Tag: Deatrich Wise Jr

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 4, per PFF grades

Ranking the Patriots’ defensive players with the top-10 PFF grades in Week 4

The New England Patriots defense was put in an impossible position in the Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Not only was the unit battered with injuries, but it was handcuffed to an offense that turned the ball over three times and consistently put them in bad field position.

It was in no way a great performance for the defense, but they also didn’t look nearly as bad as the 38-3 score indicates. In fact, it’s surprising the score didn’t get even worse with the offense giving up two defensive touchdowns to the Cowboys.

The defense also lost two of their best players with cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Matthew Judon both going down with injuries. They’ll have their work cut out for them when attempting to bounce back in Week 5 against the visiting New Orleans Saints.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 defensive players, per Pro Football Focus grades, in the loss to Dallas.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 2, per PFF grades

Who cracked the top-10 on defense for the Patriots in Week 2?

For a second straight week, most of the highlights for the New England Patriots came on the defensive side of the ball in their Week 2 matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

They were presented with the seemingly impossible task of covering the Dolphins’ otherworldly receiving tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and they overachieved in not allowing the game to be broken open.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for their effort in stopping the run game after seeing them get pounded into the ground by Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez did a tremendous job matched up on the outside against Hill, who had five receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown, after going off last week for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The first-round draft pick even undercut Hill on one play and leaped high into the air to snag the first interception of his NFL career.

Let’s take a look at Gonzalez and the other nine defensive players that received the highest Pro Football Focus grades for the Patriots in Week 2.

Patriots name six team captains for the 2023 season

Here are the six Patriots team captains for the 2023 season.

The New England Patriots named six team captains for the 2023 regular season ahead of Sunday’s opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

All of the captains from the 2022 season remained intact, except for former safety Devin McCourty, who retired from football in the offseason. That paved the way for tight end Hunter Henry to step in as the newest team captain.

Henry is one of the team’s most dependable offensive playmakers, and he has also turned into a more vocal leader in the locker room. So the title certainly fits the seven-year NFL veteran.

The Patriots will need great leadership when navigating through the most difficult NFL schedule this season. Here are the official team captains of the 2023 season.

Patriots rookie combo already earning fitting nickname

This nickname is very fitting for this dynamic rookie combo.

New England Patriots veterans have already given rookie first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez and second-round draft pick Keion White a nickname heading into the 2023 season.

Both have clearly impressed during the preseason.

White in particular has  excited fans with his ability to rush the passer. Gonzalez came as advertised in the preseason as well, shaking off first-game jitters to put together some solid performances.

Now, the two could factor into the New England defense in a big way. The quiet demeanor they possess on the field and their ability to make ‘loud’ football plays is noticeable.

Defensive end Deatrich Wise and the rest of their teammates recognize this, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Dakota Randall.

“Keion and Gonzo, they’re doing tremendous work,” Wise said. “I call them the ‘quiet assassins’ because they don’t say much but their play is very loud.”

New England’s 2023 draft class needs to be a successful one, as they look to keep pace with the rest of the AFC East. Gonzalez and White still have to prove things in the regular season, but the early returns have been positive.

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Madden 24: See the ratings for entire Patriots roster

Did Madden get the Patriots’ ratings right this year?

We are closing in on the start of the 2023 regular season, which means only one thing: It’s Madden season.

With the recent release of EA’s “Madden NFL 24”, the New England Patriots weren’t given much respect at all as far as the player ratings are concerned. Sadly, that’s what happens when a team is an absolute mess and misses the playoffs.

But there is hope for things to be better this time around with all of the new additions to the roster, including the return of Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator. The team also made the big splash signing at running back with former two-time NFL leading rusher Ezekiel Elliott joining an offensive backfield that already had burgeoning star rusher Rhamondre Stevenson.

Elliott isn’t listed as a Patriots running back on this list, but that will surely change in a future update. For now, let’s take a look at the overall rating for every Patriots player on the Madden 24 roster.

Madden 24 ratings for every Patriots defensive tackle and edge rusher

The “Madden NFL 24” ratings are in for the Patriots’ defensive tackles and edge rushers

EA Sports has been revealing player ratings for the upcoming “Madden NFL 24” video game, and two of the initial positions they’ve highlighted are defensive tackle and edge rusher.

No one from the New England Patriots defense joined the 99 club at those positions this year, but defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. did get an 81 overall rating on the game.

Despite all of the defensive success, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Patriots players are still being underrated. Barmore might be one of the best defensive tackles in the league, but he obviously hasn’t stayed on the field long enough to prove it.

That could all change in the 2023 season and potentially lead to a ratings increase in a future patch for the game. Keep your fingers crossed, Patriots fans.

Here are the ratings for every defensive tackle and edge rusher for the Patriots in “Madden NFL 24”.

Predicting the Patriots’ 2023 starting defense before camp

Predicting the starting defense for the 2023 Patriots

Coach Bill Belichick’s defense was the star attraction for the New England Patriots last season, and it’s hard to envision that changing heading into 2023.

The Patriots continued to commit heavily to the defensive side of the ball by selecting cornerback Christian Gonzalez, defensive end Keion White and linebacker/safety Marte Mapu with their first three picks of the 2023 NFL draft.

That’s considerable firepower added to a unit returning with nearly every player from last season. Legendary safety Devin McCourty is the only starter from that team that is no longer on the roster. But then again, the Patriots are one of the deepest teams in the league at safety.

The defense will once again be a force, and here’s my 11 starters that will continue to make that happen:

Patriots’ 15 biggest cap hits in 2023

What Patriots players have the biggest cap hits in 2023?

Things may not be perfect, but the New England Patriots are in a much better place financially than they were in the 2022 season.

Last year, wide receiver Nelson Agholor’s contract came with the second-highest cap hit, while tight end Jonnu Smith’s deal was the fifth-highest hit. Those contracts served as a punch in the gut for a Patriots team that hardly utilized the two veteran players.

Whether the onus should fall on the team or the players themselves is irrelevant in regards to the fact that it was wasted money for the Patriots organization.

We’ll see if that ends up being the case for some of the players with big cap hits for the team this time around. Here are the 15 players with the biggest cap hits for the Patriots heading into the 2023 season (via Spotrac):

Patriots’ 5 biggest needs this offseason

Here are the Patriots’ five biggest needs that must be addressed in the offseason.

The New England Patriots finished 2022 by missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, an outcome that is well below the standard the Patriots are used to seeing over the last 20-plus years.

The Patriots are into full 2023 planning mode and looking for talent to round out a much-improved roster and coaching staff for next season. That’s coupled with the scheme changes that are sure to come from the hiring of Bill O’Brien as the new offensive coordinator.

There is clearly a lot of work to be done. Here are the Patriots’ biggest needs in the offseason.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 16, according to PFF

Here are the top 10 best defensive grades for the Patriots in Week 16.

Defense doesn’t always win championships, especially if the offense continues to get in its own way. Such has been the case for the New England Patriots this season.

Nothing changed in the Week 16 matchup with a Cincinnati Bengals team that was believed to be the hottest team in football headed into Gillette Stadium.

Yet, the Patriots defense forced three turnovers, including a pick-six, on quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ prolific offense, along with holding them scoreless for the entire second half.

Of course, none of it mattered in the end as the game ended on a fourth-quarter turnover from running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the red zone. Pro Football Focus graded all of the players on the defensive side of the ball for the Patriots in the Christmas Eve loss to Cincinnati.

Here are the top-10 graded players.