Tag: Mike Onwenu

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

Some unexpected names topped the list of offensive standouts for the Patriots in their Week 7 win over the Bills

The New England Patriots offense came off of life support on Sunday and helped hand the Buffalo Bills a shocking 29-25 loss.

This wasn’t a game where the unit needed to be bailed out by the defense, either. With less than two minutes to go in the game, quarterback Mac Jones led the offense on an eight-play, 75-yard game-winning drive to put Josh Allen and the Bills away.

There was plenty to like from the performance, including the emergence of rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas, who routinely made plays as a runner, receiver and return man.

Kendrick Bourne continued to serve as a reliable receiving target for Jones, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson finally got going. But most importantly, the offensive line finally showed some fight after collapsing like a paper house in a thunderstorm in their previous three games.

Here are the top-10 highest-graded offensive players for the Patriots in Week 7, per Pro Football Focus.

10 players the Jaguars could pursue before the trade deadline

With a week until the NFL trade deadline, these 10 players could draw the Jaguars’ interest.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are leading the way in the AFC South and just a game behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the AFC. If ever there was a time for the Jaguars to push their chips to the middle of the table, it’s now.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the Jaguars need to trade away their next three first-round picks to get a superstar. Making some kind of move to get a boost down the stretch makes too much sense, though.

Jacksonville could use some help at left guard after rotating between Ben Bartch and Tyler Shatley early in the season. But no area is in more need of improvement than the team’s lackluster pass rush.

While Josh Allen has provided the Jaguars with seven sacks through the first seven weeks, the rest of the defense has just six combined sacks. Only four teams (none with winning records) have fewer sacks.

With the Oct. 31 trade deadline just a week away, here are 10 players who would be worth pursuing for the Jaguars:

3 standout stars for Patriots in Week 7 victory over Bills

These were the three standout stars from the Patriots-Bills game

The New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills.

This would have felt like the norm in the mid 2010s, but it was anything but on Sunday afternoon, when the Patriots ended a four-game losing streak to the Bills in a 29-25 victory.

It might be hard to believe, but the 2023 Patriots, who were off to one of the more horrific offensive starts to a season ever, took on one of the NFL’s best. And they won.

This week flashed some 2021 Patriots and vintage Mac Jones with the team controlling the entire game and likely boosting their confidence moving forward. After a slow start to the year, and some changes that should have happened much sooner, the Patriots find their needle pointing upwards for the next stretch of the season.

Here are this week’s three standout stars that helped lead the Patriots to victory over Josh Allen and the Bills.

The Morning After…Patriots shock NFL with underdog victory led by Mac Jones

Here are some leftover thoughts the morning after the Patriots’ upset win over the Bills

The New England Patriots improved to 2-5 through a 29-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills, who fell to 4-3 on Sunday. They finally won after giving up 24 or more points in a game against a legitimate opponent with a winning record.

The game came down to a quarterback duel between Mac Jones and Josh Allen, and surprisingly, Jones got the better of Allen in the matchup.

Jones completed 83 percent of his passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns, with a passer rating of 126.7. He led his team to a victory with a touchdown to Mike Gesicki with :13 left on the clock.

So what changed?

The Patriots finally made changes we have been clamoring for since the spring. Mike Onwenu started and played right tackle, and the Patriots gave snaps to rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas over DeVante Parker.

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

6 Patriots players should be considered likely trade candidates

What Patriots players will likely be on the trade block?

How big of sellers will the New England Patriots be by the October 31 trade deadline?

That’s the big question with the 2023 season likely dead in the water for the team. They have a 1-5 record with their next two games against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.

By the time Week 9 rolls around, the Patriots will probably already be checkmated into submission.

Help isn’t coming to save New England. So their best hope now is trading players for draft assets. It’s important to note that every player is expendable for the right price, including quarterback Mac Jones. It makes more sense for the Patriots to keep him on the roster, however, unless they get a good enough offer.

Let’s take a look at six Patriots players that are likely trade candidates for the team.

