Winners and Losers of New England Patriots' Week 2 Performance
Reaching the postseason after starting 0-2 in the NFL is difficult. In fact, according to OddsShark: "Since 2007, 83 teams have started 0-2. Only nine (9.2 percent) of them turned it around to make the playoffs."
That's why the New England Patriots faced pressure against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.
Consecutive losses are rare for New England—it's only happened twice in the past four years—but the Pats were battling Drew Brees and Sean Payton in the Superdome.
After the Kansas City Chiefs embarrassed them in the opener, the Patriots didn't falter. Tom Brady carved up the Saints defense, and New England cruised 36-20.
Is New England back to being the best team in football? Well, given how atrocious the Saints defense is, it's too early to know. While there was plenty of good in Sunday's game, there was some bad too.
Who were the big winners and losers? That's what we're going to examine.
Winner: Tom Brady
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Brady showed on Sunday exactly why he believed he can continue playing into his mid-40s. He finished the game 30-of-39 for 447 yards and three touchdowns. Yes, he did it against a suspect—and that's being polite—Saints defense, but that's still impressive.
How impressive is it? Well, no other quarterback age 40 or over has passed for that many yards in a single game. Brett Favre and Warren Moon are the only others to have logged 400-plus yards in a game. Favre and Matt Hasselbeck are the only other two 40-year-olds to have at least 30 completions in the same contest.
So far this season, Brady looks as good as ever. Through two games, he has 714 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 106.2. He's done it with Julian Edelman out for the season and with Danny Amendola out in Week 2.
The Patriots might not be as good as some folks believed they would be coming into the season, but Brady has been exactly what we expected.
Loser: Malcolm Butler
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The Patriots raised a few eyebrows during the offseason when they opted not to give cornerback Malcolm Butler a long-term extension. Perhaps, though, they knew something the rest of us didn't.
Butler hasn't looked like the same dominant pass-defender this season. Against the Saints, he didn't even get the starting nod. Instead, New England went with offseason acquisition Stephon Gilmore and Eric Rowe.
An argument could be made that the Patriots didn't rely on Butler as much because of his 5'11" size. The Saints do have some big and physical receivers, so the 6'1" Rowe at least looks like a better physical matchup.
However, performance could also be the issue at hand. Butler surrendered a touchdown to Brandon Coleman during the game. Perhaps, though, the Patriots are looking at the possibility of moving Butler. This is the theory presented by Doug Kyed of NESN.com.
"The Patriots' decision to reduce Butler's snaps was reminiscent of the team scaling back Jamie Collins' workload prior to trading him during the 2016 season," he wrote.
If the Patriots are comfortable with trading Cooks—and maybe they're trying to determine how comfortable they are—and there's a quality pass-rusher they can snag, a deal would make plenty of sense.
Winner: Jonathan Jones
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While Butler didn't have a terrific game, No. 4 cornerback Jonathan Jones did. He was solid in coverage and came away with two pass deflections. One of them prevented a sure touchdown reception by receiver Ted Ginn Jr.
Jones playing well is big for a couple of reasons. One is that if the Patriots are considering trading Butler, he would likely move into the No. 3 cornerback slot. While the Patriots often use three safeties and the big nickel instead of three cornerbacks, this would mean increased playing time for Jones.
The other reason is that Jones is a former undrafted free agent and has been jostling with former second-round pick Cyrus Jones on the depth chart.
Cyrus is out for the season, but this year could give Jonathan Jones a leg up in the competition next offseason.
Rowe left Sunday's game with a groin injury, too, so there's a chance Jones will be eyeing an increased workload as early as next week. Per Kyed, though, Rowe will only need to rehab the injury a "little bit."
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Loser: Dion Lewis
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With injuries at the receiver position, you'd think a pass-catching running back such as Dion Lewis would be heading toward an increased role. However, he continues to have a small role for New England while other backs thrive.
Mike Gillislee got most of the rushing work on Sunday, finishing with 69 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Rex Burkhead and James White have gotten far more work in the passing game; the former had three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown, and the latter snagged eight passes for 85 yards.
