By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Jakobi Meyers took yet another step forward for the Patriots on Sunday night against the Ravens, leading all skill position players in terms of snap counts and making the biggest play of the night. With his arm.
Meyers played all 56 offensive snaps in the Pats’ massive 23-17 win over the Ravens, once again leading the team in catches (five) and receiving yards (59). But he also led the Pats in passer rating with a perfect 158.3 after dropping a dime to Rex Burkhead on a double-pass touchdown which gave the Patriots a lead that they never relinquished.
The sophomore receiver, formerly an undrafted free agent out of N.C. State, continues to emerge as the Patriots’ top weapon on offense. And it’s reflected in his workload, as he’s overtaken Damiere Byrd for the every-snap role and contributing production on top of it.
Snap Counts
Jakobi Meyers: 56
Ryan Izzo: 52
Damiere Byrd: 42
N’Keal Harry: 35
Jakob Johnson: 35
Damien Harris: 30
Rex Burkhead: 20
James White: 10
In an odd occurrence, fullback Jakob Johnson actually led all Patriots running backs in snaps. That’s because he played fullback in front of Rex Burkhead on five snaps in addition to 30 in front of Damien Harris.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 15: Damien Harris of the New England Patriots runs against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Personnel Packages
The Patriots favored “21” personnel (two RBs, one TE, two WRs) for the second straight game and third time this season. They also mixed up the player groupings within that package more than we’re used to seeing.
21 personnel: 35 snaps (62.5 percent)
11 personnel: 17 snaps (30.4 percent)
20 personnel: 4 snaps (7.1 percent)
Damien Harris and Jakob Johnson were the most-used running back tandem in two-back sets with 30 snaps, which is usually the case. But as mentioned above, Burkhead and Johnson played a season-high five snaps together. Burkhead and James White were the two backs on all four snaps in “20” personnel (two RBs, three WRs).
In two-receiver sets, the Pats opted to go with Harry and Meyers the most often, pairing them on 35 snaps, compared to 21 snaps for Meyers and Byrd. It felt like the start of a de-emphasizing of Byrd, who has been a solid complementary piece but hasn’t produced as much as you’d like for a receiver playing every snap.
Running & Passing
21 personnel: 74.3 percent runs (26-of-35)
11 personnel: 64.7 percent runs (11-of-17)
20 personnel: 100 percent passes (4-of-4)
Of course, with the weather in Foxborough for this one, the run game took precedent. The Patriots ran more than they passed even out of 11 personnel, including six carries for Cam Newton out of that package. All three Patriots touchdowns came out of “11”.
MORE: Patriots Ups & Downs in win over Ravens
Next look at the Patriots’ offensive snap counts comes after they face the Houston Texans in Week 11.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff or send him a nasty email at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.