Category: New England Patriots

NFL Letdown Games for Every Team

What are the potential letdown games for every NFL team? They’re the battles that should be a problem.

What games are the ones each NFL team has to look out for? It’s a LONG season with plenty of lulls, so which games are set up to be a letdown moment for every team?

Predicting each outcome takes into account location, scheduling fatigue, matchup intensity, and much more. These are the games – including the sandwich battles between two giant opponents – that each team should probably win, but might have issues.

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– 2022 NFL Schedules

WATCH: Best highlights from Mac Jones’ rookie season

Check out all of the best plays from Mac Jones’ rookie season with the New England Patriots

It’s unusual for a team to sit in the middle of the first round in the NFL draft, and still have a potential franchise quarterback fall into their lap.

But that’s what happened to the New England Patriots last year, when Alabama’s Mac Jones lasted all the way to the No. 15 overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft.

While Jones was the fifth quarterback off the board, he arguably had the best season of any first-round passer out of last year’s draft, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Relive Jones’ rookie season with all of his best plays and top highlights:

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WATCH: Bailey Zappe gets ‘the call’ on draft day from Bill Belichick, Patriots

Watch the reaction from quarterback Bailey Zappe as Bill Belichick tells him he’s being drafted by the New England Patriots

Every NFL draft prospect dreams of the moment when they’ll get that phone call from one of the league’s 32 teams on draft weekend, telling them they’ve been selected.

For Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe, that call came in the fourth round from the New England Patriots.

Zappe spoke with Pats head coach Bill Belichick, then enjoyed an emotional celebration with his family, his agent, and the rest of those in attendance at his draft party.

One of the most productive passers in college football history, Zappe will now back up 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones.

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2022 NFL Draft: Day 3 Needs, Picks For Each Team, Mock Draft Prospects

2022 NFL Draft: Day 3 needs for each team with mock draft possibilities

2022 NFL Draft: Team by team look at the possibilities for each remaining Day 3 pick for rounds 4, 5, 6, 7

2022 NFL Draft: Day 3 Needs For Each Team

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Traditionally and statistically, Day 3 of the NFL Draft is a total wasteland. You’re far, far better packaging your picks to move up into the top three rounds of a future draft – the odds of getting a consistently decent starter are shockingly small.

But every team thinks it can make magic out of the Day 3 mess of prospects, and it’s worth a shot to dumb-luck into a possible mainstay. What are the remaining needs that need to be filled for each team? Here are every team’s picks so far with the possibilities of who they could get.

Of course this all blows up once the trades start flying, but the idea is to give a rough snapshot of what each team might be able to do.

NFL Draft 2022: New England Patriots Draft Analysis From The College Perspective

New England Patriots NFL Draft 2022 needs, analysis, picks, and biggest reaches and values – from the college perspective

2022 NFL Draft: From the college perspective, New England Patriots draft analysis, needs, picks, best value selection, and biggest reach

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NFL Draft 2022: New England Patriots Draft Analysis

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

2022 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings, Analysis
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OTs | OGs & Cs | DEs & Edge | DTs
LBs | Ss | CBs | 50 Greatest Value Draft Picks Ever
NFL Draft by college over last 5 years: 1-130 rankings
3 Greatest Picks ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC 

Scroll down for New York’s 2022 draft slots, last year’s picks, and best values and biggest reaches

Why Mac Jones turned down an interview with Peyton Manning

Find out why New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones turned down an interview request from Peyton Manning

Rookie quarterback Mac Jones has helped lead the New England Patriots to the top of the AFC through the first 13 weeks of the 2021 NFL regular season, and he doesn’t plan on getting distracted, not even by interview requests from legendary quarterbacks.

Jones turned down a chance to chat with Peyton Manning leading up to the Pats’ 14-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football.”

“I texted him or whatever,” Jones said earlier this week on the Merloni & Fauria radio show. “I am not going to get into any details, but I think we were just focused on the game,” he said. “The Patriots do a great job of just helping me stay focused on what I need to stay focused on. I [was] always like that in college, too.”

Did Jones just have his phone turned off, maybe?

“I don’t know if it’s off, but I definitely don’t go on my phone that much,” Jones continued. “I just don’t really look at it or focus on it unless I am talking to my family. … I feel bad sometimes not being able to talk to everybody, but it’s a busy life.”

Whatever Jones is doing, it worked for him when his Alabama team went undefeated and won a national title last year, and it seems to be working for the Patriots so far this season.

Sorry, Peyton.

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Mac Jones completes 2 passes, Patriots win anyway

Mac Jones only needed two completions on three attempts in Monday night’s sloppy win for the New England Patriots over the Buffalo Bills

Three pass attempts, two completions, 19 yards.

That’s all the New England Patriots needed from rookie quarterback Mac Jones to beat the Buffalo Bills on the road Monday night.

“Run-heavy” just doesn’t quite encompass how committed the Patriots were to avoiding the passing game in the sloppy conditions, as those who braved the elements in Orchard Park were treated to a 14-10 slugfest that looked like it belonged in a black-and-white film reel.

Jones is having a stellar rookie campaign, thanks in large part to his ability to execute the game plan and not try to do too much. His performance Monday night was the most extreme example of doing just that, and now his Pats are the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

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Mac Jones, Rhamondre Stevenson lead Pats to blowout win vs. Browns

Led by a pair of rookies on offense, the the New England Patriots dominated the Cleveland Browns in Week 10

The New England Patriots made a statement Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, riding a pair of rookies to a blowout victory.

Mac Jones completed 19 of his 23 pass attempts for 198 yards and three touchdowns, while Rhamondre Stevenson racked up 100 yards and two score on the ground in a 45-7 victory.

Jones showed off the sound decision-making and accuracy that made him the perfect pick for the Pats at No. 15 overall in the 2021 NFL draft, while Stevenson continues to look like a huge steal as a fourth-round selection.

The win also keeps the Patriots in the thick of a wide-open AFC playoff race, while the Browns’ postseason hopes are starting to feel dangerous.

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WATCH: Rhamondre Stevenson stiff-arms a defender into next week

Watch New England Patriots rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson show off his physicality with a wicked stiff-arm

The New England Patriots appear to have quite the gem in rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson, and the fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma showed off his impressive physicality during Sunday’s dominant win over the Carolina Panthers.

Stevenson finished off an impressive run with a wicked stiff-arm, making a Panthers defender regret his decision to attempt a tackle.

It’s always an odd backfield to predict in New England, but the early returns from Stevenson prove he’s got a bright future in the NFL.

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Mac Jones leads the Patriots in . . . rushing?

Sure enough, rookie quarterback Mac Jones led the New England Patriots in rushing yards in Sunday’s Week 3 loss

When the New England Patriots spent the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft on Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, it’s a safe bet that they weren’t expecting him to light the world on fire with his running ability.

That didn’t stop the rookie from leading the Pats in rushing Sunday, as New England fell to the New Orleans Saints 28-13 at home.

Sure, that had more to do with the fact that the running backs didn’t move the needle much for the Patriots. The combination of Damien Harris, James White, JJ Taylor and Brandon Bolden managed just 21 yards on 11 carries between the four of them. Jones tied with Harris for the team lead with six carries, tallying 28 yards.

Even so, it’s encouraging for Pats fans to know that when Jones needs to take off and make something happen on the ground, he can get the job done.

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