Tag: jahlani tavai

Studs and duds in Patriots’ pitiful 20-17 loss to Commanders

Who were the studs and duds in the Patriots’ pitiful 20-17 loss to the Commanders?

Not even a Week 9 matchup with the struggling Washington Commanders could save the New England Patriots from falling to 2-7 on the season.

It’s shocking to think this is the same Patriots team that somehow knocked off the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. The team that beat the Bills must have somehow caught lightning in a bottle because the version that showed up on Sunday looked terrible on all levels.

Offense, defense and special teams—it was all bad for the Patriots.

They had an opportunity to save the game late, but a pass from quarterback Mac Jones bobbled off of JuJu Smith-Schuster’s hands and turned into an interception for the Commanders to close out the game.

It was a completely fitting ending for this version of the Patriots. Here are the studs and duds from the game for New England after their 20-17 loss to the Commanders:

WATCH: Patriots cash in on turnover with Mac Jones-Hunter Henry touchdown

The Mac Jones and Hunter Henry touchdown connection is back on.

The New England Patriots were having trouble getting things going early on Sunday offensively. However, a defensive play by linebacker Jahlani Tavai sparked a Patriots touchdown.

Tavai executed a beautiful strip of the football at the midway point in the second quarter. It was recovered by New England and led to seven points. The touchdown came courtesy of a Mac Jones-Hunter Henry connection and shrunk the Washington lead to 10-7.

It was Henry’s third touchdown of the season and Jones’ 10th touchdown of the year. The play breathed life in the New England offense, which had been stagnant up to that point.

One touchdown is not going to win this game for New England. However, it’s certainly a strong starting point.

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10 highest-graded players for Patriots defense vs Dolphins, per PFF

Who were the highest-graded Patriots defensive players in the loss to the Dolphins?

The New England Patriots defense could not handle the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, as they were defeated by a 31-17 margin.

Sure, the defense had moments of success, but by and large, this was a game that saw the unit struggle overall. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed for 324 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Running back Raheem Mostert carried the ball 13 times for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Tyreek Hill was the receiver of the afternoon, catching seven passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.

The Patriots defense had no answers for the potent Miami offensive attack. The Dolphins being on the field for nearly 36 minutes of the game didn’t help matters, either.

Here are the top-10 highest-graded defensive players for the Patriots in Week 8, per Pro Football Focus.

10 highest-graded players for Patriots defense vs Bills, per PFF

Here are the top-10 highest-graded Patriots defensive players in Sunday’s win over the Bills

The New England Patriots defense might be banged up, but it isn’t broken.

They proved that to be the case in Sunday’s shocking upset victory over the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots’ defensive unit went toe-to-toe with quarterback Josh Allen and held one of the league’s more explosive offenses in check.

Even without key playmakers, such as linebacker Josh Uche and defensive end Keion White, the team still generated enough pressure on Allen to make him uncomfortable throughout the game.

On the backend of the defense, the cornerbacks didn’t trip over themselves when tasked with the responsibility of keeping All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs from breaking the game wide open.

The J.C. Jackson trade is looking like a masterstroke move by coach Bill Belichick, while the returns of both Jonathan Jones and Jack Jones has made the unit formidable again.

Things won’t get any easier down the stretch, and we’ll see if the team can keep the momentum going. Here’s the top-10 Patriots defenders from Week 7, per Pro Football Focus grades:

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 6, per PFF grades

Here are the Patriots’ top defensive players in Week 6, per PFF grades.

Defense has been the saving grace for the New England Patriots at a time when there isn’t much to feel good about with the team. That continued to be the case in Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The unit held the Raiders’ rushing attack, including Josh Jacobs, to under 100 yards. They also shut down All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams, who finished the game with only two receptions for 29 yards.

Even with all of the injuries on the roster, the Patriots defense still stood up to the road challenge and gave the team a chance to win. But it still wasn’t good enough.

Linebacker Jahlani Tavai had another big game after snagging a pop-up interception on Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He also tied Jabrill Peppers, who delivered the vicious hit that caused the initial pop-up interception, in total tackles.

Christian Barmore was also a big-time disruptor along the defensive front in swatting down passes, clogging up running lanes and generating pressure up the middle.

Here are the top-10 Patriots defensive players in Week 6, per Pro Football Focus grades.

3 standout stars for Patriots in Week 6 loss to Raiders

The Patriots put up a fight but still managed to fall short on Sunday. Here are the three standout stars in the Patriots-Raiders game.

The New England Patriots performed much better in Week 6 than they did in their previous two blowout losses to the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys.

