After Further Review: Breaking Down QB Drake Maye's Regular ...

21 Sep 2024

Patriots.com

Along with breaking down rookie QB Drake Maye's first regular-season appearance, here are two things the Patriots must correct after Thursday night's loss.

Sep 20, 2024 at 05:56 PM

The Patriots loss to the Jets on Thursday night was one where many of our worst fears about this team were realized.

After pulling off a Week 1 upset and taking the Seahawks to overtime, there was a piece of every Pats fan that thought, "Hey, maybe they're better than we thought!" Unfortunately, Thursday night was a reality check. The optimistic fan might say it was one lousy game against a good Jets team that's a playoff contender. We'll see if head coach Jerod Mayo's squad can pull up the nose of the airplane, as Mayo likes to say.

In this space, we try our best to give you the "why" when things go right or wrong. However, this team is in a rebuild, and individual player development is as important as the team's record this season. To that end, rookie QB Drake Maye made his NFL debut, and third-rounder Caedan Wallace made his first career start at left tackle. There were also notable performances for second-year players CB Christian Gonzalez, DE Keion White, and wideout DeMario Douglas, among others.

At 1-2, it's too early to ignore the here and now completely. If you're one of those people feeling like this was the team you expected to see this season, that's understandable. However, it's also worth noting this was a tough spot for the Patriots. Here's a stat for you: In 18 such instances where a team played an overtime game the week before a Thursday Night Football game, those teams are 2-16 against the spread since TNF became a regularity on the NFL schedule.

In hindsight, we probably should've known this was a bad spot for the underdog Patriots. Defensively, they had an uncharacteristically poor tackling performance (13 missed tackles) and struggled to keep Jets QB Aaron Rodgers in the pocket. On offense, they got away from their run-first identity. Those trends did not favor New England being competitive in this one, and I expect Coach Mayo and company won't overreact yet.

That said, there are two key areas that the Patriots must clean up or tweak to get back to playing competitive football once they return from the mini-bye in Week 4:

Losing Contain on Jets QB Aaron Rodgers: A Bad Habit that Must be Eliminated

For the second consecutive week, the Patriots defense got burned by a nimble quarterback making plays on the run from outside the pocket due to an undisciplined pass rush.

It's already hard enough to slow down these high-powered passing offenses without beating yourselves, but over the last two games, the Patriots continuously made life tougher on themselves by letting quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Geno Smith extend plays. Rodgers and Smith combined to go 8-of-9 for 114 yards (12.7 YPA) on "extended" plays, which are drop-backs that last over four seconds. The Patriots pass rushers invited those plays by not keeping the quarterback in the pocket because they weren't rushing within the scheme.

"We did a poor job keeping him in the pocket, and that comes down to discipline," head coach Jerod Mayo said on Monday.

From this vantage point, the biggest reason why the Patriots are struggling to contain quarterbacks is that the edges are not keeping the quarterback in the pocket when the Pats try to scheme up pressure. Whether it's using line games or simulated pressures, New England is making up for the fact that they don't have individual pass-rushers like Christian Barmore (blood clots) or Matthew Judon (traded) to get by with a standard four-man rush.

Instead, the Patriots are relying on scheme to get to the quarterback. Although it was effective at times, pressuring Rodgers on 30% of his drop-backs, schemed rushes need to be well-coordinated. The Patriots often use simulated pressures to disguise who is rushing and who's dropping into coverage to give the defense an advantage while still keeping enough bodies in coverage to track receivers downfield.

In this play, the Patriots bring pressure off the left side while pass-rusher Joshua Uche drops off the line of scrimmage into coverage. New England forms a standard cover-two zone, with Uche replacing S Jabrill Peppers and LB Jahlani Tavai in the coverage structure. Even though they're bringing five rushers, the defense still has six players in coverage, so they maintain their numbers in the backend while still stressing the protection. With Tavai and Peppers blitzing from Rodgers's left, the key is DT Daniel Ekuale setting the right edge because Rodgers will likely look to escape away from the blitz.

Initially, the coverage was good. All the pass rush needs to do is collapse the pocket around Rodgers rather than allow him to break contain, and they would've been off the field. Unfortunately, Ekuale goes inside the right tackle, and Rodgers makes an off-script throw to move the chains.

Here's another example where the Patriots play man coverage. This time, the Pats ran a stunt out of their five-man rush package over the right side. With interior defender Keion White penetrating the line of scrimmage, DE Deatrich Wise wraps around White's rush to cause pressure. However, edge rusher Joshua Uche goes with an inside move on the other side, allowing Rodgers to get out of the pocket. Again, Uche should force Rodgers to stay in the pocket, allowing Wise to close for the sack. Instead, Uche allows Rodgers to buy time, and the Jets quarterback finds the backside shallow crosser for a 27-yard gain.

The key to playing great pass defense is tying the rush and coverage together, while it's also critical to have a coordinated rush plan. It doesn't matter if one rusher causes pressure if the other side isn't doing his job, and right now, the Patriots pass rush isn't adhering to a "do your job" mentality. It's hard to say why that's the case, but the pass-rush discipline must improve.

Pass Protection Struggles Must be Reduced to One-On-One Losses Only

The hard truth is the Patriots personnel along the offensive line will not suddenly start dominating the line of scrimmage in pass protection.

On Thursday night, they allowed an alarmingly high pressure rate on QB Jacoby Brissett (56.5%), with Brissett taking five sacks in the loss. A pressure rate that high would torpedo any passing game and break most quarterbacks. To his credit, Brissett hasn't wilted and has shown good leadership and toughness despite many opportunities to throw his O-Line under the bus.

New England will need to live with one-on-one losses in pass protection until the talent level along the offensive line improves, which it won't this season. However, for Brissett's sake or to possibly start Maye this season, they must eliminate the mental errors and scheme-related issues that are making matters worse for their passing game.

Starting with the play-calling and design, the difference between the Jets movement plays and the Patriots bootleg-actions was staggering. Above, the Jets ran a nearly identical boot/slide concept that gains first-down yardage. Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings is the unblocked defender, and he hesitates while deciding between playing the slide route or closing in on Rodgers. Jennings eventually leaves the receiver, and Rodgers dumps it off for a chunk gain.

Here is the Patriots offense trying to execute a very similar bootleg concept. As you can see, there's much less conflict in the defense, as the unblocked defender B-Line's it for the quarterback, and TE Hunter Henry is covered on the slide route. Why the discrepancy? Are the Patriots tipping their plays to the defense? Are they not selling the fake well enough?

Van Pelt says they're not tipping their plays, adding it was about the defense they ran the plays into, taking ownership for the keepers being called at bad times. Still, New England needs to find a way to block these plays to get their play-action passing game going off outside zone.

The other issue the Patriots have is mental errors in picking up post-snap movement or blitzes. In this clip, RT Mike Onwenu should've blocked down to the inside blitzer rather than staying locked into the edge rusher. The Pats want to eliminate any free runners through the A or B gaps, so even though the blitz would still overload the protection, QB Jacoby Brissett would have more time to find his outlet with RB Rhamondre Stevenson in the flat. Instead, Onwenu doesn't adjust post-snap to pick up the blitz, and Brissett has no chance on the play.

Heading into the rest of the Week 3 slate, the Patriots have allowed a league-high 15 unblocked pressures, with the second-highest unblocked pressure rate in the NFL (15.6%). Like the pass rush, the first step is to stop beating themselves in pass protection, whether that's calling "no chance" plays or having post-snap errors that lead to breakdowns. These are unforced errors that are sinking this passing game. Before discussing a quarterback switch, these pass protection issues must be corrected.

