The post-Tom Brady death march is over. This Patriots team has won seven straight games, including victories over the reigning NFL MVP (Josh Allen) and one of the frontrunners this season (Baker Mayfield). As the kids would say, that's not nothing, even with a schedule that is shaping up to be one of the easiest in NFL history. Don't hate on me. That's just a fact. However, over the last few years, the Patriots were unable to cobble together more than a couple of wins in succession, let alone seven. That's not just progress. That's a reawakening. Like, once I was blind, and now I can see sort of bleep (trademark it/put it on a t-shirt).
Before we delve into Musings, Drake Maye's education continued on Sunday and will serve him well as we enter December and January. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles can get downright diabolical with his pressure packages. He will often send rushers from the second and third levels, doing so in such a manner as not to allow the center/QB to account for it in protection.
But Bowles decided that wasn't the way to play Maye, instead choosing to rush four and, in some spots later in the game, three while spying the mobile signal caller. It wasn't perfect; in fact, Maye's lone interception came against a three-man rush. But the more the 23-year-old plays like one of the best quarterbacks in the league, the more opposing coaches will dig deep into their bags to figure out ways to slow Maye down. All year, Maye's shown to be a quick study. That trait will continue to be important as the weeks go on and the tape adds up.
THUMBS UP
Maye. The throw to Kyle Williams, with pressure bearing down on him, was perfect. The TD pass to Stefon Diggs was put only where his wideout could get it. Add the incredible Houdini act on a 15-yard crosser to Mack Hollins (avoided Vita, then reset quickly enough to fire a rocket with three defenders closing), and later, the 54-yard bomb down the sidelines to Mack (while being drilled), and you understand the Pats have a quarterback that can do more than nearly every other in the league.
We've been waiting for TreVeyon Henderson to bust one. He did that twice and had another explosive run as well. Those three runs (16, 55, and 69) accounted for 140 yards of his 147 (he had 14 carries). I guess you can live with the incredible inefficiency of those other 11 carries?
He wasn't his best as a blocker, but Mack Hollins became the latest 100-yard receiver for the Patriots, joining Stefon Diggs (2x), Kayshon Boutte, and Pop Douglas. I love the way the veteran attacks the ball when its in the air, and that includes his work on curls and comebacks. I didn't realize Hollins is more than just physicality at the top of his route. There's some fancy footwork there as well. Plus, Mike Vrabel said this about Hollins on Monday, "Don't judge a book by its cover. He walks around like Encino Man, but he's smart, he's easy to talk to." This won't surprise my friends, but I never saw that movie...
Stefon Diggs helped settle Maye down in this game. He skied for an early 1st quarter catch while his young QB was in the middle of spraying the ball all over the joint. Later, he went up again to snag that critical touchdown before the half. Plus, the veteran wideout showed off his good hands on the onside kick.
My understanding of the blown coverage on the Emeka Egbuka touchdown was that the Pats defense was in inverted cover two. That means Christian Gonzalez was at fault for the blown coverage, not Marcus Jones. Hard for me to overlook that, but when tasked with shadowing the excellent rookie receiver, Gonzalez did just that, with a couple of the catches attributed to him coming in off-coverage. He also had a strong third-down tackle on a wide receiver screen that, had he missed, could have gone for a first down, and was part of the Malachi crunch on Cade Otton on third down before the fourth-down all-out blitz in the fourth quarter.
Is there a doctor in the house? Why yes, and his name is Jack Gibbens, aka Dr. Gibby. Filling in for the injured Christian Elliss, the Vrabel guy, through and through, had a handful of impactful plays, including sniffing out a screen, a solid open field tackle on a swing pass, and a pass breakup.
I can't say enough about the consistent effort that Milton Williams brings. If you ever get a chance to go back and watch the games over, watch his consistent pursuit on plays away from him, even those on the perimeter.
Also, I have to shout out Elijah Ponder. Getting his first NFL sack is one thing, but doing it against Tristan Wirfs is another — great second effort, too, after Mayfield shook him on his first attempt.
THUMBS DOWN
Maye. He can't throw that red-zone interception. It was third down. That's taking three points off the board. Meanwhile, he took a wicked hit along the sidelines a few players earlier, and that was on him, too. Nothing was going to happen there. Get down. Don't take the hit, which, oh, by the way, had him feeling less than ideal (based on his reaction). Josh McDaniels was talking about finding the "sweet spot." That wasn't it.
I had Will Campbell for five pressures, and you could have argued for a sixth. He also whiffed on a cut block in the first quarter and on a blitz pickup on the TD-scoring drive to end the first half. The rookie left tackle did have a good block on the 69-yard TD run by Henderson, so there's that.
Fellow lineman Garrett Bradbury had his hands full with Vea, who is an incredible player (think top 20 or so). He also failed to execute a two-man game, with Mike Onwenu being the one who did his job, which ultimately led to Maye getting hit.
The Pats didn't get anything from Harold Landry as a pass rusher, and he peeled off on one play to chase, he had a hitch in his giddy-up. His pass-rush win rate was a paltry 3.2% in 34 pass-rush snaps. I didn't chart many disruptions for Christian Barmore either, be it pass or run. That's his second straight subpar week after what I thought was a great month. Barmore also hurt his back, and that will be something to monitor as they head into Thursday.