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DO YOUR JOB
An Account of the 2022 New England Patriots Season
It certainly wasn't the prettiest offensive game, but Matthew Judon's three sacks helped propel the Pats into the win column for a second straight week. PIC: David Silverman/New England Patriots
The score suggests this would be a win you'd want to write home about. While it didn't live up to that expectation, it's a win nonetheless.
26-3 was the final score over the Indianapolis Colts in Foxboro on Sunday. The Colts, to be clear, are a team in utter disarray. Matt Ryan is out, maybe for good. Sam Ehlinger is not NFL ready right now. Jonathan Taylor was on the sidelines. There are offensive pieces, but no reliable arm to feed them. Rhode Island's own Kwity Paye has been holding it down (8 tackles), but he can't do it alone. To hold them to three points almost felt like too many (relax, I'm kidding).
Now that the disparaging of the opponent is over, let's bathe in optimism, shall we?
Opposing talent aside, this was another fantastic defensive showcase from the Patriots. Two weeks ago, I tried to convince myself the Bears loss was a fluke. It turns out - at least for now - that it looks to be that way.
"Coverages were not in sync, the run defense was non-existent, and Justin Fields operated with more comfort than he probably ever has in his NFL career so far. This simply cannot continue."
It's safe to say this was a get-right game in all ways.
Matthew Judon's career day
I am a noted Matthew Judon guy. Call it the red sleeves, call it his physicality, call it his quickness - this guy is proving to be a contender for best Edge rusher in the NFL. He's the first player in the NFL to reach double-digit sacks this year. And considering his career high 12.5 sacks came last year, it's safe to say he's a major threat for all offensive lines going forward.
Judon chipped in 6 tackles - 3 of them sacks - and played a major role in moving the Colts offense back 61 yards off the Pats' nine forced sacks today.
He clearly is jiving in his newfound role as the unofficial defensive leader, as well. He loves BB, he loves the team, and he loves the fans. You can't ask for a better representative.
Total team effort on defense
This of course wasn't all on Judon. So many others hopped into the party, creating the total defensive team effort. Ja'Whaun Bentley had another excellent game - he's been a focal point at MLB all season long. And Josh Uche chipping in 3 sacks of his own was certainly something all Patriots fans wanted to see!
If that's not enough, how's a pick six for ya? Jonathan Jones took this one to the house and I couldn't be happier for him.
Two straight big games for Rhamondre
Amidst the defensive showcase, Rhamondre Stevenson's solid game took a bit of a back seat. He rushed for 60 yards on 15 attempts, adding in 3 receptions - one of which was Mac's only passing touchdown of the game. It's great to see a versatile tailback like Stevenson get out and be the focal point of the offense, and I'm pretty excited to see how far he can go with this team.
UP NEXT: Bye week, then the Jets return All things considered, I would've been normally wanted them to keep it rolling and would've been more upset that there's a week off. But, to be quite honest, this team needs it. They're banged up on defense, they need to fix a few major areas of the game, and - honestly - they need to figure it out in more ways than one. As Mac says, the offense needs to stop "riding the wave" and be more consistent. Figure it out and come back stronger in Week 11 before it's too late.
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