As for Maye himself, this was a weird film to grade because he did so little in the first 2.5 quarters. The rookie didn’t register a plus play until there was 1:47 remaining in the third quarter with his team down 16-3, mainly because there weren’t many chances before that for him to make plays. I split the interception between Maye and Boutte. Boutte needed to catch that ball, and it wasn’t even that far behind him, but Maye was a beat late on the high-low concept (explained above). Eventually, the Pats QB1 saw some shots go in with five plus-plays in the fourth quarter, finishing with six pluses to four minuses in this game overall.
The coaching staff is getting a lot of heat, some of which is warranted. They probably have good reasons for wanting to manage Maye, mainly because of their inability to protect him if they have him hunt big plays more often and run him by design. It’s certainly fair to consider the risk at 3-11. With low stakes from outside the playoff picture, the last thing this team needs is an injury to their most prized asset. Still, there are two other perspectives to consider as well.
First, losing stinks. That has to weigh on a young player’s mind as Maye tries to build confidence in himself as a viable starting quarterback in this league. The other fair question is whether or not this coaching staff has the ability to amplify Maye’s physical gifts to their fullest potential. With finer ingredients, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt might be able to cook a better meal, but eventually, we’ll need to see it to believe it.
If they’re holding things back schematically, two divisional games against the Bills might be the time to show their hand to build toward 2025.
Quick-Hit Film Notes From Patriots-Cardinals After Further Review
– The Patriots incorporated some option designs where Maye had post-snap reads or held the backside with the threat of his arm/legs. Those plays produced gains of 29, 15, and 10 yards, with Gibson’s explosive run being a gap-read design where Maye is holding the unblocked backside edge. It’s unclear if Maye truly has the option to keep the ball around the corner, but again, he’s incorporated into the play as a rushing threat. The other two were RPOs with screens attached to pin-pull and a long trap scheme. Although you’d like to see them pick some high-leverage spots to use them, it at least speaks to the fact that they’re in the playbook.
– The one screen design we can all get behind was the 18-yarder to Marcus Jones, where the Pats used orbit motion and the back release to create a four-strong side with three lead blockers for Jones, who then did the rest. If they’re going to throw so many perimeter screens, Jones should get multiple opportunities to be the primary ball carrier.
– RB Antonio Gibson was the best player on the Patriots offense forcing a team-high 11 missed tackles with 44 rushing yards after contact and 33 yards after the catch. Gibson’s contact balance, decisiveness, and explosive gear make him a great zone-scheme back. As we said before, he’s a better fit for this system than Rhamondre, and he should keep getting touches.
– RB Rhamondre Stevenson looked fresher coming off the bye week with 54 yards after contact. Seeing him run through an arm tackle on a 12-yard run was good. He was doing that with less regularity before the bye. He also saw the cutback lane on a 10-yard run and made a doomed 4th-and-2 play work in the first half. But, even with iffy blocking, you’d like to see him plow through the line of scrimmage to get the yard on 4th-and-1.
– Rookie LG Layden Robinson was up-and-down, but he stood out more in the run game than he did in his last start vs. Indy. Robinson had a really nice reach-and-turn on a five-yard gain and helped combo the 1-tech on a Ben Brown pancake (3 yards). You could see some of that physicality show up on film, but he was called for a legit hold on third-and-5 and whiffed badly on his block on third-and-1 (turnover on downs drive).
– C Ben Brown didn’t do himself any favors with Cole Strange nearing a return. Brown had two bad snaps and allowed three hurries, including a hurry allowed on Maye’s interception. Brown had some nice moments in the run game, where he was competitive, but the pass pro and snap issues will have reporters asking about Strange’s availability this week.
– LT Vederian Lowe struggled with a sack and three hurries allowed, along with being on the scene for four run stuffs, including whiffing on his block on the 4th-and-1 stuff. Lowe couldn’t handle Baron Browning’s speed on his sack allowed and struggled to square up base blocks in the run game. The Patriots need to address left tackle with a premium asset in the offseason.
– Quiet day on the right side for both RG Mike Onwenu (clean sheet) and RT Trey Jacobs (one hurry). They weren’t tested much by a Cardinals front that doesn’t have many dudes. But seeing Onwenu with a clean sheet in 16 one-on-one reps was good.
– WR Kayshon Boutte needed to come up with that catch on the interception and didn’t finish his route on a deep post where Maye had the right idea with the deep safety’s hips pointed in the other direction. Boutte ran a good route on his 16-yard slant, but his other targets were shaky.
– WR Kendrick Bourne ran a great go route on his 37-yard catch. They should be having Maye take at least one shot to Bourne per game. It’s there often enough on film to keep going to it.
– Teams are starting to sit all over TE Hunter Henry on stick-style routes in the Pats quick-game package. They did have Henry run a stick-nod, but the Cardinals had the right coverage for it. It’s begging for a double move, like an out-and-up of some sort.
– Pass Protection: Lowe (sack, three hurries), Brown (three hurries), Jacobs (hurry), Robinson (hurry), Onwenu (clean sheet).
