Category: Patriots Analysis

Patriots Wire staff game picks and scores for Patriots vs. Colts

Patriots Wire staff make their official picks for Sunday’s Patriots-Colts game

The New England Patriots hope to end a two-game losing streak when hosting the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

It has been all downhill for the Patriots since their impressive upset win on the road against the Chicago Bears in Week 10. They have dropped back-to-back losses to the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams.

Granted, they put up more of a fight against the Rams, but they were dominated in all phases in last week’s 34-15 loss to the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye has continued to show promise, but his positive plays were constantly negated by bad penalties and blocking issues along the offensive front. Meanwhile, the Patriots defense suffered a complete meltdown against quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ high-powered offense.

Perhaps they can finally get back on track against a flawed Colts team at home on Sunday. Indy is coming off a 24-6 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions. They are 1-4 in their last five games, but all of those losses came against likely playoff opponents.

Richardson has shown a tendency to be a turnover machine. Can he play a clean game and help the Colts come out on top against the Patriots?

Here’s the full round-up of Patriots Wire staff picks for the Week 13 matchup:

Jordy McElroy (5-7) – Patriots 28, Colts 20

Danny Jaillet (6-6) – Patriots 27, Colts 21

Cam Garrity (3-9) – Patriots 13, Colts 16

Who are you taking in Sunday’s game? Be sure and let us know who you’re picking and why.

You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

POLL: Who wins Sunday’s Patriots-Colts game?

Who wins on Sunday? Patriots or Colts?

The New England Patriots are set to take on the Indianapolis Colts in a Week 13 matchup that features two teams still trying to find their identity.

The Patriots are coming off a 34-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins last week. Quarterback Drake Maye got the offense going late in a game where he went 22-of-37 passing on the afternoon for 222 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

The combination of wide receiver Demario Douglas and tight end Austin Hooper provided the majority of the offense for the day. Douglas was the team’s leading receiver with five catches for 62 yards, while Hooper had four catches, 59 yards and the only offensive touchdown of the game for New England.

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez scored the other touchdown on a 63-yard scoop-and-score off a fumble recovery.

The Colts also struggled in their most recent outing in a 24-6 loss to the Detroit Lions. It was a difficult day for the Indianapolis offense with quarterback Anthony Richardson being held to only 172 passing yards. He also added 10 carries for 61 yards to the stat sheet.

The biggest standout for Indianapolis was wideout Michael Pittman Jr., who had six catches for 96 yards. New England leads the all-time series between the two teams by a 53-31 margin.

The Patriots will be looking to get their fourth win of the season and end their two-game losing streak, while the Colts will be looking to bounce back from their ugly loss to the Lions.

Who do you have winning Sunday’s game? Make sure to vote in our poll below.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Gimme Him: Zaire Franklin would be immediate playmaker for Patriots

Zaire Franklin would make an immediate impact in the Patriots’ linebacker room.

The New England Patriots are set to take on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, and there’s one particular defensive player the Patriots could utilize on their roster.

That player would be Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin, who is this week’s pick for Gimme Him.

Franklin has 123 tackles with two forced fumbles, a sack and an interception on the season. He has been a consistent playmaker for the Colts with his most recent effort being a 13-tackle performance against the Detroit Lions.

The veteran defender is a tackling machine with 100 combined tackles in each of his last three seasons, including a career-high 179 tackles in 2023. He is also a workhorse playmaker, having played 100 percent of the snaps in two out of the last three seasons.

The Patriots could use his veteran leadership at a linebacker position that is missing team captain Ja’Whaun Bentley, who suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in September. Franklin would offer stability to a Patriots defense that has not been consistent all year.

New England has several holes, and the linebacker position would be a good place to start. Franklin would be that key piece that would not only elevate the position, but he’d elevate the entire defensive unit as a whole.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Patriots OC calls for rookie Drake Maye to improve one constant struggle

Alex Van Pelt wants rookie QB Drake Maye to knock off the turnovers

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt isn’t giving Drake Maye a pass for the numerous turnovers.

Many have chalked those struggles up to a rookie quarterback learning at the NFL level. However, Van Pelt shot down the rookie excuse when speaking with media members on Wednesday.

“The turnovers, they have to stop,” said Van Pelt, as transcribed by the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed. “There’s no excuse there, rookie, 10-year player that doesn’t matter. We can’t turn the ball over and expect to win games.”

Maye has thrown seven interceptions and fumbled five times through seven starts. It’s an alarming trend that obviously needs to improve moving forward.

With that said, Maye is also playing behind arguably the NFL’s worst offensive line. There are players blocking for him who probably wouldn’t even make half of the rosters in the league.

It’s a mess right now.

It doesn’t help matters that the team is severely lacking in playmaking wide receivers as well. Maye is a young player carrying a horrendous offense on his shoulders. He’s playing Superman for a roster full of kryptonite.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Instant analysis of Patriots’ 34-15 blowout loss to Dolphins

Instant analysis of the Patriots’ Week 12 blowout loss

Hard Rock Stadium served as the backdrop for another horror show for the New England Patriots in Sunday’s AFC East divisional clash with the Miami Dolphins.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense lit up the Patriots defense for 24 points in the first half of the game. There were no answers for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in a game where the Dolphins took whatever they wanted against New England.

The defensive coaching came under intense scrutiny due to the Patriots’ inability to make in-game adjustments to what the Dolphins were doing.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots were gutted by penalties and the inability to pass protect on the edges. Quarterback Drake Maye was the star of this horror picture with the Patriots’ offensive line giving up four sacks and eight quarterback hits. He finished with 221 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Both starting tackles, Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs, were completely outmatched by Miami’s edge rushers in the game.

