Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Monday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
Not great -- there were some problems offensively for large stretches of the evening, particularly in the third quarter -- but that's what happens when you don't have three offensive starters. The defense held firm. Regardless, you score 31 points under those circumstances ... with that quarterback on the other side? That's not a bad way to wrap up a stretch of five night games in seven total weeks of action.
--Great day for football. Seahawks-Chargers and Rams-Saints were both a blast, while the Falcons and Panthers had good days as well and the Steelers seized command of the AFC North. Can't wait to see how it all impacts our big board on Tuesday.
--Cordarrelle Patterson had a lot to say after the game. Here are three quotes we couldn't find room for in our story (plus our favorite down at the bottom).
Patterson talking fashion after the game: "I’ll wear anything, man. Some people in fashion, they think they need they need to wear Gucci or all that stuff to look good. I can go anywhere — wear an H&M shirt and look good. Forever 21."
On the possibility of being called “Slash,” after Brady used that as his nickname: “I may have to change my name to Slash, because Josh Gordon thinks he’s Flash. Change my name.”
On whether or not he campaigned for the job of running back: “I can’t tell you how it went down, but it went dowwwwn. And I’m glad it happened.”
--Awesome to see the Red Sox be a part of things at Gillette on Sunday night. It definitely delivered an early jolt for a team like the Pats that has (occasionally) had troubles with energy in the early going.
--It'll be a quiet couple of days in Foxborough. The players were given Monday and Tuesday off, but we'll still have our weekly Overreaction Monday Q&A. This week, it'll kick off at 2 p.m. Make sure you get your questions in now, because it's going to be epic.
Monday’s Schedule
11:30 a.m.: Conference Call with Bill Belichick
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg's game report recaps what turned out to be a pretty fun contest. Maybe not nearly as crazy as the Kansas City game earlier in the season, but was an awful fun night at Gillette.
2. De facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores apparently had his fingerprints all over the game plan, according to a ton of the defensive players Greg spoke with in the locker room after the game.
3. My main story looks at the fact the Patriots got extraordinary performances out of Patterson at running back and Josh Gordon at wide receiver, two guys who really weren't on the radar from an offensive perspective back at the start of camp.
4. The #StayCovered Defensive Play of the Game goes to the criminally underrated Lawrence Guy, who forced a fumble at the start of the fourth quarter that turned out to be a game-changer.
5. When it came to Live Coverage Sunday night, I was like Lionel Richie -- I had it rolling all night long.
6. Video: Julian Edelman discusses the big win, his double pass, and the work of Patterson.
7. Greg spent some time with the fellas from the 98.5 postgame show.
8. Our photog Adam Richins has a tremendous gallery of all his best shots from Sunday night.
9. The possibility of a November addition of Bruce Irvin? That would be very on-brand for a Patriots' team that could use a bit of a boost when it comes to the pass rush.
10. One last plug for my weekend notebook, which hands out some midseason awards, has some terrific quotes from the assistant coaches, fresh stats, the latest penalty info...and more.
Extra Point: Like we said, Patterson was in rare form after the game.
Q: “Cordarrelle, where do you think you’ve improved on from last week to this week as a running back?”
A: “Probably yards. Yards.”
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) November 5, 2018