5 Things: Patriots head overseas with a chance to turn momentum

• Changes in the lineup

  

  Oct 6, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss (53) reacts after making a tackle against the Miami Dolphins during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

  One of the biggest issues for the Patriots during this losing streak has been penalties. Over the past five games they’ve been penalized 32 times for 287 yards. Asked about the penalties this week, Jerod Mayo said they’ll start resulting in adjustments to the lineup.

  “I will say this. There will be changes for this game,” Mayo said on Wednesday. “My message to the coaches and the players, really, we want our most dependable players out there that we can really count on. If you’re going to have pre-snap, post-snap penalties, we can’t live that way…it’s the personnel part of it, like a wake-up call.”

  Mayo didn’t specify where those changes will be made, but edge is one position to watch. Josh Uche and Keion White are among the more penalized players on the Patriots’ defense. Could either one be in for a reduced role?

  It seems like they could be, based on the way the coaching staff has talked about linebacker Christian Elliss this week.

  “I think Elliss has done a good job of his third down role and obviously he’ll see more early down snaps,” defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington said on Thursday. “He’ll definitely have an opportunity. I think he’s done a really good job in his role with our special teams. He’s done a really good job on third down for us, and we can see if we can expand that role on early downs.”

  The Patriots certainly could use help at the linebacker position, especially at off-ball linebacker. Ja’Whaun Bentley’s absence has been felt significantly. From Week 3 on the Patriots have averaged 8.8 missed tackles per game – nearly two tackles more per game than they had last year. Missing run fits has been another problem.

  Elliss will try to help the team in those areas, but his increased role on defense alone could help just by allowing other players to get back to their natural positions. One player that stands out in that regard is Jahlani Tavai, who is best on the edge but has played more off the ball following Bentley’s injury.

  The way Mayo spoke about lineup changes on Wednesday there will probably be more than just Elliss. There will be more to watch for and we’ll get to some others in a bit, but first let’s look at another area of focus he laid out for the team this week.

• Setting the tone and starting fast

  

  Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo looks on during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

  “We’ve got to do a good job matching their intensity, or they have to match our intensity, and that’s going to be our focus this week,” Mayo said in his opening statement on Wednesday. Our focus also is we’ve got to start games faster. We’ve got to start games faster, and that’s definitely a point of emphasis this week.”

  Those two areas of focus can really be combined into the Patriots ‘setting the tone,’ something they haven’t done the past two weeks. Establishing their playing style from the start will be important, especially on a neutral field.

  The first quarter has been a struggle for the Patriots this year. Offensively they rank 29th in scoring (2.3 points per game) and 27th in yards per play (4.06) in the first quarter through six games. Defensively things have been comparatively better but not by much, with the team ranking 25th in scoring (6.2 points per game) and 20th in yards per play (5.88).

  Against a weakened Jaguars team that has spent the last two weeks in London, the Patriots have a chance to really make a statement with a strong start. Obviously that comes with better play out of the gate on both sides of the ball, but could the coaching try to influence things as well? Last week, there was some external discussion of the Patriots potentially taking the ball if they won the coin toss, to send a jolt of energy to the team. Given starting strong is a “point of emphasis” this week, could that be in play?

• Latest changes on the offensive line

  

  FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 22: Patriots’ offensive linemen Mike Onwenu and Sidy Sow during the fourth quarter of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

  Another week, another ‘what to watch for’ on the Patriots’ offensive line. With left tackle Vederian Lowe already ruled out for Sunday, the Patriots will use their seventh different starting offensive line combination in seven games.

  Left tackle will be the major change. The Patriots don’t have a true left tackle on their roster, so they’ll likely be playing somebody out of position with Lowe out.

  The most likely candidate to fill in is Demontrey Jacobs. Jacobs has already played some left tackle for the Patriots this year, filling in when Lowe got hurt for the first time in Week 3, then starting on the left side in Week 4.

  Jacobs struggled in that start, allowing seven pressures against the San Francisco 49ers. When Lowe returned Jacobs moved back to right and made some progress over the last two weeks, and now the team will hope that progress continues to carry over back on the left side.

  Moving Jacobs from right tackle means the Patriots need somebody to fill in over there. That projects to be Mike Onwenu, who started the season at right tackle before moving back into his natural position of guard two weeks ago.