The Patriots showed some life late in the game with a long passing touchdown from Maye to tight end Austin Hooper, along with a fumble returned for a touchdown by cornerback Christian Gonzalez. But it wasn’t even close to being enough to overcome Miami on the road in a 34-15 loss.

If not for the penalties, the Patriots offense likely could have put up more points. It’s hard to score points when penalties continue to lengthen downs and kill drives.

The Patriots had 10 penalties in Sunday’s game.

We’ll see if they can pick up the pieces and bounce back effectively at home next week against the visiting Indianapolis Colts.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

WATCH: Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson obliterates Dolphins DB with truck stick

This was nasty….

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson had an angry run that ended with Miami Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer being plastered on his backside in Sunday’s Week 12 game.

Poyer came running into the box to attempt to make a tackle, but Stevenson’s power proved to be too much as he lowered his helmet and dropped the boom on the veteran defensive back.

There’s hope for more angry runs in the future from Stevenson, who needs to get going more consistently to give the team a fighting chance. Of course, that’s easier said than done when running behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.

However, Stevenson made the most of his opportunities on this particular play against Miami.

The ground game has been hit-and-miss for the Patriots all year. We’ll see if they can put the pieces together in the last stretch of the season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Patriots Wire staff game picks and scores for Patriots vs. Dolphins

Patriots Wire staff make their official picks for Sunday’s Patriots-Dolphins game

The New England Patriots will be looking to pull off a major upset win in South Beach on Sunday when taking on the Miami Dolphins.

It’ll be a battle of AFC East division rivals at Hard Rock Stadium with a trip to the postseason potentially on the line for Miami. They are currently in comeback mode with a 4-6 record and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finally healthy.

There’s still a path for them to the playoffs, but a loss would be devastating for their chances. They are coming off back-to-back wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams.

Meanwhile, the Patriots are coming off a home loss to the Rams last week. They’ll be looking to get rookie quarterback Drake Maye more experience on the road and play spoiler for the Dolphins.

Here’s the full round-up of Patriots Wire staff picks for the Week 12 matchup:

Jordy McElroy (4-7) – Patriots 24, Dolphins 28

Danny Jaillet (5-6) – Patriots 27, Dolphins 21

Cam Garrity (3-8) – Patriots 31, Dolphins 3

Who are you taking in Sunday’s game? Be sure and let us know who you’re picking and why.

You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Gimme Him: Jordyn Brooks would boost Patriots defense

Jordyn Brooks would be a solid addition to the Patriots defense

The New England Patriots will have a chance to earn their second win in three games when they take on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.

Miami has plenty of playmakers that New England could use on both sides of the football, but linebacker Jordyn Brooks is the pick for this week’s Gimme Him.

Brooks has been an unquestioned playmaker on the Dolphins defense this season. He has 85 tackles in total, in addition to a sack and four passes defended. He has shown the ability to fly all over the field and make big plays.

His durability has also been an asset this season. He has played 616 total snaps on defense. That is 100 percent of the defensive snaps on the season, according to statistics from Pro Football Reference. He has also played 45 snaps on special teams.

The Patriots have suffered notable injuries at the linebacker position, such as with team captain Ja’Whaun Bentley. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the middle of September.

Sione Takitaki has had several injuries this year as well, including a knee injury that saw him miss five games and a hamstring injury that forced him to miss Week 10. So Brooks’ durability would be a welcome addition.

Brooks is also just 27 years old. He would have the ability to be a stabilizing force on a defensive unit that has a mixture of younger and veteran pieces. His high-level play and athleticism would be welcome and would be a huge lift to the Patriots’ defense.

Not only could he help them in the present, but he could serve as a major building block for the future of the unit.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

POLL: Who wins Sunday’s Patriots-Dolphins game?

Who wins on Sunday? Patriots or Dolphins?

The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins will meet for the second time this season on Sunday afternoon.

The Patriots are coming off a 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye had a stellar afternoon, going 30-of-40 passing for 282 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson provided some balance in the running game with 20 carries for 73 yards.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins have been trying to find their footing after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed a significant chunk of the season. They recently picked up their second win in a row by knocking off the Las Vegas Raiders by a 34-19 margin.

Tagovailoa had an impressive showing with 288 passing yards and three touchdowns. Running back De’Von Achane also recorded 17 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown. However, it was former Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith who had a breakout performance with six catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.

The Patriots and Dolphins have a storied history against each other. The rivalry dates back to 1966. Miami has the all-time lead in the series by a 63-55 margin. They have won the last three contests.

This game will feature two teams with different trajectories. The Patriots are in rebuilding mode with a promising rookie quarterback under center, while the Dolphins are hoping to make a late run and squeeze back into the playoff hunt.

A win for the Patriots would be a major morale boost at this current juncture. However, a win for the Dolphins would keep hope alive.

This game will be an entertaining one either way. A Patriots-Dolphins matchup always seems to bring out the best in both sides. Who do you have winning Sunday’s contest? Make sure to vote in our poll below.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Here’s where Patriots would draft in 2025 after loss to Rams

Here’s where the Patriots would draft if the season ended today

The New England Patriots moved up one spot in the 2025 NFL draft order, following their 28-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

According to Tankathon, if the season ended today, the Patriots would own the No. 6 overall draft pick.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still at the top of the draft board with a 2-9 record. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants are all ahead of the Patriots with 2-8 records.

It hasn’t been pretty for the Patriots, but they are seeing continued improvements from rookie quarterback Drake Maye. With the quarterback position finally settled, there’s hope they can focus on other offensive improvements through free agency and the draft.

The draft board isn’t even close to being finished with there being six games left to go on the regular season schedule. Next up is a road game against the Miami Dolphins.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]