Jones had a tough day in part because of the struggles of his offensive line. Part of that difficulty could be attributed to New England's O-line having to face another week minus starting right tackle Trent Brown, who continues to nurse an ailing right calf injury.
Second-year player Justin Herron got the start in Brown's place Sunday against New Orleans. However, Yasir Durant, another second-year player, replaced Herron in the late second quarter, though only for a series or so. Herron came back to start the second half. Perhaps the coaches wanted to give some more experience to Durant, who normally plays guard and had a forgettable first quarter last week against the Jets.
Looked like a bad blitz pickup by RB Damien Harris that led to Jones' first of two sacks on the day.
The Patriots took a time out with 13 seconds left in the first quarter, as New Orleans faced 4th-and-3 from the New England 34-yard line. New Orleans would have been able to run out the clock and end the quarter before they attempted their 4th-down play, but Belichick's time out forced them to do so before the quarter ended. It seemed Belichick wanted the Saints to attempt their long field goal into a strong wind, hence the taking of an otherwise unnecessary time out. Although Saints kicker Aldrick Rosas hooked his 52-yarder wide left, the wind appeared to have died down by that point. Regardless, the tactic worked.
New England's special teams units have seen much better days than this. A pair of special teams penalties – uncharacteristic for this Patriots unit – came in the first half: a false start by long snapper Joe Cardona, then a holding by Chase Winovich during a punt return. The Patriots also allowed a 25-yard punt return by the Saints' Deonte Harris, then had a Jake Bailey punt blocked in the mid-second quarter. A high snap on Nick Folk's 45-yard field goal at the end of the first half is something we hardly ever see from the reliable Cardona.
Meanwhile, Bailey in the late third quarter booted another kickoff out of bounds for a penalty. That marked the second time in this early season that he's made such an error, which gives the opponent the ball at their own 40-yard line.
When RB James White was carted off the field during the second quarter, it sure looked like a season-ending kind of injury, as teammates and opponents alike came over to wish him well. Later announced as a hip injury, that's exactly what we in the press box first predicted when we saw it live. White had just picked up a nice first-down after catching a pass out of the backfield and scampering to the sideline. He hit the ground hard with his right knee, which could have popped his hip out on that side. White immediately grabbed for his right hip. It would be a disappointing development for White, who suffered through an extremely difficult 2020 season.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, it was fun to see former receiver Julian Edelman honored at halftime, as he came running onto the field in his signature style – sprinting the length of the field and pumping his fist at the crowd in the south end zone. Edelman retired during this past offseason.
Newly-promoted practice squad linebacker Jahlani Tavai saw action in the third quarter when it appeared that starter Ja'Whaun Bentley was unavailable. Bentley wasn't seen anywhere on New England's sideline during that particular series, but was spotted again later in the afternoon, albeit just standing on the Patriots sideline. Bentley was never announced to have suffered an injury, but his health status will be among those to monitor this coming week.
Difficult day overall for tight end Jonnu Smith, who only caught just one of the six passes thrown to him. Along with that, he bobbled a ball that led to a Jones pick-six, dropped a pass on an attempted screen play, and committed a holding penalty in the third quarter.
One of the defensive highlights of the afternoon for the Patriots came when edge rusher Matt Judon sacked Winston in the late second quarter. This cost the Saints nine yards and pushed them into a 3rd-and-12, which they then failed to convert. New Orleans wound up attempting a field goal on the next play, rather than continue the drive for a potential touchdown, and kicker Aldrick Rosas pulled his second attempt of the game wide left again, keeping New England close on the scoreboard.
Though the special teams units have had better days, one player who continues to produce is Folk. He converted two more field goals Sunday, extending his successful streak to 35 field goals in a row.
Credit where credit is due offensively, too. Receivers Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne caught some very difficult passes Sunday, some of them in heavy traffic. Both men came within whiskers of 100-yard days as well – Bourne led the day with 96 and Meyers just behind him at 94. Were it not for these two, the Patriots would have had even more problems moving the football.
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September 27, 2021 at 04:19AM
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Game Observations: Tough day in all three phases - Patriots.com
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