The Patriots offense just had its most explosive day of the season. Personnel-wise, what stood out was a new mix at wide receiver.
N’Keal Harry (season-high 30 offensive snaps) continues to get on the field over Nelson Agholor or Kendrick Bourne, depending on the situation. The Patriots are using him more every week as a run-blocker, and he finally made a big play as a pass-catcher with a 28-yard grab, wresting a contested ball away from overmatched Jets cornerback Javelin Guidry (5-foot-9, 191 pounds).
Obviously, you’d prefer that Harry catches passes from Mac Jones in key situations, and not from Brian Hoyer against a 5-foot-9 corner in garbage time of a blowout win. But his pure usage shows that trust from the Patriots’ coaching staff is growing.
The Patriots made interesting roster decisions at running back, listing rookie Rhamondre Stevenson among the inactives in favor of J.J. Taylor (20 total snaps). Tight end Hunter Henry also stood out with a season-high 60 offensive snaps, seeing increased time in the absence of Jonnu Smith, who exited early with a shoulder injury.
Here’s a closer look at how the Patriots deployed their offense in a 54-point explosion against the lowly Jets…
Snap Counts
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 24: J.J. Taylor #42 of the New England Patriots celebrates after a play with teammates during the game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
Here’s the play distribution for the Patriots’ offensive skill players. This is out of 73 offensive plays, excluding three snaps for kneeldowns at the end of the game.
Jakobi Meyers: 59
Hunter Henry: 57
Nelson Agholor: 44
Kendrick Bourne: 41
Damien Harris: 35
N’Keal Harry: 30
Jonnu Smith: 17
Jakob Johnson: 25
Brandon Bolden: 21
J.J. Taylor: 17
Justin Herron (as TE): 11
Gunner Olszewski: 9Agholor began the season with markedly more snaps than Bourne, but the two were almost even on Sunday. Bourne has become more productive in recent weeks, and the two connected for the team’s first touchdown on a Bourne double-pass to Agholor. But as the Patriots continue to mold their offensive identity, they’re starting to mix up the receiver groupings more than they did early on.
Bolden’s snap count continues to yo-yo based on game flow and opponent. He saw another bump against the Jets and was a key component of their passing game, making six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Damien Harris (team-high 16 touches) continued to see the majority of the time on the ground. Taylor touched the ball 10 times out of 17 snaps in which the Patriots ran a play.
The kneeldown package added three snaps for Taylor, Jakob Johnson, Justin Herron, Hunter Henry, and Matthew Slater.
Personnel Packages
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 24: Kendrick Bourne #84 of the New England Patriots looks to catch the ball during the second half in the game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
The Patriots consolidated their groupings on Sunday against the Jets, while mixing it up more with the personnel itself.
They also had plenty of success on the ground in heavy “21” and “22” packages (one running back, one fullback, one or two tight ends). Justin Herron checked in as a “Jumbo” tight end 11 times. Here’s the personnel package breakdown, based on 73 offensive plays:
11 personnel: 57.5 percent (42 plays)
21 personnel: 24.7 percent (18 plays)
12 personnel: 9.6 percent (7 plays)
22 personnel: 8.2 percent (6 plays)The Patriots’ most-used receiver grouping in “11” (one running back, one tight end, three receivers) continues to be Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, and Jakobi Meyers. But Harry checked in as the third receiver more than ever, as 19 of his offensive snaps came in a three-receiver set. That included four straight snaps on the Patriots’ scoring drive at the end of the first half.
Receiver Groups
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 24: Nelson Agholor #15 of the New England Patriots catches the ball for a touchdown during the first quarter against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
Here’s the snap count breakdown for the Patriots’ three-receiver packages:
Agholor, Meyers, Bourne: 23 plays
Harry, Meyers, Bourne: 14 plays
Harry, Agholor, Meyers: 3 plays
Harry, Olszewski, Bourne: 2 playsHarry has yet to show significant strides as a pass-catcher in “11,” but he’s become a go-to blocker in heavier run packages. He was on the field for three of the Pats’ four rushing touchdowns from inside the 5-yard line as the lone receiver in “22.” You’d think he will eventually be able to sneak away for a touchdown catch in the end zone on a play-fake.
The Patriots also mixed up their two-receiver sets in “21” and “12.” But Agholor and Meyers continue to be the most-used combination. Here’s a breakdown of the two receiver groupings, out of 25 plays:
Agholor, Meyers: 16 plays
Harry, Olszewski: 5 plays
Harry, Meyers: 2 plays
Agholor, Bourne: 1 play
Harry, Bourne: 1 playThe Agholor/Bourne pairing came on another attempted double-pass, which actually started in the Wildcat and went back to Jones. The quarterback threw the ball away after the Jets had Agholor and Bourne both covered down the field.
Olszewski got some looks on offense in the second half after the game was out of reach, mostly in “21” with Harry as the other wideout.
Running & Passing
Oct 24, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) rushes against New York Jets outside linebacker Noah Dawkins (46) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
The most interesting detail about the Patriots’ run/pass distribution against the Jets was that they passed more than they ran out of 21 personnel. This means they threw more than they handed it off when they had fullback Jakob Johnson on the field. Johnson even caught two passes for 32 yards, including a big gain with a stiff-arm in garbage time.
That @JohnsonJakob stiff arm though 🔥@patsdeutsch | #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/A61vuER573
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 25, 2021Here’s how the Patriots’ run/pass percentages broke down, by personnel package:
11 personnel: 73.8% passes (31/42)
21 personnel: 55.6% passes (10/18)
12 personnel: 71.4% passes (5/7)
22 personnel: 100% runs (6/6)The Patriots had mixed results throwing out of “21.” Jones made impressive throw-and-catches with Agholor and Henry down the field, but they also had two failed double-pass attempts. Harry’s lone catch of the game in the fourth quarter came out of “21.”