– As Coach Mayo said, the Patriots best player on defense is second-year CB Christian Gonzalez. The Pats top first-round pick in the 2023 draft put the straps on the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, Cardinals rookie WR Marvis Harrison Jr. Gonzo lined up across from MHJ on 21 routes with 12 reps in man coverage where he allowed one catch for 23 yards on five targets with two pass breakups. Gonzalez did allow another 14-yard catch that was wiped out by penalty, but the 23-yarder on the first play from scrimmage was a well-executed pick play by the Cardinals.
On the four incompletions into Gonzalez’s coverage on Harrison, the Pats CB1 was absolutely stellar. Gonzalez played perfect technique on all four plays, either suffocating the route to the point where Murray didn’t have any place to put the ball or making a terrific pass breakup by playing the hands from out of phase to prevent a touchdown. When we make the All-Pro pitch for Gonzalez, the reps above will go in the presentation, that’s for sure – elite cornerback play.
– Nice game for LB Christian Elliss, the Pats highest-graded defender by PFF, narrowly edging out Gonzo (84.6 overall grade). I’d give the game ball to Gonzalez, but Elliss was an honorable mention. His third-down rep where he disrupted the crossing route over the middle and then chased down a scrambling Kyler was as good as it gets for a linebacker in zone coverage. Overall, Elliss made three stops in coverage. The Pats need more guys rallying to the football like Elliss did on Sunday.
– LB Anfernee Jennings was solid in his role. Jennings tied for the team lead with three run stuffs and two pressures. He had an effective long-arm bull rush to walk the left tackle back into Kyler, but the Cardinals QB made a fantastic throw with his left tackle in his lap to TE Trey McBride—Kyler’s best throw of the day.
– It’s hard to decipher whether it’s the defensive line, linebacker play, or both leading to struggles vs. the run. Still, the Patriots front seven doesn’t press blocks or condense space with enough regularity for this two-gapping system. They really miss Bentley, who was excellent at bottling up runners. Even if he didn’t make the tackle, Bentley’s ability to force the ball carrier to play in tight quarters allowed others to rally to the ball. With this group, there’s way too much space for runners to make defenders miss at the point of attack. You really saw that come into play with Arizona’s gap-heavy run scheme on Sunday.
– LB Jahlani Tavai was among those who had an up-and-down performance. Tavai had a good rep early on against a power-shovel pass for a stuff but was on the scene for a 7-yard run, 5-yard run, two third down conversions, Conner’s last touchdown run, and he missed an open-field tackle on a screen that went for 13 yards. Sione Takitaki was in a similar boat, with poor eyes leading to a vacated edge on a 17-yard run. The reads from the second level of the defense are inconsistent.
– S Kyle Dugger continues to be shaky in zone coverage in the middle of the field and missed three tackles, including two as the last line of defense on Conner’s 53-yard run and Dortch’s 39-yard screen explosive. Dugger allowed a team-high six catches for 59 yards, struggling to sort through high-low concepts in short zones. Dugger tends to let his eyes wander in zone, getting caught peeking into the backfield rather than locating the receiver in his area. The Pats will need better from their defensive captain moving forward.
– S Jabrill Peppers took responsibility for taking a bad angle and being caught flat-footed on Conner’s 53-yard run. Peppers was unblocked in the hole with a chance to make the stop, but Conner turned on the jets to get by him. Peppers also over-ran a run where Conner bounced outside and gained six yards, which should’ve been a stuff. He had a nearly two-month layoff due to his off-field situation, so some rust was expected, but Peppers doesn’t look like the same player he was before he landed on the commissioner’s exempt list.
– DE Keion White logged two hurries plus drew a holding call with his signature arm-over move rushing over the center. However, he also let Murray out of the pocket with two blown edges and couldn’t get off his block in a two-gapping technique on a six-yard run. White is tough to block in the interior pass rush, but his game still has some boom-or-bust.
– It’s a shame that DT Christian Barmore isn’t able to play to his usual level as he works his way back from blood clots. Nobody was expecting Barmore to play this season. But he failed to register a pressure despite getting 11 one-on-one reps. You wouldn’t have seen that last year and other teams aren’t fearing him as a result. His health condition is absolutely the reason why Barmore has not been as effective. Nobody is knocking him here. It’s just what’s on the film.
– Down game for NT Davon Godchaux. He got caught by surprise on a wham scheme where a tight end pancaked him, which you don’t see very often for No. 92, and was late playing the cutback lane as the shaded nose tackle a few times. Nobody was particularly effective against the run, but Godchaux didn’t play up to his usual standard in this one. In my opinion, the three run stuffs he logged were a bit deceiving.
– QB Pressures: White (two hurries), Jennings (two hurries), Dugger (hurry), Ekuale (hurry), Wise (hurry). Run stops: Jennings (3), Godchaux (3), Dugger (2), Tavai, Johnson, Peppers (1).
– Coverage: Dugger (7/6/59 yards), M. Jones (3/3/46 yards), Pettus (1/1/29 yards), Gonzalez (6/2/28 yards/2 PBUs), Tavai (4/4/23 yards), Peppers (2/2/20 yards), J. Jones (4/4/15 yards), Austin (1/1/9 yards), Takitaki (1/1/3 yards), Elliss (1/1/0 yards).
First appeared on www.patriots.com