  The Patriots have been moving Onwenu quite a bit this year – the team reportedly planned to play him at tackle when they re-signed him in the spring, but moved him back into guard during OTAs. He opened training camp at guard, before injuries forced him to move out to tackle midway through. That lasted up until two weeks ago, when Lowe returned from his first injury freeing Onwenu up to go back inside. All of that back-and-forth has taken its toll on Onwenu’s performance, as he’s struggled to get comfortable and build chemistry at any one spot.

  With Onwenu back outside the right guard spot opens up. That should go to either Sidy Sow or rookie Layden Robinson, with Robinson seeming to have the favor of the coaching staff to this point. Robinson has shown plenty to be encouraged about as a run blocker but has struggled in pass protection.

  So, that should be the group around center Ben Brown, who looked like the team’s best offensive lineman last week just days after signing with the team. While there are a lot of moving pieces, the Jaguars may not be in position to take advantage. They have the third-lowest pressure rate in the NFL (26.9 percent).

  Drake Maye took a beating at times in his debut last week, and ended up on the injury report this week. The Patriots will need to do a better job of keeping him clean, so once again the offensive line will be in the spotlight this week.

• Drake Maye’s room for improvement

  

  EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 19: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots in action against the New York Jets during their game at MetLife Stadium on September 19, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

  Nobody is expecting Drake Mayer to peak in his second career game. At the same time, it’s fair to look for signs of improvement from his first start.

  That starts with turnovers. Maye turned the ball over three times last week, and even if a few were fluky that’s still unsustainable. That number has to come down, especially against a Jaguars team that has forced just three turnovers in six games.

  Limiting turnovers will come with Maye improving his accuracy. He’s not the kind of quarterback who is regularly going to be completing 75-80 percent of his passes, but it’s more about the kinds of misses.

  Last week Maye ‘sprayed’ multiple throws, especially early in the game. One turned into an interception, and a few others resulted in non-competitive passes in key moments. There were even some that were caught, but the adjustments from the receivers limited or eliminated the ability for yards after the catch.

  After the game last week, Maye attributed some of those issues to being “amped up” at the start of the game. That’s not surprising, as he dealt with something similar at the start of training camp. Maye credited veterans – singling out Jacoby Brissett – for helping him settle down last week. Let’s see if he can get locked in from the beginning now that his first start is out of the way.

  When Maye is throwing, expect DeMario Douglas to be one of his top targets once again. This week could be a particularly big one for Douglas, because of the matchup. Opposing quarterbacks have a 128.3 passer rating when targeting slot receivers against the Jaguars this year, which is the highest in the league.

  One other thing to watch with Maye, which is outside of his control, is how much more the Patriots put on his plate. In particular, does Alex Van Pelt use Maye more in the run game?

  Last week Maye had success running the ball, but all five of his carries came on scrambles. Meanwhile the Patriots’ traditional running game struggled without Rhamondre Stevenson, averaging 2.1 yards per carry.

  Stevenson hasn’t practiced yet this week, which likely means even if he does play Sunday he’ll likely be limited. Maye has the ability to be a factor in the run game – a factor the offense probably needs right now. Calling designed quarterback runs or even QB run options could provide a key boost.

• Kickoff returns

  

  Oct 13, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back JaMycal Hasty (39) returns a kick off against the Houston Texans during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

  While the Patriots’ special teams has, on the whole, been solid this year, the new kickoff rules haven’t exactly been a benefit for Jeremy Springer’s group. Entering Week 7 the Patriots are averaging just 23.8 yards per kick return. That ranks 28th in the NFL.

  Last week, the Texans took advantage of that. They kicked the ball short of the end zone on six of their eight kickoffs, forcing the Patriots to return the kicks. On those six instances the Patriots returned the ball on average to the 25-yard-line, five yards short of where the ball would be for a touchback.

  Until the Patriots give teams a reason to do otherwise, expect opponents to copy the Texans’ strategy. That starts with the Jaguars this week.

  What can the Patriots do to jumpstart their kick return game? A change in personnel could be on the table. Last week the Patriots had JaMycal Hasty and Ja’Lynn Polk deep. If they want to add some experience, Isaiah Bolden was a successful kick returner in college. A more ‘outside-the-box’ name could be Kayshon Boutte, given his explosiveness in the open field and ability to make tacklers miss.