Saints @ Patriots
Final Score: Eagles 34, Patriots 0
Writer: Matthew Bevins (@MattBQbList on Twitter)
The Patriots come to Foxborough looking for an identity, and yet as we look at another week passing in the football season, there’s still no obvious pathway involving this team. In front of their home crowd, a plethora of boos lined the stadium walls, as the team looks almost as far removed from Brady as the cold aluminum benches at their prior stadium. Derek Carr, however, is starting to look locked in and could likely be found scooped up on waiver wires in the coming weeks.
Three Up
- Chris Olave- This guy’s starting to show why he was drafted so early in the draft. Killer footwork, attentive route running, and sleek movement make him someone who could glow up to a perennial top-10 WR.
- Derek Carr- The signing of Carr really signaled a movement by the Saints away from the Drew Brees-powered offense of old. Could we be looking at a new generation of offense between Carr and the utility of Taysom Hill?
- Alvin Kamara- Coming back from a suspension for some off-season activities, Alvin Kamara has returned and looked just as good as he had years prior, showing some amazing footwork and great vision off the line.
Three Down
- Mac Jones- Is this experiment over? His playmaking is absolutely nonexistent, his body language is putrid, and he makes zero plays on his own.
- Rhamondre Stevenson- Rhamondre goes as this offense goes, and as this offense doesn’t go, neither will Rhamondre. He can’t get any separation, and defenses are going to lock in on him. It’s a tough scenario for a running back who may find himself out of New England soon (contract-related, not performance).
- Juju Smith-Schuster- I know this game wasn’t his fault, but you cannot look at this team and not realize his contract signifies everything that is wrong with this team. Improper contracts, poor scouting, bad attitudes, injury history.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Derek Carr: 18/26, 183 Yards, 2 TDs | 2 carries, 4 yards
Derek Carr has not often received his dues, continuing to plod along in an extremely boring but consistent fashion. Maybe things are starting to change, with the New Orleans team now being where he lays his head. Carr was the quarterback to know on this field and impressed. He’s found a kindred relationship with Olave, and that was showcased tonight.
Notes
- The game in New England really had no drama whatsoever, and Carr really was the only quarterback worth watching. He was efficient and basically took second fiddle to their defense showing up and blanking the Patriots on their home turf, but Carr deserves some respect for his name. For the number of times, he’s been called average or below, he found himself touching passes over defenders, waiting for receivers to finish out their routes, and keeping the ball away from the Patriots’ defenders
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 22 carries, 80 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 17 yards
Kamara looks like the new car pulled out of the lot that he exuded for a 4-year stretch until a brick wall was hit last year (at the same time he hit something else). Maybe he needed that month off, but either way, it’s looking like Kamara may just help put this team on the playoff map, as the team desperately sought a rushing presence.
Notes
- Kamara was needed and thankfully the Saints have returned his calls, as Jamaal Williams is still injured, and Kendre Miller is still looking to figure out his role and body after coming back from multiple injuries throughout the pre-and regular season. Kamara averaged less than 4 yards a carry and didn’t run at nearly his max speed that we’ve seen, but he waited on holes and looked revitalized.
Missed Opportunities
- With this team, it’s hard to say if opportunities were “missed” in the running game, or if it should just be expected that Taysom Hill will continue to bite in on a piece of the proverbial “rushing pie.” I think for the time being, it should be anticipated he could continue to steal rushes when they’re available.
Kendre Miller: 12 rushes, 37 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 53 yards
Kendre Miller was one of the sneakier names to know coming out of the NFL draft, as his stock only fell due to his injury troubles. Coming out of the draft with the highest yards per carry, the real trouble was always going to be if he could find his footing without hurting “said foot” in the process. It seems as if Miller may be finding himself, as he performed as a Kamara disciple, becoming fleet of foot thru his pass receiving more than his rushing.
he got that frawg in him.@Offical_dre11 #GoFrogs | #AllSteakNoSizzle
NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube:https://t.co/1OQTXI5EJH pic.twitter.com/mCA2nNOMf9
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) October 9, 2023
Taysom Hill: 3 carries, 19 yards
Taysom Hill is arguably the toughest force to neutralize on this offense, as he can move around all offensive schemes, being deployed as a quarterback, receiver, or rusher. Today, his impact was felt only as a reprieve rusher. The fact of the matter is he will continue to eat in on goal-line work, and we’ll be unable to truly know when this will happen. Tread lightly.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Michael Thomas: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 65 yards
When speaking of the metaphorical time machine Kamara has found, it’s highly likely that Kamara split the tab with Michael Thomas, as he looked like he had stepped back to 2017 in this game. He was running routes with gusto, while also getting up for jump balls, and was the first receiver looked at on all of his catches. Thomas was someone who maligned many a fantasy team after last year, but we may have found the version of him we really needed to make his mid-draft capital pay off.
Notes
- Thomas has a shine up, and it’s hard to tell you to sell on him, as he shows no signs of slowing down. While Christian Gonzalez is likely out for the season, and couldn’t patrol the field where Thomas was, it’s still clear that he had something to show in this game, and Carr is definitely looking for him when he’s open (and sometimes when he isn’t.)
