Tag: Ja’whaun Bentley

The Morning After…If you still have hope for 2023 Patriots, it’s time to face the music

Some leftover notes the morning after the Patriots’ 20-17 loss to the Commanders.

The New England Patriots fell to the Washington Commanders at home 20-17 on Sunday.

It was no different than the team we have seen since the start of 2022, a bland offense lacking firepower and a defense that has to work their tails off to keep the team in the game.

Commanders quarterback Sam Howell took charge and threw for 325 yards, one touchdown and one interception, defeating a depleted Patriots defense. On the other side of the ball, the Patriots offense looked out of sync, and it feels like they are starting to officially check out.

Things feel like they have turned from frustration to just outright lack of passion. At least a frustrated locker room has some belief for the season. However, the team we saw against the Commanders feels like they’re packing it in and collecting their game checks.

Let’s get into some leftover notes from the game.

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:

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.

Patriots LB Ja’Whaun Bentley questionable to return with hamstring injury

Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley went down with a hamstring injury.

New England Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley is questionable to return to Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins with a hamstring injury.

This is a big development for New England, as Bentley is the defensive signal-caller and primary communicator for the unit. Mack Wilson would be the next man up.

Bentley has been a key piece at the linebacker position so far this season. He has tallied 49 combined tackles for the defense, and he is coming off a nine-tackle game against Buffalo last weekend. He had six tackles at the time of his exit on Sunday.

It will be interesting to see how New England’s defense adjusts to the absence of such a key veteran playmaker like Bentley in this game.

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The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Previewing Week 8’s biggest NFL matchups

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into Week 8’s biggest matchups, and discuss the Ravens’ passing game.

It’s time for Week 8 of the NFL season, and as always, Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, get you ready with tons of tape study and advanced metrics.

This week, Greg and Doug get into these games:

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins — The Dolphins’ offense didn’t look like itself against the Philadelphia Eagles. How can Bill Belichick and his staff build upon that, and what they did to Tua Tagovailoa in Week 2?

Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks — The Seahawks are turning it up to 11 in their passing game.

Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers — Brock Purdy continues to dominate against the blitz. What might Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo do to limit the damage (if Purdy plays at all)?

Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers — Just when you were out on Matt Canada’s offense, he pulls you back in with a schematic concept that has freed George Pickens.

Greg and Doug also go deep on Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens’ new passing game.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

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.

Studs and duds in Patriots’ shocking shutout loss vs Saints at Gillette Stadium

Who were the Patriots’ studs and duds in Week 5?

The hole got even deeper for the New England Patriots on Sunday, as they were served up an embarrassing 34-0 shutout loss on their home field by the New Orleans Saints.

There will be plenty of discussion on who deserves the most blame for the Patriots’ current predicament. They are sitting at 1-4 on the season with hardly a fighting chance left in the AFC East division.

When it comes to Sunday’s game specifically, every Patriots player and coach deserves some blame for what was one of the worst losses in the history of a Bill Belichick-coached team. So don’t be surprised if today’s list is a bit light in the stud department.

Here are the Patriots’ Week 5 studs and duds:

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 3, per PFF grades

Here are PFF’s highest-graded defensive players for the Patriots in Week 3.

Another defensive masterclass for the New England Patriots earned the team their first 2023 regular season win on Sunday. They pummeled the New York Jets offense (as is usually the case) in a 15-10 road victory.

Three games into the season and it’s already clear that the Patriots have one of the best defenses in the league. Keep in mind, this has been a team playing with only one of their starting cornerbacks. Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones and Marcus Jones have all been out with injuries.

That has left the bulk of the work to rookie first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez, Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade. Gonzalez’s sudden emergence into one of the league’s top corners has obviously been a huge help, along with the pressure the Patriots have been able to get up front.

It was like a full-on WWE session in the Jets’ offensive backfield with quarterback Zach Wilson getting body-slammed and rag-dolled by Patriots defenders through four quarters.

Today, we’re ranking the top-10 Patriots defenders in Week 3 by their Pro Football Focus grades. It’s important to note that we haven’t taken snap count into consideration for this particular list.

So while a player like linebacker Matthew Judon was the obvious MVP of this game, he wasn’t given a top-10 PFF grade.

Patriots stock watch: Who’s up, who’s down heading into Week 3?

Who’s stock is up and who’s stock is down for the Patriots?

The New England Patriots have a conundrum on their hands. They are an improved football team from last season, but they’re still sitting at 0-2 on the year ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the New York Jets.

A big reason for those struggles has been the hellacious regular season schedule. The Patriots faced two potential Super Bowl contenders right out of the gates in the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins.

They still lack explosive offensive talent, but other players have stepped up on both sides of the ball to give them a chance to compete and stay in games. Today, we’re taking a look at several players and checking in on their stock with the team heading into the Week 3 matchup with the Jets.

Who’s stock is up and who’s stock is down for the Patriots?