Injuries piling up
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 12: Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots is assisted off the field after a play against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter of the game at State Farm Stadium on December 12, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Kyler Murray’s non-contact knee injury was one of the biggest storylines to come out of this game, but the Patriots had their share of injuries too. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle), wide receiver DeVante Parker (head), cornerback Jack Jones (knee), and safety Devin McCourty (not listed) all left the game with injuries, with Stevenson, Parker, and Jones all coming out of the game early in the first quarter and McCourty late in the game.
Parker, Jones, and McCourty didn’t return to their game after their respective injuries. Stevenson played one additional series after being helped off the field initially, but didn’t return after that.
All four of these injuries come in key spots. Stevenson has been the Patriots’ best offensive player this season, and is responsible for almost 40 percent of the team’s touches this year. He can more than double the touches (217) of the next closest player on the roster, Damien Harris (97). Losing him would create a major shakeup for the Patriots’ offense.
Parker hasn’t gotten the ball as regularly, but he’s been impactful when he has. His 19 yards per catch lead all qualified NFL receivers this year. He’d be a big loss for an offensive unit struggling to create big plays.
Jones leaving the game highlighted the Patriots’ lack of depth at the boundary cornerback position. With Jalen Mills (groin) already inactive for the game, they were stretched thin. Marcus Jones lined up on the boundary, with Shaun Wade seeing significant time in the slot.
As for McCourty, it appeared he was pulled off the field by the independent concussion spotter late in the fourth quarter when the game was pretty much out of reach. With a short week coming up, his situation will be one to monitor.
‘New’ faces stepping up on offense
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 12: Kevin Harris #36 of the New England Patriots celebrates with Tyquan Thornton #11 after scoring a 14 yard touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter of the game at State Farm Stadium on December 12, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
With all of those injuries, the Patriots were forced to go deep into their depth chart at certain positions. With that, a number of players who we haven’t heard from much – if at all – this season made key plays in the game.
That group is, of course, highlighted by rookie running backs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong. Harris carried the ball eight times for 26 yards, but earned some hard yards in the red zone for his first NFL touchdown. Strong was featured later in the game and broke off a couple of big plays including a 44-yard run and 16-yard gain on a screen. In total he recorded seven touches for 90 yards and had his first career score as well.
Whatever happens with Stevenson and his injury, the Patriots should look to play their rookie backs more down the stretch. Stevenson was already overworked and is now banged up. Even if he does return, taking some snaps off his plate would be beneficial. Harris and Strong showed they have what it takes to contribute, and even in a limited role could help keep Stevenson fresher for key moments in key games.
They weren’t the only rookies making impacts though. With Jakobi Meyers inactive and Parker leaving the game early, Tyquan Thornton saw the ball come his way more than it has at any point in the last two months. Thornton’s five targets were the second-most on the team in his game, and he caught four of them for 28 yards, with two of those picking up first downs. Most of his targets came on screens, but that was the majority of the day for the Patriots’ offense overall.
It wasn’t just rookies stepping up either. Buried for most of the season, Kendrick Bourne reminded everyone how explosive he can be with the ball in his hands. He tied Thornton’s five targets, catching all five for 47 yards. He also looks like a player who deserves to see the ball more.
Offensive decisions
Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) looks at a play card prior to huddling teammates during the first half of the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Another Patriots game, another Matt Patricia offensive game plan to dissect. This one comes down to one word – screens.
The Patriots were screen-happy in this one, with Jones throwing the most such passes (12) he has in a single game in his career to this point. With a banged up offensive line and top two receivers out, it did make sense to scheme up some completions in this game, but Patricia and the Patriots certainly went hard on that philosophy.
In addition to the screens, the Patriots leaned heavily into shotgun handoffs. After alternating between under center and shotgun looks the first two drives, the Patriots were in the gun over 90 percent of the time for the rest of the game. That wasn’t beneficial for a team that has struggled to run the ball out of the shotgun this year. Those issues showed up particularly on the team’s final drive of the first half, and a botched handoff between Jones and Harris.
That wasn’t the only strange part of the Patriots’ one-minute drill. Even though they had timeouts left and were limited to just a handful of plays due to the clock, they still seemed to focus their pass patterns to the sideline instead of using the middle of the field then calling a timeout. They were still able to salvage a field goal, but the moment fit the pattern of sloppy situational football in key situations for the Patriots this year.
Tight end seams
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 12: Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots throws a 39 yard pass to Hunter Henry #85 during the fourth quarter of the game at State Farm Stadium on December 12, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Patriots didn’t throw the ball down the field much in this game, especially in the middle of the field. In the few cases they did though, it worked very well.
Last year, throwing to tight end Hunter Henry running up the seam was a staple of the Patriots’ offense. That play has largely disappeared from the Patriots’ playbook this season, but made a couple of appearances on Monday night. Henry had 30 and 39-yard catches off such throws in this one. He ended up leading the team with a season-high 70 receiving yards on three catches.
This is yet another concept the Patriots turned to as they adjusted their offense due to injuries. It’s also another one that should stick around as the offense gets healthy again.