Rashid Shaheed: 2 targets, 2 receptions,28 yards
Shaheed has shown his ability to break out, burning defensive backs at times, but he wasn’t able to showcase this ability today. Shaheed has a pretty low floor when he’s not breaking through the ceiling for a full-field touchdown. His presence was merely felt today.
Chris Olave: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 12 yards, 1 TD
Chris Olave is arguably the most exciting player in this offense, and likely the game, but he was bottled up due to the lack of competition and the need to unleash him. Thomas was used to moving the chains, and Olave was hardly heard from until his back-of-endzone route that juked out the Patriots’ defenders. Olave’s potential is hardly able to be measured, as his capital was high in the draft, and many of his catches would find themselves on a highlight reel. Olave will continue to have one of the higher ceilings in the league.
New England Patriots
Quarterback
Mac Jones: 12/22, 110, 2 INT’s |1 rush, 0 yards
This performance was arguably one of the most unsightly that Mac Jones has had for us, and it could be the proverbial doorway being built to push him out of New England. Jones is playing for a potential new contract ahead of him, and after these performances, it’s hard to see anyone wanting him for anything more than a backup role. Looking shocked, outmanned, and overwhelmed all game, Jones didn’t do much to prove he deserves more time under center here.
Notes
- Jones has “helped” this team score 3 points over the past 8 quarters, and it’s very clear the levee may break soon. In this game, he threw 2 more pick 6s than he has touchdowns to his own team members, and for a team that is so young and attempting to cement an identity, there is absolutely no meat to pull off the bone here. It seemed every pass completed by Jones was saved by an athletic wide receiver move.
Missed Opportunities
- Missed opportunities ran rampant in this one. Mac Jones threw the ball horrendously and had no way of saving this squad. He put his defense on the field way more than they needed to be and held back a running game that is now being keyed in on due to quarterback incompetence. There isn’t a lot to save from these performances, and the one thing that is starting to be learned is that this offense is now holding zero valuable fantasy players while one of the worst QBs in the league is manning it.
Running Back
Rhamondre Stevenson: 8 carries, 24 yards |2 targets, 0 receptions
Rhamondre is as much a victim as he is an accomplice to this pathetic showcase. The Patriots are playing at an astoundingly poor rate of offensive return (30th in points, to be exact), and no team seems to be troubled by their playcalling. While bringing in Bill O’Brien was likely a good call for the long run, this team looks sleepy, uninspired, and unable to be fixed. Stevenson got very little carries to work with, and when he did, he was buoyed to the line.
Notes
- There wasn’t much gained here. Stevenson’s line was less than one large run, and he really didn’t even look like himself. In the second half, he started to cede some carries to Zeke, and even then, the speed of the game didn’t seem that much different. Stevenson finds himself in a very precarious spot, as this team has not much to gain after a little over a month into the season, and could start to look at their younger players, or even go so far as to trade away assets to build out past next year.
Ezekiel Elliot: 8 carries, 21 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 17 yards
Ezekiel Elliot once again continues to be a small if uninspiring bright spot in a giant lump of coal that we try and find potential in. He’s not young by any sense of the word, but he’s definitely got the most oomph out of the backfield, and Rhamondre is already looking to be an afterthought in New England.
Notes
- I wrote this weeks ago when the Patriots played the Eagles, but Zeke is once again looking like he has the most potential behind the line. He definitely doesn’t have a long leash of a career remaining, but who is to say the Patriots don’t cobble together the next couple of years with him here, rather than overpaying for Rhamondre in lost seasons?
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Kendrick Bourne: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 43 yards
Kendrick Bourne had basically no presence last year in New England, after receiving a rather large contract compared to his track record. Bourne seems to be one of the few making an effort on a frustrating team. 2 receptions for 43 yards, and he also received a couple of targets that seemed almost unreachable.
Notes
- There’s not much to be excited about here. Bourne was moving at a solid clip in this game, but there weren’t many noticeable gains. Bourne will continue to be the one to look for if Jones or Bailey Zappe get behind center next week.
DeMario Douglas: 2 targets, 1 reception, 24 yards
DeMario Douglas was one of the potential breakouts in training camp, and he showed why in his lone catch today, getting under a pass that looked nearly uncatchable.
Notes
- Douglas has the same post-game thoughts as we had with Zeke. If this team starts to attempt to find out who they are after this year, Douglas could get a lot more run, and if so, he’s definitely a name to watch.
DeVante Parker 4 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards
DeVante Parker is back, and we really need to start seeing more from Parker if the over-the-top offense is anything at all for the rest of the season. Parker missed a reception in the game he would normally get ahold of, but it’s hard to chide the receivers when the quarterback play was so poor this afternoon.
Notes
- Parker sits at the top of the WR depth chart, but it’s such an uninspired list it’s hard to wonder just what this team will do for the rest of the season. They missed out on DeAndre Hopkins, opting in favor of the squad they have, and we’re just weeks away from a trade deadline that potentially could make this team look a whole lot different.