Locked On Patriots Hit - Quick Takes on the New England Patriots

Kyle Williams could be in line for a BIG opportunity when the New England Patriots face the Pittsburgh Steelers! With A.J. Brown missing time and uncertainty surrounding Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., could the Patriots rookie become Drake Maye's breakout weapon?

On today's Patriots HIT, Zach Blackerby breaks down the Steelers' defensive challenges and how Josh McDaniels could take advantage of Pittsburgh's secondary.

T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are coming off two-sack performances against the Atlanta Falcons, creating another major test for Drake Maye and the Patriots offensive line. Can Will Campbell build on his season-opening performance and help New England protect its quarterback?

PLUS, Joey Porter Jr. is at the center of trade speculation, and his potential absence could create an opportunity for New England's passing attack.

With Mack Hollins emerging as a favorite target for Maye and A.J. Brown unavailable, Kyle Williams could be the receiver who makes a major impact against Pittsburgh.

Will the Patriots rookie deliver his first big moment of the season?

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#Patriots #KyleWilliams #DrakeMaye

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Drake Maye and the New England Patriots face a major challenge against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Could Pittsburgh's zone coverage expose Drake Maye's biggest weakness, or are his recent struggles being blown out of proportion?

On today's Patriots HIT, Zach Blackerby breaks down how Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham could attack Drake Maye after Pittsburgh played 100% zone coverage against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Patriots struggled against Graham's zone-heavy defense last season when he was with the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, Josh McDaniels must find answers against a defensive approach that has given Maye problems, particularly Cover 6.

Could Mack Hollins become the key to beating Pittsburgh's zone defense? What adjustments can McDaniels make, and which Patriots receiver will step up without A.J. Brown?

PLUS, new analysis from Daniel Rotman suggests Drake Maye's recent five-game stretch might not be nearly as concerning as it looks. Despite facing a brutal defensive schedule, Maye exceeded the opposing defenses' quarterback averages in passing yards, completion percentage, and total touchdowns.

Is Drake Maye actually in a slump, or has the Patriots quarterback been performing better than expected against elite defenses?

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#Patriots #DrakeMaye #NFL

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The New England Patriots have one of the NFL's best cornerbacks in Christian Gonzalez.

So against DK Metcalf, should they make his assignment simple?

Follow him. Erase him. Make Pittsburgh beat you somewhere else.

Gonzalez played well when matched against Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the opener, but New England didn't ask him to follow Seattle's top receiver throughout the game.

Now Pittsburgh presents another fascinating test for how the Patriots plan to use their star cornerback.

Then there's Will Campbell.

After a much better performance against Seattle than we saw in the Super Bowl, the second-year tackle gets another massive opportunity against T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

If Campbell holds up again?

We might need to start looking at him very differently.

#NewEnglandPatriots #ChristianGonzalez #Patriots

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Are the New England Patriots REALLY one of the 10 best teams in the NFL?

The Athletic apparently thinks so.

New England checks in at No. 10 in its latest NFL power rankings despite Drake Maye's brutal three-interception finish against the Seattle Seahawks.

That's a pretty generous ranking.

But it also raises an important question about Maye.

Are we watching a quarterback stuck in a legitimate slump, or a young player who has struggled when facing some of the NFL's absolute best defenses?

We'll find out more in Week 2.

The Patriots return home to face a Pittsburgh Steelers team ranked No. 16 after winning its opener. But after looking closer at that performance, I'm not convinced Pittsburgh deserves that much credit either.

And compared to Seattle?

This could be a much better matchup for Drake Maye and the Patriots offense.

#NewEnglandPatriots #DrakeMaye #Patriots

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The New England Patriots could be getting an important offensive weapon back at exactly the right time.

TreVeyon Henderson returned to practice after missing time with an injury, and his potential return could give Josh McDaniels some interesting options against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Henderson can help lighten Rhamondre Stevenson's workload, but his impact could go well beyond carries.

With A.J. Brown sidelined, could McDaniels get creative with Henderson and Stevenson in the passing game and make life easier for Drake Maye?

Then there's Kyle Williams.

The rookie has been labeled a deep-ball specialist and a one-trick pony. But right now, that one trick might be exactly what New England needs.

Without Brown, somebody needs to make opposing defensive backs respect the deep ball.

It's time to see what Henderson and Williams can add to this Patriots offense.

#NewEnglandPatriots #TreVeyonHenderson #Patriots

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The A.J. Brown injury news just got worse for the New England Patriots.

Ian Rapoport reports that the expectation is now for Brown to miss roughly six weeks after suffering an ankle injury in New England's season opener against Seattle.

So what happens now?

