I have to admit, the Patriots' offensive film was decidedly less insightful than the defensive side once you got past Isaiah Wynn's debut, with a heavier lean on run (32 carries, 28 passes) and 10 players with only one reception apiece.
But there was one overriding thought I had that might mean something, or maybe it doesn't: Is Bill Belichick starting to test rookie quarterback Jarrett Stidham, and did he make a request from Mike Vrabel to help Belichick out in this regard?
Let's present the circumstantial evidence, and spin it forward to Thursday night's game against the Panthers before we get to our chart, unit evaluations and 3 up/3 down.
The situation when Stidham came into the game
Starter Brian Hoyer threw his last pass with 8:26 left in the game, to conclude a three-and-out that gained a total of seven yards.
The Patriots next series began with 4:45 remaining. To that point, Hoyer had only played 22 plays — and it's not like they had lit the world on fire. Why not let him finish out the half with another 6-10 snaps? In his first game against the Lions, Stidham entered with 8:18 left in the second quarter, Hoyer had just led a second scoring drive and the ball was at the 20.
The only reason to enter Stidham into the game there was because the Patriots were backed up to the 1-yard line. That's an adverse situation for a rookie, and perhaps Belichick wanted to see how he dealt with adversity and the pressure. There was a safety by Lance Kendricks, but that wasn't Stidham's fault. He avoided the rush and found a checkdown.
By the way, on Stidham's next drive, with 1:59 remaining, the Patriots didn't run the two-minute offense as they were stuffed on two runs, checked down and then punted. Stidham did run it against the Lions. It's like Belichick wanted to see his defense in that spot, or allow Vrabel to see his offense in that situation.
Titans bring the heat in the second half
You could describe the Titans' defense in the first half, with Hoyer playing most of the snaps, as passive. They only sent pressure one time. It was a very dignified affair.
Things totally changed in the second half. The Titans brought a lot of pressure:
There would be little reason for Vrabel and coordinator Dean Pees to suddenly ramp up the pressure in the second half, with most of those players being not long for the NFL. If the Titans were going to pressure, see how things look on film, they were more likely to do it with their starters and backups in the first half.
What else could explain the difference?
Maybe Belichick asked Vrabel for a favor. In Stidham's first game, Matt Patricia and the Lions barely pressured. That's not a surprise considering it was his first NFL game action. Perhaps Belichick liked what he saw against Detroit, and wanted to throw some curveballs at the kid since he can't script the potential for contact in practice.
This would all go towards the evaluation of Stidham being kept as Tom Brady's only backup. While Hoyer is guaranteed $1.5 million and the Patriots would have to eat most of that if he's released, it's certainly possible Hoyer could be released. The more information at Belichick's disposal, the better he'll feel about possibly parting with Hoyer.
It will be interesting to see what kind of test Belichick throws at Stidham against the Panthers, if at all. If he's given the old Tom-is-hurt-you-need-to-jump-in-for-two-plays curveball against Carolina, then we'll really have something to talk about.
Here are the positional ratings against the Titans:
[table id=343 /]
THREE UP
RB Damien Harris: Excellent debut. Now it's time to test him against better players and see what he can do on a few specific pass routes and pass protection.
LT Isaiah Wynn: Had one issue each on a pass and run and that was it. Looked very good. One of the big questions, with his size, is whether he can take the 16-plus game pounding against much larger players.
WR Jakobi Meyers: Another productive game that leaves you asking why he didn't get drafted. A lot of people missed.
THREE DOWN
OG James Ferentz: Allowed a sack and three stuffed runs. He's had a rough summer.
OT Cedrick Lang: Didn't play very much but allowed a lot of penetration when he did.
WR Gunner Olszewski: A poor block and a drop is no way to make a team.