This could be good news for injured Patriots OL Mike Onwenu

After an injury scare in Week 5, Mike Onwenu was back on the practice field on Wednesday

The New England Patriots are getting some potentially good news on the offensive line as starting right guard Mike Onwenu was back on the practice field on Wednesday, after missing Tuesday’s walkthrough.

Onwenu left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, which is something the team treated as precautionary. His continued health is important for a unit that ranks in the middle of the pack with 10 sacks allowed on the season.

The line has seen several lineup changes throughout the season due to injuries, and consistency has been lacking in both run blocking and pass protection.

Onwenu has especially struggled with injuries this year. He underwent off-season surgery for an ankle injury he suffered last season, and it lingered throughout camp. There’s hope he can get back to 100 percent and showcase the same talent that made him one of the best guards in football last season.

Onwenu’s health will be extremely important for a unit that has struggled to start the year. So him returning to the practice field is certainly a step in the right direction.

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

Here are the top-10 Patriots offensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

Not even the hallowed halls of Gillette Stadium could breathe life into the New England Patriots offense in Sunday’s 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The theme heading into Week 6 has been about change, but there might not be enough change possible to save the Patriots this season. They lack explosiveness at the skilled positions, and the offensive line gets beaten like a drum weekly in the trenches.

Fans are even desperately calling for rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham to be given the reins as the new starting signal-caller. By the end of the season, this might end up being the worst offensive team in the Bill Belichick coaching era.

The Patriots currently sit dead last in the NFL in scoring with an average of 11 points per game.

There’s a mountain to climb, but even with all of the offensive struggles, the Patriots won’t go down without a fight. They’ll go kicking and screaming if they have to.

Here’s the top-10 offensive players, per Pro Football Focus grades:

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Onwenu both downgraded as out vs. Saints

Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and OL Mike Onwenu have both been downgraded as out for Sunday’s game

The injuries keep coming for the New England Patriots and what has been a difficult day on the gridiron. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has been downgraded to out with a head injury, while offensive lineman Mike Onwenu has also been downgraded to out with an ankle injury.

Smith-Schuster had three receptions for six yards at the time of his injury. The patriots were already dealing with another injury, as Demario Douglas was questionable to return with a concussion.

Onwenu has been a key piece on the offensive line, and a source of stability, even with the struggles of the line itself. Now, New England will need to find depth at positions that are already lacking in it.

The Patriots have yet to score points in a game where the offense remains the Achilles’ heel for the team.

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Studs and duds in Patriots’ historically bad loss to Cowboys

Who were the studs and duds from Sunday’s game?

The New England Patriots made history for all of the wrong reasons in their shocking 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

In coach Bill Belichick’s 29 years as a head coach, he has never lost a game by 35 points—until Sunday. The Patriots got beat like a drum on the road by the Cowboys on both sides of the ball.

On offense, it was another sluggish effort with Mac Jones turning the ball over and struggling to move the ball downfield. On defense, it was all about injuries with Christian Gonzalez, Matthew Judon and Jabrill Peppers all going down.

The wheels finally fell off a Patriots defense that had been resilient up to this point, and the offense looked like it stepped into a time machine to the dreadful 2022 season.

Here are the studs and duds from the Patriots’ third regular season loss:

Patriots Week 3 injury report: Rookie OL Sidy Sow suffers setback on Thursday

Two Patriots players did not participate in Thursday’s practice.

The New England Patriots are getting healthier, but they had a bit of a setback with rookie offensive lineman Sidy Sow on Thursday.

On the team’s injury report, it was revealed that the fourth-round draft pick did not participate at practice. Sow has been working his way back from a concussion that kept him out of the Week 2 game against the Miami Dolphins.

There was hope that he was improving after he was listed as a limited participant at practice on Wednesday. So the fact that he missed this time around could indicate there was some sort of a setback. Concussions are tricky injuries with a varied timetable of recovery.

Meanwhile, Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones was still out with the shoulder injury he suffered in the Dolphins game. Here is the full injury report for the Patriots on Thursday: