Patriots Ups & Downs: A tale of two halves in Texas

Author Matt Dolloff

October 10th, 2021 6:51 PM

For a while there, it looked like the Patriots were facing a mostly “down” day in the postgame Ups & Downs. But a second-half comeback victory helped change that.

Surprisingly enough, it’s the Patriots defense that gets the bulk of the “downs” in this one, as the Texans and rookie quarterback Davis Mills had their way with them for much of the game. But a clutch performance by the offense and kicking game helped balance things out.

If we were to put the coaching staff on this list, they’d get a thumbs down for looking unprepared in the first half and letting a rookie QB shred them for at least two and a half quarters. But Ups & Downs are about the players.

Here’s the full list from the Patriots’ 25-22 win over the Texans…

• UP: QB Mac Jones

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  The rookie gets the thumbs up for the second straight week. Not a perfect game for him, by any means, but by the end of the game, Jones had engineered the first fourth-quarter comeback and game-winning drive of his career. Jones finished 23-of-30 for 231 yards and a touchdown, a nice touch-pass to the back-corner of the end zone for tight end Hunter Henry that tied the game late in the fourth.
  
  Jones had one notable blemish, a third-quarter interception that the Texans capitalized on with another touchdown. It was a bad decision to throw to a well-covered Nelson Agholor, and an inaccurate pass that was closer to Texans defensive back Lonnie Johnson. But overall, Jones was far from a problem on the team, and showed resilience in helping lead the offense on their comeback.

• DOWN: CB J.C. Jackson

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  Texans wideout Chris Moore came off the practice squad and lit up the Patriots with five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. The bulk of his production came with Jackson in coverage, including a 67-yard catch-and-run for a score. Jackson also committed an early pass interference penalty that gave Houston a first down on third-and-8, helping set up their opening touchdown drive.
  
  Jackson will obviously need to play better than that to earn his “No. 1 cornerback” label going forward. He’ll certainly have his share of good games this season, but one of them will have to come right away, against the high-powered Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.

• UP: TE Hunter Henry

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  Best game yet for the Patriots’ high-priced free-agent pickup, who has steadily gotten better and more productive on a weekly basis. Henry led the Patriots in catches (6) and receiving yards (75), and got open in the back of the end zone for Mac Jones’ game-tying touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Henry is emerging as a dependable target for Jones down the field, and the team’s go-to pass-catching tight end on third downs and in no-huddle.
• DOWN: RB Damien Harris

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  Harris’ resiliency deserves mention coming out of this game, because he briefly left with a chest injury before returning and running hard. He ended up with 14 carries for 58 yards (4.1 average) and a touchdown. But unfortunately, Harris made the Patriots’ biggest offensive mistake in the game. The Texans’ Terrance Mitchell punched the ball out from Harris’ grasp mere inches before the goal line, overturning a touchdown call to a lost fumble. The Texans picked up three points on their ensuing drive. If the Pats ended up losing, the fumble would loom as the team’s most costly error, and put it on Harris’ shoulders for the second time this season.

• UP: Offensive Line

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  All things considered? The offensive line gets a good grade. They were missing four regular starters due to COVID-19 and injuries, and yet improved upon Week 4 against the Bucs. It was some of the best pass protection of the season for Jones, who took a sack and four hits on the day, per NFL Game Stats and Info. Plus, the team rushed for 126 yards on 30 carries (4.2 average) with a touchdown on the ground. One nitpick for the group is that they allowed six tackles for loss, mainly due to unblocked defenders in the running game. But with the circumstances at play, the Patriots did a good job in front of Jones.

• DOWN: S Devin McCourty

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  When the Patriots have an ugly coverage breakdown for a big play, it’s often because of a McCourty miscue. The Patriots’ usually-reliable deep safety over-pursued Moore on his 67-yard touchdown, leaving the receiver with a wide- open road to the end zone. McCourty remains the leader of the Patriots’ secondary, so it’s fair to look at his performance when they get beat for multiple big plays as a unit.
• UP: LB Matt Judon

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  It’s getting to the point that Judon is just an automatic “Up” every week. But as long as he keeps playing at an extremely high level, he’s worth highlighting. Two more sacks for Judon, who’s up to 6.5 on the season. He added three QB hits and two tackles for loss, and is commanding serious attention from opposing offenses every play he’s on the field. The question is where the rest of the pass-rush is going to come from going forward, but Judon continues to be one of the Patriots’ most impactful players on a weekly basis.

• DOWN: CB Joejuan Williams

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  The domino effect of losing Jalen Mills popped up in ugly fashion on Sunday. Williams had to play a bigger role in coverage on the outside, and got burned badly on two key plays. First was a fourth-and-2 play where Davis Mills completed it deep to Chris Conley, who broke free from Williams for a big gain after the catch, which set up an ensuing Texans field goal. Williams later bit on a flea-flicker, which broke Conley free behind him down the field for the touchdown catch. Tough afternoon on what was a big opportunity for Williams.

• UP: K Nick Folk

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  Folk continues to be one of the Patriots’ most consistent players, making all four of his field goals on Sunday, including the eventual game-winner with 15 seconds left in regulation. Folk missed one extra point, but it was ultimately a minor blemish for another strong day for the veteran. The play-calling continued to be conservative at times in the red zone as the Patriots bring Jones along in the offense, so Folk’s consistency remains an important asset.
• DOWN: WR N’Keal Harry

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  Just one catch for nine yards on two targets. Some of Jones’ more inaccurate or dangerous throws looked to be intended for Harry, so the receiver and quarterback don’t appear to be on the same page yet. Harry is also being relied upon more as a blocker in the run game, but got blown up on at least one occasion. It’s early for Harry, who just returned in Week 4, but they’re going to need more plays from him on offense at some point. And he’s too big to get beat as badly as he does as a blocker at times.

Next Ups & Downs will come in Week 6, after the Patriots take on the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium.

Click here for complete New England Patriots coverage here at 985TheSportsHub.com.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster 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 and follow him on Instagram @mattydsays. You can also email him at [email protected].

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