The pressure immediately shifts to Romeo Doubs after a brutal Patriots debut. Pop Douglas could see an expanded role. Mack Hollins may be asked to do more. And rookie Kyle Williams suddenly has an opportunity to prove why New England invested an early draft pick in him.

Then we need to talk about Drake Maye.

His mistakes against Seattle cannot happen again.

But are people forgetting just how young and inexperienced Maye still is?

After reaching the Super Bowl and nearly winning MVP in his first full season as a starter, Maye has already accomplished an incredible amount. Now comes the next part of his development: learning from the mistakes that cost New England against Seattle and taking another step forward.

A.J. Brown is out.

Drake Maye is coming off a brutal finish.

And now we're about to learn a lot about this Patriots offense.

#NewEnglandPatriots #Patriots #DrakeMaye #AJBrown #NFL

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Rhamondre Stevenson wasn't the problem with the Patriots offense against Seattle.

The numbers aren't going to blow anyone away.

51 rushing yards.

But almost ALL of that production came after contact.

Stevenson played 60 of New England's 71 offensive snaps, repeatedly dealt with defenders around the backfield and still gave the Patriots something steady to rely on.

The bigger concern?

The offense didn't exactly put him in a position to succeed.

Seattle seemed ready for what New England wanted to do on the ground, and now it's on Josh McDaniels and this Patriots offense to make some adjustments.

Especially with A.J. Brown expected to miss time.

Then, New England made a move I really like.

The Patriots are expected to add veteran defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, giving an already promising interior defensive line even more experienced depth.

He's not going to single-handedly change the season.

But when depth has been one of the biggest questions surrounding this roster?

Keep adding good football players.

#NewEnglandPatriots #Patriots #RhamondreStevenson #DrakeMaye #NFL

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A.J. Brown's injury could make one Patriots trade look VERY different.

Brown is expected to miss at least four weeks, and suddenly New England's wide receiver depth is going to be tested immediately.

Romeo Doubs is coming off a brutal Patriots debut.

Pop Douglas and Mack Hollins could be asked to take on larger roles.

Drake Maye will have more pressure on him.

But who might have the MOST pressure on him after the injury?

Jalen Reed.

Because New England traded Kayshon Boutte for Reed after an offseason in which Mike Vrabel repeatedly talked about the Patriots' lack of depth.

At the time, the argument made sense: move some of your receiver depth to create depth elsewhere.

Then something bad happened.

A.J. Brown got hurt.

Now the Patriots could really use another explosive receiver — and Boutte isn't here anymore.

Was New England too eager to make that trade?

#NewEnglandPatriots #Patriots #AJBrown #KayshonBoutte #DrakeMaye #NFL

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The New England Patriots may have avoided the worst-case scenario with A.J. Brown.

But that doesn't mean the news is good.

Brown reportedly suffered a high-ankle sprain during New England's 13-10 loss to Seattle, with an MRI expected to provide more information about the severity.

Now the Patriots have a major question to answer.

Who becomes WR1 if Brown misses time?

Romeo Doubs was brought to New England and paid to become a significant part of this offense, but his performance against Seattle didn't exactly inspire confidence that he's ready to immediately replace what Brown provides.

Can Josh McDaniels and Drake Maye get him ready before Week 2 against Pittsburgh?

Then, we're finding some positives from Wednesday night.

Three Patriots rookies immediately caught my attention.

Eli Raridon scored New England's first touchdown of the season.

Gabe Okis showed some encouraging signs at a position where the Patriots desperately need someone to emerge.

And Nnamdi Obiazor showed exactly how a young linebacker can earn his place through special teams.

The Patriots lost the game.

They may have lost A.J. Brown for some time.

But Wednesday night wasn't ALL bad.

#NewEnglandPatriots #Patriots #AJBrown #DrakeMaye #NFL

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Drake Maye isn't running from what happened in the New England Patriots' brutal 13-10 loss to Seattle.

He owned it.

After the game, Maye admitted that he stopped being patient late and made decisions that cost the Patriots the game.

And that's exactly what happened.

New England had an opportunity to potentially force overtime. The offense had done enough to keep the Patriots alive. Rhamondre Stevenson battled for every yard he could get, the offensive line looked better in pass protection than I expected, and Mack Hollins helped keep the final drive alive.

Then Maye made the one mistake he couldn't make.

He's young. Mistakes are going to happen.

But when you're coming off an MVP runner-up season, the expectations are different.

We'll also give some flowers after an otherwise brutal night.

Christian Gonzalez looked every bit like one of the best cornerbacks in football, and rookie Gabe Okis gave me some encouraging signs after I spent the offseason questioning New England's pass rush.

The Patriots are 0-1.

Here's what we learned.

#NewEnglandPatriots #Patriots #DrakeMaye #NFL

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