Lewis only received four carries and caught one pass in the game. He gained 25 yards on those five touches.
It doesn't help Lewis' value that the Patriots don't rely on him as a punt returner. He does return kicks, but when kickoffs don't come out of the end zone—as was the case all day versus New Orleans—he can't make plays.
Losing value isn't good for the 26-year-old because he is in the final year of his current contract. According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, teams have called about acquiring Lewis. Yet, the Patriots apparently have zero interest in showcasing him.
Winner: Deatrich Wise
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The Patriots only used four picks in this year's draft. Only one of those, Deatrich Wise, has seen significant playing time. The good news is that he hasn't only been getting significant snaps, he's been a significant contributor as a pass-rusher.
Against the Saints, he logged his second sack of the season. He also hit Brees multiple times and pressured him with frequency. He now has three tackles and 2.0 sacks on the year.
As Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal noted, the former fourth-round pick is already looking like a draft steal:
"After hitting gold with Trey Flowers two years ago, it looks like the Pats did it again with fourth-round pick Deatrich Wise. On Sunday, in New Orleans, the rookie was dominant as he finished with a sack and five quarterback hits on Drew Brees."
Expect Wise to earn even more playing time as the season continues.
Loser: David Harris
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While Wise is gaining a larger profile in New England's defense, veteran linebacker David Harris is seeing his shrink. Against the Saints, he only saw one defensive snap. That was without starter Dont'a Hightower on the field.
Instead of Harris seeing increased playing time, we got more of Elandon Roberts. This isn't too surprising after watching Harris look slow against the Chiefs in Week 1. Roberts is tremendous against the run but a liability in pass coverage. If Harris isn't an improvement, then it makes perfect sense to stick with Roberts.
When the Patriots first acquired the longtime New York Jets starter, many—myself included—believed he would secure a big role on the defense. However, it now seems just as likely that Harris could be pushed out entirely.
Harris has come off the bench in each of the first two weeks, but he did have role and a tackle in Week 1. Seeing just one snap in Week 2 represents a definite drop-off.
Winner: Phillip Dorsett
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We've already discussed how injuries have left the Patriots thin at the receiver position. Fortunately, the team was able to get a boost from preseason acquisition Phillip Dorsett.
Dorsett was acquired just before the start of the season from the Indianapolis Colts. New England traded away third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett in order to snag him. The former first-round pick never quite lived up to expectations in Indianapolis, but he seems to be fitting into New England's offense quite well.
On Sunday, he caught three passes for 68 yards and helped the Patriots stretch out New Orleans' defense. Those 68 yards is the second-highest total for a game in Dorsett's career. Unfortunately, he left the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury and didn't return. He does hope to play next week against the Houston Texans.
"Yeah, I think we'll be alright, though," Dorsett said, per Adam Kurkjian of the Boston Herald. "I mean, we're tough guys. We'll be fine."
Loser: Matt Patricia
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Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia saw his defense get picked apart by the Chiefs. The 42 points surrendered were the most by a Patriots defense, not just since Patricia took over the job in 2012 but since Bill Belichick was appointed as head coach.
Things were better in New Orleans, but they were far from perfect. The Patriots gave up 429 yards of total offense and failed to force a turnover. More concerning is the fact there continues to be miscommunication on the defensive side of the ball.
On one play in the first quarter, cornerbacks Gilmore and Rowe covered the same player, leaving wideout Tommylee Lewis wide open for a 16-yard reception. This came a week after Gilmore passed off Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill to a safety who wasn't there.
There is obviously talent on New England's defense, but miscommunication is hurting the unit. Injuries and poor individual play aren't helping either. The team lost rookie Derek Rivers for the season and is dealing with the absence of linebacker Hightower. The decline of guys such as Harris and Butler is notable.
None of this can make Patricia happy. His defenses have helped win two Super Bowls over the past three seasons, but this year's version doesn't deserve to be compared to those past right now.
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