Now that we've addressed the now, here is a breakdown of Drake Maye's debut, Caedan Wallace's first start, and more from the loss to the Jets After Further Review:

Breaking Down Rookie QB Drake Maye's Regular-Season Debut

There are two ways to look at Coach Mayo's decision to put third-overall pick Drake Maye in during garbage time on Thursday night.

Some might not see the point in Maye, who took two sacks in 12 drop-backs, taking unnecessary hits in a blowout. However, it was a good opportunity for Maye to get his feet wet in the regular season. Now, he has seen the speed of regular-season football, took some live reps with the ones, got hit, and got the jitters out.

If the team starts considering making a quarterback change, Maye's tape from this game won't be why. With 4:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Jets were coasting up 24-3. It's not like the Jets were still playing like the game was on the line. Whether good or bad, the coaches probably won't put much stock into this film. Honestly, practice is more important.

Still, it was good for Maye to get a taste of live action so that he has some feel for what he's stepping into when the time comes. We can't watch practice, so we only have this film right now. Given that this is for outsiders, let's evaluate the film like we do with Brissett most weeks.

There was some good and bad from Maye, as expected. His very first drop-back was a turnover-worthy play where he was baited by nickel CB Michael Carter, and there were a few instances where he got a little antsy in the pocket when his initial read wasn't there. On a positive note, Maye showed off his physical tools with a fourth-down scramble and a nice anticipation in-cut to DeMario Douglas on fourth down.

In the play-calling department, Maye didn't go under-center and was in the no-huddle for most of his drive. AVP called two RPOs (gun runs), two screens, some quick-game, two HOSS-style concepts, and dialed-up in-breakers on late downs. Although he failed on all four third-down attempts, Maye converted twice on fourth down to keep his drive alive.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to Maye's film, which is so often the case with him. Van Pelt is correct in saying there were some footwork issues, including a slight drift to his right in his initial drop on his fourth-down throw to Douglas that needs to be cleaned up. However, every time Maye steps on the field, the third-overall pick's physical tools are evident.

Quick-Hit Film Notes From Patriots-Jets After Further Review

Offense

- QB Jacoby Brissett sailed a perfectly executed "Seattle" concept wide left to TE Austin Hooper. He also didn't pull the trigger on his first sack (Pop Douglas open underneath), passed up an open Hunter Henry at the sticks on a third down (Q3, 4:30), and struggled to find his outlets against pressure (first third down, Q3 4:03). Brissett pushed the ball downfield more, completing his longest throw of the season on a crosser to Douglas while under pressure (18.1 air yards) and hit Henry over the ball route for a third down conversion on a mesh-rail concept. Although the pass protection was uninhabitable, you'd like to see Brissett move faster through his progressions to get the ball out quicker, and even though he still hasn't turned it over, he can't miss layups like the throw to Hooper.

- Rookie LT Caedan Wallace was on a roller coaster ride in this one, which is to be expected in his first career start at left tackle (includes college). Wallace allowed a sack, hit, and hurry and was called for three penalties (two holds and one illegal formation). Wallace allowed a hurry on a spin move when he over-commited to a two-hand punch, let a rusher into his chest on a long arm for a QB hit, and got overwhelmed by power on a sack allowed. However, Wallace had some nice reps, mainly showing good post-snap awareness in pass protection. He picked up a looping Quinnen Williams late, saw a blitz coming off his outside hip, and had a nice down block on a successful pin-pull run. Overall, it wasn't pretty for Wallace, but it was his first-ever start at his secondary position. I'd love to see what Wallace looks like playing right tackle soon.

- Rookie RG Layden Robinson allowed two sacks and a hurry. Robinson was late picking up a T/E stunt on a sack of Maye and was assigned a sack on a jailbreak where there was pressure from all angles. He was also late getting out of his stance on a screen with numbers if he made his block. You love the tenacity and power Robinson plays with, and it wasn't his fault that this was a pass-heavy script. The rookie needs to improve in diagnosing post-snap movement to clean up some mental errors.

- It was good seeing WR Pop Douglas more involved, even if the game plan to pass early didn't make much sense. Douglas caught a 22-yard crosser, a 12-yard slant, gained nine yards on a nicely designed toss play, and caught a 15-yard dig route from Maye on fourth down. It was also good to see him finally catch some quick-hitters over the middle. They need to incorporate more of that so Brissett can quickly get the ball out of his hands behind this line.

- RT Mike Onwenu plays the position with a short corner, and it is what it is. Onwenu did a better job keeping his hips closed and had no egregious physical losses, but he allowed two hurries around his edge and had a mental error on a failed blitz pickup. Onwenu was better than last week. But his footspeed limits his ability to protect his edge at times.

- C David Andrews is a captain and a consummate pro, which is why you hate writing anything negative about him. However, this was a down game for Andrews in pass protection. Andrews allowed a sack when he lost his footing because he stepped on RG Layden Robinson's foot and was beaten for two hurries on interior stunts. You always wonder if Andrews would be his old self in pass protection if the guard play around him was more stable.

- TE Austin Hooper was effective as a receiver and run blocker in this game. Hooper was open on a "Seattle" route that Brissett sailed wide, had a great catch-and-run on a 19-yard screen, and had another 21-yard gain wiped out by a penalty. He should've had a big game.

- WR Ja'Lynn Polk struggled to create any notable separation, mostly lining up against Jets star CB Sauce Gardner. Gardner was on Polk for 11 of his 17 routes, with the rookie catching two passes for 13 yards on the Pro Bowler on a tight-window slant and a hitch. Polk did flash his strong hands on both plays, but separation was hard to come by in those instances.

- The Patriots offense is dying for an 'X' receiver who can win against single coverage when isolated on the backside of the formation. Tyquan Thornton had those opportunities this week, and although he did force a 34-yard DPI on DJ Reed, Thornton was smothered by Sauce on a vertical target and couldn't get off press coverage with Brissett looking for him on a slant.

- RB Rhamondre Stevenson has fumbled in three consecutive games, the one negative to his strong start. Stevenson might benefit from knowing when the journey is over rather than fighting for every yard. As much as you like the effort, he's getting gang tackled, and that's when defenders start going for the ball – get down and protect the football.

Defense

- The Patriots missed more tackles (13) than they did in the first two games combined (11). They had three chances for negative plays that went for positive gains due to missed tackles: LB Raekwon McMillan on RB Braelon Allen (11-yard run), OLB Joshua Uche whiffed on a TFL attempt (one-yard gain), and OLB Anfernee Jennings had Rodgers in his grasp for a sack that the Jets QB broke out of for an 11-yard scramble.

Along with poor finishing was the subpar leverage/angles the Pats took to the ball. For example, the short zone defenders all over-pursued on a check-down to Breece Hall, which should've been a minimal gain. Instead, Hall ended up gaining 14 yards. Tackling in space is about angles and knowing where your help is to leverage slippery ball carriers like Hall, and the Pats defense did a poor job off that on Thursday night.

- CB Christian Gonzalez shadowed Jets star wideout Garrett Wilson on 30 routes with 16 in man coverage and a 50% press coverage rate. Gonzo allowed five catches on nine targets for 33 yards and a touchdown into his coverage. The minus plays were a third-down conversion on a slant, allowing off-man separation on a third-down target (bad throw by Rodgers), and allowing his first-career touchdown (great coverage, better throw). Gonzalez also fell on a vertical route that could've been six, but the pass was overthrown, and Wilson motioned illegally on the play. Although it wasn't perfect, Gonzo did a nice job eliminating any explosive plays to Wilson, and Gonzalez was connected to Wilson's verticals away from the ball on the film. He competed nicely with Wilson and was one of the Patriots better defenders on Thursday night.

