The list of Patriots rookie winners:

1960 – Tom Greene
1960 – Butch Songin
1971 – Jim Plunkett
1992 – Scott Zolak
2021 – Mac Jones
2024 – Drake Maye

Post of the Day

Amazingly, the actual completion from Jayden Daniels to Noah Brown was not the most amazing part of the Commanders’ game-winning touchdown yesterday. That distinction belonged to Chicago Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson, who was busy talking to fans as the final play unfolded. Washington’s receivers were at the 15-yard line before Stevenson realized he should probably be playing:

Crazy video I got of #Commanders vs #bears walk off pic.twitter.com/mXFkR5wOGW

— Joe Abdo (@joe_abdo) October 27, 2024

More Coverage From Patriots Football Now

Ten Takeaways From the Patriots 25-22 Win Over the Jets – Drake Maye looked good but then left injured. Marcus Jones struggled in coverage but helped with a big punt return. Christian Elliss received a costly pass interference penalty but later made a big sack. Patriots receivers struggled to catch the ball, but Kayshon Boutte came up big at the end. The Patriots won a game with lots of ups and downs.

Kelley: Six Things for Patriots Fans to Feel Good About in 2024 – With a 1-6 record entering Week 8, Patriots Nation was lacking much to feel good about this season. There have been injuries, illnesses, arrests, and losses. But there is still plenty to feel good about for this season and beyond.

Two More New England Patriots Mentioned in Trade Rumors – Last week three Patriots veterans had their names floated in trade rumors. This week there are two more, as Kendrick Bourne and Davon Godchaux entered the conversation. What will Eliot Wolf do before the NFL Trade Deadline?