Tag: pierre strong jr.

3 standout stars for Patriots in Week 14 victory

Here are the standout stars for the Patriots in Week 14.

With their backs against the wall, the New England Patriots handled business against the Arizona Cardinals after a rocky first half. They found life in the second half when the defense turned up the heat and shut down the Colt McCoy-led Cardinals offense.

By the end of the game, the unit had compiled six sacks and two turnovers, including a scoop fumble returned for a touchdown in a 27-13 victory.

The victory improved the Patriots’ overall record to 7-6 and paved the way for them to climb back into the playoff picture. It was a must-win game, and they needed an all-hands-on-deck mentality to come out on top.

However, here are the three stars that made the biggest impact on the game.

The Morning After: Did Week 14 win change season outlook for Patriots?

Leftover notes from the Patriots’ 27-13 win over the Cardinals.

The Morning After is here, and the New England Patriots find themselves sitting at 7-6 after a 27-13 primetime victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night.

Throughout the early portion of the game, Patriots fans, including myself, fell into the “here we go again” mindset, as the Patriots struggled heavily against a lackluster Cardinals team.

Colt McCoy pulling out an upset looked like it was going to be the latest storyline, as he stepped up admirably for the injured Kyler Murray. Not only was he able to make some good throws, but the Patriots had no answer for running back James Connor early on.

At halftime, the game was tied 13-13, and then the Patriots made the necessary adjustments that seemingly sealed the game, shutting out the Cardinals in the second half.

One thing is for sure: The Patriots are still on thin ice offensively, and things need to change if they hope to go on a run in these last four games against tough opponents.

Things are still at a standstill after last night, but let’s get into this week’s leftover notes.

Patriots rookie RBs Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong Jr. step up big vs. Cardinals

After losing multiple running backs to injury, the Patriots got huge contributions Monday night from a pair of rookies

The New England Patriots were already without running back Damien Harris for Monday night’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, and then they lost starter Rhamondre Stevenson to injury.

That left them with a pair of untested rookies in Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. to finish out the night in the offensive backfield, and the early returns have been impressive.

Both Harris and Strong have scored their first career NFL touchdowns in the game, while Strong showed off his big-play ability with a huge run:

Winners and losers from Patriots’ Thanksgiving road loss to Vikings

Who were the winners and losers from the Patriots’ road loss to the Vikings?

The New England Patriots went on the road and nearly spoiled the Thanksgiving festivities for the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday.

But that effort came undone on a night when Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson seemed unguardable, along with quarterback Kirk Cousins stepping up in the primetime spotlight and making the plays he needed to get the victory.

Of course, the bad officiating didn’t help matters, either. It was just one of those frustrating nights where nothing seemed to be going the Patriots’ way.

There were obviously a lot of positive things to take away from the performance, but it’s still going to be one of those games that could potentially frustrate the team weeks down the road, especially if they fail to make the playoffs.

Here are the winners and losers from the road loss.

Midseason rookie grades for Patriots’ 2022 draft class

Grading the 2022 Patriots draft class and their performance after nine games.

The New England Patriots needed their 2022 draft class to have some playmakers and/or role players after a draft lull until 2020.

After nine weeks, it’s still too early to grade the player or selection as developing and adjusting to the NFL game is certainly no easy task.

But we’re going to do it anyway.

Instead of grading the selection and the value, let’s take a look at each player from the draft class and give them a grade for their performance thus far in 2022.

3 keys to victory for Patriots vs Browns in Week 6

Three keys for the Patriots to handle business in Cleveland and improve to 3-3 on the season.

The New England Patriots (2-3) are heading to Cleveland to face off against the Browns (2-3) in a matchup with former Patriot Jacoby Brissett, who is filling in for the suspended Deshaun Watson.

As the Patriots look to even their record at 3-3, their starting quarterback, Mac Jones, is still questionable from the high ankle sprain he suffered in the Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

All signs are pointing to Jones returning in the next few games, but at this point, fans are awaiting the team’s announcement for the starting QB leading up to the game. Regardless of who’s at the helm, let’s take a look at three keys to this week’s game.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson sees himself in Pierre Strong Jr.

Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson empathizes with teammate Pierre Strong Jr.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson sees a little bit of himself in Patriots rookie Pierre Strong Jr.

Stevenson has fully cemented himself as a key piece in the Patriots’ running back room. He has shown his worth early this season, being one of the only bright spots in the team’s loss to the Miami Dolphins in the opener.

He followed that up with a performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers that saw him average 5.2 yards per carry. Those worried about a sophomore slump for the running back don’t appear to have anything to be afraid of.

Stevenson sees similarities between himself and rookie fourth-round draft pick Strong Jr. Both running backs have a lot in common, particularly the similar trajectory their rookie campaigns have taken them. Stevenson struggled during the first couple of months of his rookie year last year, and Strong sat out Week 1 and was a backup kick returner in the second week of the season.

Stevenson is preaching patience for the rookie, as he told Zack Cox of NESN.com.

“In a way, I kind of see myself last year in him. Just trying to learn everything and string every practice along and get better,” said Stevenson. “…Oh, my god. I feel for all the rookies when they’re not getting the full picture, because I’ve talked to all those guys (and told them) I’ve been there before.

“Offense, defense — I know how it is being the new guy just trying to fit into the system and just trying to show your worth, and that’s hard to do when you don’t know the playbook all the way and things like that. So I just tell them to focus on the playbook and everything else will come.”

Strong enters a crowded backfield for the Patriots with Damien Harris and Stevenson headlining the position. Perhaps this is just a bump in the road for the rookie. At the very least, his teammates can relate to his current situation.

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Report: Patriots releasing Devine Ozigbo after drafting two running backs

The Patriots made their first post-draft cut after adding two RBs to an already-crowded group.

The New England Patriots are releasing running back Devine Ozigbo, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.

Ozigbo, 25, joined the Patriots as a practice squad player in November and was signed to a reserve/futures contract despite not seeing any game action. The Patriots now have an extremely crowded running back room following the addition of Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Patriots locker room now consists of Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, James White, Strong Jr., J.J. Taylor and Harris. D. Harris is on the final year of his contract and White is coming off a major hip injury — which could justify the choice to select two running backs in the draft.

The Patriots will continue to trim down the roster in the near future now that the draft is over.

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Twitter reacts to Patriots drafting South Dakota State RB Pierre Strong Jr.

Pierre Strong Jr. is the fastest RB in the draft and he had an incredible 2021 season, with 18 rushing touchdowns.

The New England Patriots added depth to the running back group in Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft by selecting South Dakota State’s Pierre Strong Jr.

Strong Jr. was the fastest running back in the draft with a 4.37 40-yard dash and he’s coming off a season with 1,673 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. James White is returning from a major hip injury, Damien Harris is on the final year of his contract and Strong Jr. could be the future of the backfield alongside Rhamondre Stevenson.

The Patriots looked to get faster with this year’s draft and they have done that with the selections of Strong Jr., Tyquan Thornton and Marcus Jones.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Patriots’ newest running back.

Rams 7-round mock draft: Final edition

With the draft coming up in just 2 days, here’s our final mock draft for the Rams, going all 7 rounds to project what Les Snead will do

It’s officially the week of the 2022 NFL draft (*proceeds to rub hands together*) and it’s always exciting to see where certain prospects land as they hope to live out their dream of playing in the NFL. Los Angeles Rams fans will have to wait a while until their team makes a selection, with their first pick not coming until No. 104 in the third round.

With it being days before the draft begins, I’ll be conducting my final mock draft for the Rams. Los Angeles currently owns eight total picks, though we all know that Les Snead loves to make trades during the draft to either move up or compile more draft capital.

Amidst all of the chaos and uncertainty before the draft, here is my final seven-round mock draft for the Rams. Just note that this is how I envision Los Angeles drafting and does not entirely reflect what I would do with each pick.