SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Patriots got their asses kicked on Sunday night, and their roster issues showed up on the biggest possible stage. There is a lot of work that will need to be done, and those in charge of putting next year’s team together understand that better than anyone.
That doesn’t diminish the accomplishments of this season, but the way the Pats got exposed takes me right back to what I’ve been writing/saying since way back in the spring: this was only the beginning of a rebuild.
Mike Vrabel and company were loath to use that word, but how they operated - keeping all their draft picks both last year and by not parting with any at the trade deadline was a clear indication. Being protective of those selections and the financial flexibility they offer the organization will lead to internal discussions about holding on to the most valuable picks again this spring, even with Drake Maye operating on his rookie contract. Of the many important lessons to be learned from the Seahawks game, roster depth was right up there for me. Seattle came at New England in waves, in part because of a series of home run drafts.
2022 - LT Charles Cross, Edge Boye Mafe, Kenneth Walker, RT Abraham Lucas, S Coby Bryant, CB Tariq Woolen.
2023 - Devon Witherspoon (All-Pro), Jaxson Smith-Ngijba (All-Pro), Edge Derick Hall (2 sacks in SB), Zach Charbonnet, and LG Anthony Bradford.
2024 - DT Byron Murphy, Chris Haynes (backup G), TE A.J. Barner.
2025 - LG Grey Zabel, S Nick Emmanwori, TE Elijah Arroyo (got hurt), QB Jalen Milroe, DT Rylie Mills (sack in SB), WR Tory Horton (impressed before injury), and FB Robbie Ouzts.
Meanwhile, the Pats erased their 2024 draft class this spring/summer, leaving Drake Maye, Caedan Wallace (inactive almost all season), and CB Marcellas Dial (torn ACL in the summer). The 2023 group was headlined by Christian Gonzalez and included contributions from 6th-round picks Kayshon Boutte and Pop Douglas, as well as punter Bryce Baringer, but what a wasteland between rounds 2-5 (Keion White, Marte Mapu, Jake Andrews, Sidy Sow, Atonio Mafi).
2022? Icky-palooza. Cole Strange, Tyquan Thornton, Jack Jones, Pierre Strong, and Bailey Zappe were five of your top six picks (Marcus Jones was the other). Where’s this team’s cost-controlled and productive depth, you ask? Lost in that three-year quagmire of bit players and never-weres.
Not that you would ever have wanted this season to go anywhere other than where it did - again, they freakin’ made the Super Bowl. Ridiculous, right? - but there’s a price for that success. A lower draft position, which takes away from the upper echelon of talent. Not that they can’t still find impact players, but there tend to be more warts and less consensus the further you go down the board. Is there a receiver, or an edge rusher, or an offensive lineman (they could use all three) that comes in and makes an impact right away? The roster could use it if they want to find themselves back in this position - or close - again next year. Back to work. The scouting combine is in two weeks.
On to Musings...
THUMBS UP
Christian Gonzalez was the Patriots' best player on Sunday on either side of the ball. No, he didn’t shadow JSN a ton (no matter what some of these folks tell you), but when he did, he proved to be effective (though that post in the red area to JSN would have been a TD if Darnold threw it sooner and more accurately Instead, it ended up as a PBU.) His PBU on the deep ball to Rashid Shaheed was a potential game-changing type of play. Now comes the $35 million (or so) question: will he get paid this offseason?
What a late December/January/February run for Craig Woodson. The rookie safety turned himself into a heat-seeking missile when the Pats decided to embrace the more pressure-based, blitz-happy philosophy. Woodson made his impact felt several times against the Seattle offense, mostly in run support. He also had a pass breakup just shy of the end zone, recovering to blanket Cooper Kupp on a corner route. It wasn’t perfect in coverage, but he’s a good young player.
While he didn’t dominate the way he has at points in these playoffs, Milton Williams was still good on Sunday. He had a sack of Sam Darnold, should have had another (just couldn’t wrap), and was solid against the run (although he missed a couple of tackles). For a sense of who this guy is, he stood there in the postgame and put a lot on his shoulders. Williams knew he needed to be great. Good, on this night, wasn’t enough. Some of his teammates - both young and old - can learn from his level of accountability.
THUMBS DOWN (This list is longer than it’s been all year)
Who knows how much the shoulder really impacted Drake Maye? The fact that he got a painkilling shot suggests it wasn’t great, but watching the game, I don’t feel as though the arm was his problem. It was his eyes and his mechanics. As I wrote postgame, Maye was hurried almost from jump, to the point where when he did have ample time, he appeared to look at the rush, not at what was happening down the field. He was also guilty of holding the ball a beat or two too long. On occasion, that was because his receivers didn’t uncover (they’ve got to address that this offseason), but mostly, it was him either not seeing it or being too conservative. He had five of his six explosives in the 4th quarter, which was both too late and the first time he raised his risk level. This one is going to bother him for a long time.
I will not single out Will Campbell and Will Campbell alone. I thought the Pats' offensive line played poorly, capping a rough 4-game playoff stretch that should leave all of them a little unsure of their future here. There were miscommunications either in how the protection was set or in how stunts were passed off. There was the first sack, when Jared Wilson actually helped Campbell, but in doing so, popped the rusher free for the sack. Doh. Not all six sacks were on their shoulders, but it wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t good at all. As for Campbell, he showed some immaturity postgame in declining to speak, but more importantly, he just didn’t play up to the level required for a championship-level left tackle. I counted 10.5 pressure (less than the wild 14 but Next Gen Stats). I’m not moving him, not yet, but this is a massive offseason for him. He needs to get stronger and improve his technique. The work Campbell and Wilson did down the stretch wasn’t a great showing for the “o” line coaches, Doug Marrone chief amongst them. (***UPDATE: Campbell apologized to reporters on Tuesday for how he handled his business postgame, fwiw***)
Remember how often I touted the work of the lesser-known players, guys like Cory Durden, Khyiris Tonga, and Christian Elliss, highlighting their impact on the team’s success? Yeah, well, Sunday, the Pats didn’t get the same level of play. The first two, in particular, were victimized on a couple of Seattle’s big runs.
Arguably, the worst game since the first two weeks of the season for Robert Spillane. He was not impactful in this one, and again, the Pats needed him to be (like Williams). He had a couple of missed tackles (the official stats had him with one; the official stats were on drugs in this game).
Welcome back to planet Earth, K’lavon Chaisson. A demon in the previous three weeks in all facets, he had a quiet day. A couple of unblocked pressures and a couple of impactful plays against the run. But Charles Cross wasn’t 100%, and Chaisson just couldn’t solve him with any level of consistency.
For the better part of the season, we saw Stefon Diggs elevate his game in those primetime moments. Maybe he viewed the 3:40 PM kickoff differently, or perhaps a 32-year-old receiver showed his age late in the year. I watched him closely in this one and didn’t see too many moments where he was winning. There was one snap early in the third quarter when the Seahawks' coverage busted, and Diggs broke free late on an over route. But Maye had already gone into scramble mode and got sacked thanks to the pressure off both Morgan Moses and Wilson. Postgame, Diggs was asked if he would be back next year and said, “Unless they don’t pick up my option.” An interesting question for the Pats to ponder.
Without question, Marcus Jones is one of the two or three best punt returners in football. But down 19-7, the Pats forced a punt, and Jones inexplicably let the ball bounce at the Pats 19-yard line when he could have easily caught the ball. It rolled down to the four before the Seahawks downed it. That was a critical point in the game, where maybe, just maybe, the Pats could have clawed back it. The offense eventually clawed to near midfield before Maye lost his mind and threw a ball to a wide-open Julian Love. The problem is, he plays for the other team.
Others: Kayshon Boutte dropped a slant/glance route, and it appeared he and Maye weren’t on the same page. He also got absolutely owned by corner Josh Jobe on the first third down of the third quarter, losing on the release, at the top of the route, and when the ball was in the air. The Pats had to punt. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins was invisible. They needed the veteran to make a play. Jack Gibbens didn’t offer much in this one (one run stuff). Ditto for Jahlani Tavai. Hunter Henry/Austin Hooper didn’t come to life until late, as they were snuffed by this Seahawks defense. I have no beef with Rhamondre Stevenson. There wasn’t anything there. TreVeyon Henderson, however, continues not get the yards that are there, including a short-yardage situation in the second half. The Pats wanted him in there because of the speed, but he’s just not trustworthy in those spots.