New England Patriots
Take this as a plea for patience if you want.
Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …
Through three games of the Mike Vrabel era, the Patriots have one win, two losses, and an absurd list of self-inflicted regrets and if-onlys.
The Patriots could have, and probably should have, beaten hit-averse Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers on Sunday afternoon. But they turned over the football five times, somehow failed to recover any of their four fumbles, and lost, 21-14.
“[The turnovers] erase all of the good things you do,’’ sighed Vrabel
As exasperating as this loss was after winning in Miami last Sunday despite committing 12 penalties, it doesn’t change the outlook on the season. The Patriots should finish around .500, and they might even have something good here if they can stop messing up in almost darkly comical fashion.
Drake Maye, who completed 28 of 37 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns, and a crushing interception, fluctuates in performance and confidence like almost every young quarterback in the history of the league.
When he is on, he is a blast to watch — the talent is so clear — and if he can progress along that learning curve, this season will be much more fun as the weeks pass.
Take this as a plea for patience if you want. Sunday’s loss coulda/shoulda been a win, if it wasn’t so packed with blunders at the worst possible time. I’m looking forward to what the Patriots can be once Vrabel gets them to stop beating themselves.
Some further thoughts, upon immediate review …
Three players who were worth watching
Players suggested in the Unconventional Preview: T.J. Watt, Robert Spillane, Jabrill Peppers.
Robert Spillane: Mike Vrabel likes to talk about resilience, and while it might get lost in the many frustrations of the day, it must be noted that Spillane’s performance was the picture of resilience given how last Sunday went for him.
Spillane was downright excellent against the Steelers, finishing with a Steve Nelson-like 15 tackles (10 solo), including six in the first quarter.
After missing five tackles and getting left grasping at air repeatedly by Dolphins speedster De’Von Achane, Spillane spearheaded a defense that tackled much better while holding the Steelers running game to 64 yards on 26 attempts.
Cameron Heyward: How long has this guy been tormenting offensive lines?
The Steelers took him in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. The Patriots’ first-round pick that year was tackle Nate Solder, who had a long, fine career … and has been retired for four years. Only three other players from that draft — Von Miller, Cam Jordan, and Tyrod Taylor — remain active.
Yet Heyward, now 36 years old, is still a menace. The four-time All-Pro (including last season) had a hand in forcing two devastating Patriots blunders.
He tipped Drake Maye’s pass late in the second quarter, slightly altering the flight path of what ended up as a Brandin Echols interception. And it was Heyward who pried the ball loose from Rhamondre Stevenson when he looked ticketed for the end zone early in the third quarter.
Hunter Henry: A reliable tight end is a valued friend to a young quarterback, and Henry has been that with the Patriots, first for Mac Jones and now Maye.
In fact, Sunday’s game actually ranks among the best of his career, which is in its 10th season and fifth in Foxborough. Henry hauled in eight receptions for 90 yards and both Patriots touchdowns.
The first TD, a 5-yard reception late in the second quarter to cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 14-7, punctuated a 9-play, 77-yard drive.
The second, a 16-yard dart from Maye, tied the game at 14 on the first play of the fourth quarter, culminating another long (15 plays, 88 yards) drive.
Henry’s 90 receiving yards tied for his fifth most in a game, and this was his fifth game — and second against the Steelers — with a pair of touchdown receptions.
Grievance of the game
I mean, it’s the five turnovers. Of course it is. I’m not sure we’ll have a more obvious grievance the rest of the season. (Watch them go out and turn it over six times against the Panthers next weekend.)
I don’t think we can even pinpoint which turnover of the five was most devastating, because two came inside the Steelers 5-yard line.
Maye’s interception just before halftime was probably the most discouraging — the Patriots had marched 92 yards in 16 plays before the interception, and it was crushing to go that far only to end up with nothing to show for it.
The other blunder deep in Steelers territory was the most angering. On second and goal from the 2 early in the third quarter, Stevenson coughed up (and lost) his second fumble of the game just as he was about to reach the end zone in another attempt to tie the game at 14-14.
Three notes scribbled in the margins
Predicted final score: Patriots 27, Steelers 20
Final score: Steelers 21, Patriots 14
DeMario Douglas made the last of the Patriots’ many knuckleheaded plays, catching Maye’s throw short of the first down marker on fourth and 1 from the Steelers 28 with 1 minute, 7 seconds left, then wheeling backward to lose a yard and effectively end the game. Through three games, Douglas has five receptions on 13 targets for 13 yards and a touchdown, and he rarely seems to be exactly where Maye expects him … This was the first time I’ve heard J.J. Watt, shifted from the studio to CBS’s No. 2 team with the outstanding Ian Eagle, call a full game, and I thought he was excellent, especially for his experience level. It was amusing to hear him refer to his brother as “T.J. Watt” upon every mention, like he was just another player, but he navigated that situation well … CBS’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of “NFL Today” hit all the right retro notes, especially the ’70s-era theme music, which really ought to be what they use every week.
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