Tag: Myles Bryant

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’ 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.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott surprised Patriots allowed this play to happen

Dak Prescott was surprised by this play sequence from the Patriots after the Christian Gonzalez injury.

The New England Patriots performed in a way that surprised even their opponents on Sunday. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in particular was surprised by one play during his team’s 38-3 win over New England.

The Patriots played man coverage on CeeDee Lamb, as Myles Bryant matched up against the wide receiver. This was one play after Christian Gonzalez left the field with a shoulder injury. Prescott thought that the Patriots would play a more conservative coverage. Instead, Bryant took the challenge head-on.

Lamb finished with four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Prescott had his opinions on the play, in what was a big day for the Cowboys. The quarterback broke down his thoughts on the sequence.

“We went into the timeout break because New England’s Gonzalez got hurt,” Prescott said, per a released transcript. “Coming out of that, we had a great play design.

“We expected them to go into a shell look or play it soft. I was surprised, to say the least, when they went man-to-man and allowed CeeDee to be 1-on-1.”

It was a difficult day for the entire defense, as New England allowed 377 total yards of offense. They will look to bounce back against the New Orleans Saints with the defensive unit a little banged up, following injuries to both Gonzalez and Matthew Judon.

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Injury-riddled Patriots might have to get creative at cornerback

With Jonathan Jones ruled out and Shaun Wade listed as questionable, the Patriots might have to get creative at cornerback on Sunday.

Injuries at cornerback have the New England Patriots on the brink of desperation in the defensive backfield, ahead of a tough matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Marcus Jones and Jack Jones are both on injured reserve. Jonathan Jones was ruled out for the road trip on Saturday. Shaun Wade is expected to make the trip, but he’s listed as questionable to play with a shoulder injury.

That leaves the Patriots with rookie Christian Gonzalez and Myles Bryant as their primary healthy options.

So far, the team has been able to disguise the injuries with Gonzalez’s elite play, along with Bryant making legitimate strides of improvement. But it’s only a matter of time before the injuries catch up to the unit, and the wheels could potentially fall off without a great backup plan in Week 4.

The Patriots could call up Azizi Hearns or Breon Borders from their practice squad, or they could get even more creative and move converted safety Jalen Mills back to cornerback for the game.

Given the opponent and incredible depth they already have at safety, it might be smarter for the Patriots to do the latter. Keep in mind, this is all assuming Wade isn’t healthy enough to play.

The Patriots also have rookie Ameer Speed on the roster, but he’s mostly been involved with special teams. It could prove risky to match him up defensively against an elite football team with a plethora of receiving talent.

Even with all of the injuries, the defense hasn’t broken three weeks into the season. There’s reason to believe they can weather the storm just a little bit longer.

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3 standout stars from Patriots’ Week 2 loss to Dolphins

Who were the standout stars for the Patriots in Week 2?

The New England Patriots had yet another rough loss, where they almost won, almost made plays and almost looked good.

It’s never easy for your favorite team to lose, but over the last few seasons, we have seen more almost games from the Patriots. It keeps us hanging on the seat for dear life, just to watch them fall short in the end.

With that said, it wasn’t all bad from the Patriots in Week 2. Let’s take a look at the three standout stars for the team in their second straight loss in the season.

5 big takeaways from Patriots’ 24-17 loss vs Dolphins

Another comeback, another drive that came up just short. Here are 5 big takeaways from the Patriots’ loss to Miami

Those are the ones that rip your heart out.

A week after their go-ahead drive ended on a failed fourth-down conversion against the Philadelphia Eagles, the New England Patriots decided to rinse and repeat. Down 24-17 with a minute to go against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night, the Patriots again embarked on a drive to extend the game.

And once again, a fantastic fourth down play that was initially called a first down conversion on the field was overturned by video review, giving their opponent the ball and the ability to run the clock out to end the game.

Here are 5 big takeaways from the matchup.

5 takeaways from Day 17 of Patriots training camp practice

A major return. A rising defensive playmaker? An injury concern? Here are five takeaways from Day 17 of Patriots training camp.

It was back to the practice grind on Tuesday for the New England Patriots, who took a couple of days off after Saturday’s preseason game with the Green Bay Packers.

This was a lighter practice with the team working in helmets and shells. They were slated to travel to Tennessee early this week for joint practices with the Tennessee Titans, but those plans have been canceled. So the team will finish up training camp in Foxborough in preparation for Friday’s preseason finale in Nashville.

Here’s the full list of absent players from Day 17 of training camp practice:

CB Isaiah Bolden

G Mike Onwenu

G Cole Strange

CB Jonathan Jones

DE Trey Flowers

WR Tyquan Thornton

OT Conor McDermott

OT Calvin Anderson

ST Cody Davis

WR Tre Nixon (waived)

Don’t let the relaxed practice fool you. The stakes are still high for those on the roster bubble with the 53-man cut deadline rapidly approaching. Let’s delve into some takeaways from Tuesday’s practice.

WATCH: Myles Bryant knocks Packers’ rookie into another universe

Myles Bryant served up a tough “welcome to the NFL moment” for a Packers rookie.

New England Patriots defensive back Myles Bryant didn’t waste an opportunity to give Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver Jayden Reed his “welcome to the NFL moment” in Saturday’s preseason game.

Reed was trying to block for Packers running back A.J. Dillon early in the first quarter when he seemingly ran into a brick wall against Bryant. The Patriots’ veteran safety popped Reed full force and sent him flying and rolling backwards on the ground.

No one ever really talks about Bryant’s physicality as a defender, but it was on full display for the world to see at the rookie’s expense.

Bryant didn’t get many snaps in the game, but he did finish with the highest defensive grade by Pro Football Focus. He is quietly having himself a good preseason, and it could lead to him sticking around on the Patriots’ roster for a fourth consecutive year.

At the very least, he’ll be sticking around in Reed’s memory for the failed block attempt.

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WATCH: Patriots rookie WR Demario Douglas obliterates CB on route

Demario Douglas is ruthless in one-on-ones.

One thing is certain 12 days into New England Patriots’ training camp: Demario Douglas will flat out embarrass you in one-on-one match-ups.

The rookie wide receiver was at it again on Tuesday, putting defensive backs on skates and making routes look easy. Veteran cornerback Myles Bryant was the latest victim of a Douglas juke that left him completely turned around in the wrong direction.

There were serious concerns for the Patriots passing on an opportunity to select a wide receiver early in the 2023 NFL draft, but they shifted their focus to the defensive side of the ball and snagged Douglas and Kayshon Boutte in the sixth round.

Not bad for a sixth-round pick.

With Douglas getting extended work at practice this week, it could mean he’s in line to play significant snaps in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans. Get the popcorn ready, Patriots fans.

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