The morning after…
This will be a regular feature, where I pick through some of the game that I didn't write on Sunday or briefly touched.
I began my weekend notes by talking about the Patriots' inability to get the ground game going, the reasons for it, and the thought that - no matter the excuses - the time was now to get it in gear. While far from perfect, there were signs of life Sunday at MetLife, and that is a necessary element when you consider how this team was built and how hard playing offense can be for them.
Again, the numbers could have been better. The Pats averaged just 3.9 yards per rush with their top two backs, but the volume - 35 carries - and the effect it had on the passing game spawned hope.
"I think the big thing for running backs is the amount of yards they can gain, let's call it on their own," said Bill Belichick Monday morning. "And that includes setting up blocks and using their blockers. Any of us can run in there and get what the play's blocked for. The good backs get more than that, whether that's setting up blocks to create more space for themselves to run or breaking tackles and getting extra yards when the defense has a chance to get them down.
"Look, there can be great 2- or 3-yard runs. Sometimes there's nothing there, there's not even a yard there, and a back can get 2 or 3 yards out of it, and those are good runs. You just have to evaluate the plays and evaluate the way the player's carrying the ball. Is he getting the most out of what's the way it's blocked? He can't do anything about the blocking other than use what's there and make the most of it. And obviously, ball security is a big part of this."
In 13 personnel, the Pats were ramming their heads into one of those cinder block walls (I did that once. I may have concussed myself. I wish I were joking). Seven rushes for 15 yards. Those are the kind of results that make you think they should stop doing that. What's the point? However, even unsuccessful, it lulled the Jets into a false sense of security. They just assumed run, and that assumption bit them in the ass when Mac Jones executed a play-action fake, and Pharaoh Brown ran down the seam wholly uncovered. Either Sauce Gardner or safety Jordan Whitehead blew their assignment - likely because of eyes in the backfield - and the Pats' third tight end hit paydirt from 59 yards out. It was an explosive play that was positively just that - explosive. That gave the Pats a 10-0 lead, which seemed insurmountable with Zach Wilson at quarterback. And it was (though not without stress).
Ezekiel Elliott told us that his legs hadn't been this fresh at any point in his pro career because, as he chuckled, how few snaps and carries he had gotten through the first two weeks. The power in those pistons showed against the Jets. He had a couple of 10+ yard runs on first downs and earned the coaches' trust, who allowed him to fill the role of clock killer late in the game by sticking to their pre-planned rotation at the position. If Elliott didn't have that faith, Rhamondre Stevenson would have stayed in.
"We're getting a little bit of a feel for some of the things with him and vice versa," said Belichick postgame. "I thought he had a couple real good runs, thought he did a nice job getting his pads down, got some tough yards, and his vision was good on a couple of cutback plays."
Meanwhile, the player Elliott's backing up - Stevenson - the player who has been the surest thing on offense over the last year, continues to need help finding his overall footing. While not solely on him, the decisiveness that is one of the hallmarks of his style has been spotty. There's been far too much pitter-patter and not enough slam-bam. They may be bleeding over into other parts of Stevenson's game. He had a bad drop on 3rd and short in the opening quarter after the Pats crossed midfield (as you'll see below, there was some room there).
A little later, he didn't turn his head around fast enough on another check down, and the ball went whizzing by his head.
In the final quarter, with about five minutes to play, Stevenson had his chances to help ice the game, but he was tentative on a gun run and got two yards when it appeared there was more. A couple more short gains versus stacked boxes were expected, but the final stat line - 19 carries, 59 yards - is less than what the Pats need from their best offensive player. But Belichick is standing by his lead back, even as he's averaging less than three yards per carry.
"He's got really good vision. He can find space in the defense, and he's very good at lateral cuts and getting downhill, running with power. Yeah, I think his vision's really good."
I believe Belichick when he says that because I've seen it with my own eyes, but this season's version of Stevenson has been a different guy. The offensive line is a culprit, but we may be at the point where the 3rd year running back was so busy searching for holes in weeks one and two that it changed his style, at least in the short term. They'll need more from him, and while Stevenson will continue to get chances, the coaching staff has already shown they'll give the rock to Elliott if that's what is working.
ONE MORE THING
It's interesting to watch the Pats defensive approach to Zach Wilson. Despite examples of the Jets' quarterback putting the ball in harm's way when he's been flushed from the pocket - a little too much hero ball - the law firm of Belichick, Belichick, and Mayo once again decided their best plan of attack was to keep the former number two pick in the 2021 draft in the pocket. Good call. You could see the smoke start to come out of Wilson's ears, especially in the first half, as he didn't remotely trust what he was seeing. It felt like he was short-circuiting repeatedly, holding the ball, trying to process, and eventually, getting drilled. He's tough. I'll give him that. But with the Pats doing a nice job marrying the rush with some sticky coverage, it was tough sledding for Wilson and that Jets offense all damn day.
"We'll go back and watch them; there's always a chance to try to get rid of it if I can," said Wilson after the game. "I thought those guys did a good job of kind of a mush rush of not letting me step up and get out. A lot of the escapes were kind of high in the pocket, which is not really what you want as a quarterback. So, I thought those guys did a good job of trying to maintain keeping me in the pocket."
Hey Zach, you threw for 157 yards and were sacked three times, including a critical safety late in the game. Their pass-rush plan was beyond good. You, on the other hand, were not.