The New England Patriots got on the board with their first win of the season against an Aaron Rodgers-less New York Jets team in a 15-10 victory on Sunday.
The Jets were held to just 171 total yards, and only 38 of those yards came on the ground.
Buy Patriots TicketsNew England’s defense has continued to look elite so far this season, but the offense has been bland. Although it looks like a competent offense in comparison to last year, they have been struggling to put together consistent drives and capitalizing on opportunities.
It was an ugly performance in a Week 3 game where it took four quarters before either team even made it to the red zone. Here are some leftover thoughts as we have now had time to reflect on the victory.
Patriots OL looked better, but still not great
The Patriots offensive line had a tough task going up against one of the best defensive fronts in the entire NFL, and after two poor performances, there was fear this game could get out of hand.
Luckily, Zach Wilson was not good, and the Jets couldn’t cap off stops from their defense with points of their own.
The offensive line was finally healthy with all starters being together for the first time since the spring. That was until Cole Strange went down with an apparent injury. Overall, however, the unit looked okay, but it’s still not where it should be.
With that said, the Patriots were able to get more going in the run game than they did in previous weeks. But there’s still more work to do in that department as well.
Mac Jones continues to look good
Jones continues to look good, and it feels like he is rarely making costly mistakes. However, there are some concerns with timing of routes and slightly overthrowing on some big-play opportunities.
Each time Jones is given time to process and gets to step into his throws, he looks like one of the more accurate and smart passers in the entire league. The issue is he rarely has time, and he doesn’t have a go-to target that can separate.
However, he is delivering the passes accurately at a high clip and has looked everything but the problem. In fact, he is currently the Patriots’ best offensive player through three weeks.
Time to look externally?
The Patriots issues stem from their personnel. It feels like the puzzle isn’t complete, where a bunch of really good No. 2 receivers are being asked to slide up one spot on the depth chart as if the No. 1 receiver is out with an injury.
The Patriots are currently still looking for the go-to target for Jones after Jakobi Meyers left for Las Vegas. Although we have seen flashes from Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas, neither have consistently had an impact that we thought they would.
Is it time for the Patriots to look elsewhere?
One name to keep an eye on is Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Higgins has reportedly been left out of the Bengals’ future plans, and he is in line for a payday. He is also just 24 years old playing for a Bengals team that has struggled mightily.
If Joe Burrow is out for an extended period of time and the Bengals dip lower in the AFC standings, they may look to ship off an asset they aren’t planning on retaining to get some draft picks back.
An estimated package could see the Patriots sending multiple second-round picks and a third-round pick to the Bengals. Although Higgins is an elite talent, the Patriots would be able to buy low on an asset that is likely to walk for nothing in the offseason and needs to be paid.
Those variables could lower the ask slightly, but the Patriots would be wise to start laying the ground work now. In this scenario, it might make DeVante Parker redundant, but he could be moved either in part of this deal, or elsewhere at the deadline.
Higgins still needs to be paid, but the Patriots have plenty of cap space to absorb his contract and still comfortably build the depth.