Pass blocking still needs work
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 12: J.J. Watt #99 and Zach Allen #94 of the Arizona Cardinals sack Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots during the second quarter of the game at State Farm Stadium on December 12, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
It wasn’t all good for Henry in this game though. He found himself in a one-on-one pass blocking assignment on Cardinals linebacker Cameron Thomas in the first quarter. Thomas beat Henry clean and was able to hit Jones’ arm on the release, leading to the quarterbacks’ first interception since before Halloween.
This isn’t the first time Henry has been left on an island to block this year. With the tackle play inconsistent throughout the season, the Patriots have been forced to use both their tight ends as blockers more often in the running game and the passing game.
It was a rough game for Trent Brown in particular. He got beat multiple times around the edge, and was called for two penalties.
Shutting down a star receiver
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 12: DeAndre Hopkins #10 of the Arizona Cardinals fumbles the ball against the New England Patriots during the third quarter of the game at State Farm Stadium on December 12, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
The last two weeks, the Patriots struggled to contain star receivers in Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs. They had much more success this week, against DeAndre Hopkins.
Looking at Hopkins’ stat line alone, he had an O.K. game by his standards with seven catches for 79 yards. However, a good chunk of those numbers came late in the game when the Patriots were playing much more conservatively on defense. Through the first three quarters, Hopkins had just four catches for 53 yards – a much more minimal impact.
This is even more impressive considering how shorthanded the Patriots were in the secondary. They had a rookie lined up across from Hopkins for most of the game – Jack Jones to start followed by Marcus Jones after Jack got hurt.
Hopkins was also at the center of what was arguably the turning point in the game. Late in the third quarter, Hopkins caught a pass with room to run but was careless with his possession of the football. A hit from Kyle Dugger knocked it loose, and Raekwon McMillan recovered the fumble for what ended up being the game-winning score.
The Patriots will need to find a way to keep up this success against upper-echelon wide receivers. Next week they take on the Raiders and Davante Adams, who ranks top five in the league in catches (82) and receiving yards yards (1,247) and is tied for the league lead with 12 receiving touchdowns.
The Patriots’ ‘best pass rusher’
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 12: Josh Uche #55 of the New England Patriots celebrates after sacking Colt McCoy #12 of the Arizona Cardinals during the fourth quarter of the game at State Farm Stadium on December 12, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Is Matthew Judon the Patriots’ best pass rusher? He doesn’t think so.
“I told y’all I wasn’t the best pass rusher. Our best pass rusher is emerging. And people are going to have to block him.” Who is he talking about? That would be Josh Uche, who with three sacks on Monday night now has 10 in the last seven weeks – the most in the NFL in that span. Keep in mind that includes the Patriots’ bye week.
“If they don’t [block him] and they chip my side, and they worry about me, Uche will do that every week. I just love the way he’s playing,” Judon continued. “We all knew what type of player he was, he was drafted pretty high here, and now he’s just emerging. And folks are gonna have to watch out.”
Judon had a strong performance of his own, with 1.5 sacks. That snapped a two-game sackless streak for him, and increased his total to 14.5 sacks on the year. He and Uche became the first teammates to both hit the 10-plus sack mark this season, the first Patriots duo to reach the mark since Andre Carter (10) and Mark Anderson (10) in 2011, and the third Patriots duo to reach the mark overall. Andre Tippett (16.5) and Garin Veris (10) also did so in 1985.
Right now, the Patriots’ pass rush is the best thing the team has going. That being said, it has a chance to get even better, with Christian Barmore eligible to return from IR this week.
Defense lifting offense
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 12: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on from the sidelines against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter of the game at State Farm Stadium on December 12, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Complementary football has been fleeting for the Patriots at times this season, but they excelled in that regard on Monday night – especially on the defensive end of things.
The first such example came early in the game. After Jones’ interception, the Cardinals had the ball at the Patriots’ 36 yard line. Instead of allowing an early touchdown, the Patriots surrendered just one first down before holding Arizona to a field goal that made it a 3-0 game. That stop seemed to shift momentum back to the Patriots’ side after the turnover.
Late in the first half, the defense came up with another big stop. It looked like the offense may be set up for a double-score, getting the ball back off a punt with 2:53 to go until halftime. However, they’d go three-and-out and punted the ball back with 1:54 on the clock. In response, the Patriots’ defense turned around a quick three-and-out performance of their own, giving the offense another shot. That ended up being at least a three-point swing, as the Patriots took their second chance and set up Nick Folk for a 50-yard field goal on the final play before halftime.
With the offense struggling in the second half, the Patriots’ defense provided the much-needed spark with the scoop and score fumble. The offense then returned the favor, capitalizing on the Marcus Jones’ interception. They went 63 yards in five plays for the put-away touchdown.
Overall, this feels like it may need to be the game script for the Patriots going forwards if they want to make a run – the defense making momentum-swinging plays, and the offense capitalizing on the chances the defense gives them. It worked against the now 4-9 Cardinals, but can they duplicate it against better opponents down the stretch? That’ll be an important question for the team to answer.