- The Patriots off-ball linebacker play in this one left a lot to be desired. McMillan was slow to diagnose the run several times, failing to downhil trigger to get the double-teams off the D-Line, and missed a tackle. Tavai blew a contain on a blitz that led to a first down, got called for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, and allowed a 22-yard completion into his coverage. Most importantly, the Pats ILB duo sans Bentley struggled to get off blocks in the run game. The coaches might need to change how they do things schemetically to make up for Bentley's absence.

- This was the first time it felt like the Patriots lack of size at outside CB was a factor. Jets WR Allen Lazard bullied Marcus Jones (11 yards) and Alex Austin (10-yard TD) early on, while WR Mike Williams caught a jump ball over Jonathan Jones for 18 yards. Rodgers got too many free yards throwing quickly outside the numbers vs. off-coverage, with a distinct size advantage for the Jets wideouts on New England's cornerbacks.

- EDGE Joshua Uche had a sack and two other quarterback pressures. He beat future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith twice with a ghost rush (hurry) and an inside-out swim move on his sack. However, he lost the edge twice going with his "best rush" rather than keeping Rodgers in the pocket, and he did the same thing last week against Geno Smith. Plus, he missed a tackle in the backfield on a would-be TFL. Uche has been productive with three QB pressures in each game this season (nine total). But he needs to be more disciplined on the edge.

- Although it wasn't his most impactful game, DE Keion White logged four more pressures with two quarterback hits. Unfortunately, Rodgers's quick release mostly mitigated White's pressure, and White also had some issues in the run game. He's a dynamic interior rusher, but teams run at White when he's lined up inside, and White got baited out of stuff when his initial instinct to jump inside the tackle was correct. The arrow is still pointing upward on White.

- Offenses are targeting DEs Daniel Ekuale and Jeremiah Pharms by putting them at the point of attack. This was not great film for either D-End, while DT Eric Johnson was also a target on a 10-yard duo run where he replaced NT Davon Godchaux. The Pats can't take Godchaux off the field on early downs, and even then, teams double-team/combo him on the nose and run at the ends. Maybe there's a nose tackle the team can add that would allow Godchaux to play some strongside 3-4 DE? Why didn't they call Lawrence Guy?

- DE Deatrich Wise had another solid outing with a sack and two hurries on 22 pass rushes. His sack came when he split the LG/LT as the penatator on a T/E stunt. Wise continues to be a rotational player due to the four-down fronts the Patriots are playing in their base defense, but he's one of their more impactful rushers. You wish they could increase his 41.2% snap rate.

- The Patriots need more impactful plays from safeties Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger. Those two didn't make enough splash plays on the ball. They're in early-down coverage rotations, either filling late or playing two-high safeties. The Pats should play them more in the box and let them fly to the ball. They're two of their best block deconstructors now that Bentley is out.

- QB pressures: Uche (sack, QB hit, hurry), Wise (sack, two hurries), White (two QB hits, two hurries), Tavai (three hurries), Jennings (two hurries), Johnson (QB hit), Elliss (hurry), Ekuale (hurry). Run stuffs: Ekuale (three), Godchaux (three), McMillan (three), Tavai (two), Jennings (two), Pharms (one), Uche (one).

- Coverage: J. Jones (5/4/61 yards/PBU), Dugger (5/3/48 yards), McMillan (4/4/44 yards), Tavai (5/5/42 yards), Gonzalez (9/5/33 yards/TD), M.Jones (2/2/16 yards), Hawkins (1/1/14 yards), Jennings (1/1/11 yards), Austin (1/1/10 yards/TD), Uche (1/1/2 yards).

more involved, even if the game plan to pass early didn't make much sense. Douglas caught a 22-yard crosser, a 12-yard slant, gained nine yards on a nicely designed toss play, and caught a 15-yard dig route from Maye on fourth down. It was also good to see him finally catch some quick-hitters over the middle. They need to incorporate more of that so Brissett can quickly get the ball out of his hands behind this line.

Defense

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