But even with an improved performance, the Patriots ultimately fell in defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders 21-17, thanks to some last-minute self-inflicted wounds.

The Patriots had a chance to come back late in the fourth quarter and fell short as Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby sacked Mac Jones in the end zone for a safety to ultimately close the game out.

Even in defeat, it was clear New England showed up to compete until the final whistle. These were the three standout stars for the team in their third consecutive loss.

Studs and duds from Patriots’ crushing 21-17 loss to Raiders

Who were the studs and duds from the Patriots’ Week 6 loss to the Raiders?

An easier opponent didn’t make much of a difference for the New England Patriots, who fell in defeat for a third straight time on Sunday afternoon.

After suffering back-to-back blowout losses to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, the Patriots fell victim to a heartbreaking 21-17 road loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6.

The offense was clearly still sluggish, but they did manage to move the ball better than they have in previous weeks. They even scored two touchdowns after failing to score one in their last two games.

But overall, it was still a disappointing showing from a team that looks like one of the worst in the league. The Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and even New York Jets look like far superior teams than the Patriots right now.

With a 1-5 record and a schedule loaded with a murderer’s row slate of opponents, there may be no changing that narrative for the Patriots this season.

Here are the studs and duds from Sunday’s game:

Jim Nantz extends Sunday’s announcer/interception curse

Announcers Jim Nantz and Spero Dedes created interceptions on Sunday with the sheer power of their words. If you don’t believe us, just watch.

At least two times on Sunday, announcers were directly responsible for interceptions.

You may think that’s facetious, but we don’t. We have seen more than enough no-hitters broken up as a result of blabbermouth people in the booth talking about it just to be defiant, and football announcers should know better than to ever say that Team X hasn’t thrown an interception, or Team X doesn’t yet have an interception. Because we ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, DON’T WE?

First, veteran announcer Spero Dedes apparently forgot himself in this regard. Albert was calling Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars, and with 4:50 left in the first half, Dedes happened to mention that Minshew hadn’t thrown a pick all season long.

See if you can guess what happened next.

I mean… we’re talking MAYBE five seconds between the installation of the Announcer Curse, and the Inevitable Result. Ouch.

Then, Jim Nantz and Tony Romo were calling the game between the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders, and Nantz happened to mention that the Patriots don’t have an interception yet among the players in uniform on the field. Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez, out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, was the only Patriots defender with an interception this season.

Of course, that changed right after Nantz said it. Defensive back Jabrill Peppers put a serious hit on receiver Davante Adams, and the ball flew up into the hands of linebacker Jahlani Tavai.

When will these guys learn? Actions have consequences, people.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

These were the Patriots’ top-10 defensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

Defense is about the only hope the New England Patriots have left this season, and that couldn’t have been more evident than Sunday’s 34-0 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints.

It was another afternoon of horrific turnovers for the offense with one being a pick-six after a poor throwing decision from quarterback Mac Jones. The Saints dominated the battle of field position and time of possession by a 39:34-20:26 margin.

The defense didn’t really have much of a chance in the game.

Keep in mind, it’s also a defense that lost two of its best players, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Matthew Judon, to injuries in the previous week. The good news is the unit continued to fight valiantly, even when clearly facing an uphill battle.

There was still tremendous effort on display for a team that currently looks like one of the worst in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Patriots, defensive effort alone doesn’t win football games. At some point, the offense has to find ways to execute and put points on the board.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 defensive players from Sunday’s game, per Pro Football Focus grades.

First Patriots defensive player comments on return of J.C. Jackson

Players are excited to see J.C. Jackson back in a Patriots uniform

New England Patriots players are beginning to weigh in on the return of cornerback J.C. Jackson, following Wednesday’s shocking trade with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Linebacker Jahlani Tavai was the first to share his thoughts on the signing.

Tavai was a teammate of Jackson’s in the 2021 season, the last year of Jackson’s first stint with the team. Jackson performed at a high level that year, appearing  in all 17 games and tallying 44 tackles and eight interceptions. He also notched a career-high 23 pass deflections and earned his first All-Pro nod.

Now, Jackson will join a solid corner group that includes the likes of Jonathan Jones, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, and Jack Jones. He could shoot to the top of the depth chart as the only healthy cornerback on that list.

“I’m excited to see him back in a Patriot uniform,” said Tavai.

It will be interesting to see if the Patriots can get Jackson back to the form he was at in his first stint in New England. A rejuvenated Jackson could do wonders for a reeling Patriots secondary.

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