NFL Notebook: Lack of success away from Gillette nags at 2018 Patriots

In this week’s edition of the NFL Notebook, we take a look at a distinct lack of pressure on both sides of the ball for New England, check in with a bunch of ex-Patriots, get an update on the status of Ulrick John, and unearth some fresh penalty data. But first, we look at a New England team that sounds determined to flip the script on its road woes this weekend with a very specific formula.

1. Two years ago, the Patriots started to build a rep as one of the best road teams in the NFL, with 14 consecutive wins away from Gillette Stadium between the start of the 2016 season and December of last year. They’ve only had two regular-season chances away from home this season, but they've come up short on both occasions (in Jacksonville and Detroit), leading to their first two-game road losing streak since the end of the 2015 season when they lost back-to-back in North Jersey against the Jets and in South Florida against the Dolphins. In the grand scheme, it seems like a relatively minor thing, but it’s something that’s nagged some of the veterans this week in Foxborough. One of the points of emphasis? A faster start, as one of the reasons they’ve lost both road games was because they couldn’t match the early intensity in Jacksonville and Detroit. (They’ve been outscored 34-6 in the first half of those contests, which has put them in a hole that was just about impossible to climb out of.) “When you’re on the road and you fall behind,” said Devin McCourty, “it’s like everything’s against you, and you’re just fighting uphill. That’s something we talked about — getting off to a fast start across the board. Offense, defense, kicking game. We feel like that’s key for us if we want to go out there and play well in Chicago.”

2. We’ve been big fans of Next Gen stats for a long time, and this week is no exception. Going inside the numbers, you really get a sense that this Sunday’s game is going to be a battle between the Patriots’ ability to run the ball (or at least show the threat of the run) vs. the Bears’ ability to stop the run. (Something an anonymous scout talked with us about here.) Chicago is great when it comes to limiting big runs — just seven percent of rushes against the Bears have gained 10 or more yards, the best total in the league, and they’ve allowed just 3.9 yards per carry overall, eighth in the league. On the flip side, Sony Michel is third in gains of 10-plus yards. The Bears sound ready for a heavy dose of Michel. “He’s a really good running back,” Chicago defensive lineman Akiem Hicks said of Michel this week. “He has good vision, can find the hole and get loose. He's pretty explosive, not an easy tackle. He's a pretty good running back.”

3. The Patriots are on pace for one of the least-productive years of the Bill Belichick Era when it comes to sacks. This year’s team has seven sacks through six games, which has them on pace for 19 this season. (New England is tied with Oakland and the New York Giants for last in the league. For some perspective, the Ravens lead the NFL with 26 sacks.) The previous low under Belichick came in 2000 when they had 29 as a team. At the same time, it’s always important to note that while sacks look good on a scoresheet, they don’t always tell the full story when it comes to getting after a passer. De facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores reminded us this week that pressures can be just as important as sacks, specifically pointing to Adrian Clayborn as someone who doesn’t have a sack this year, but has still been disruptive. “Getting pressure on the quarterback is, I would say, definitely something that we strive to do (and) I think we've gotten that,” Flores said. “I would say Adrian Clayborn's a guy who he doesn't have a sack this season, but he's put a lot of pressure on the quarterback and that's led to some mistakes. He put some pressure on (Pat) Mahomes that led to some mistakes from Mahomes last week.”