The New England Patriots took care of business at home again against the New York Giants to improve to 6-0. With every passing week, the questions that surround this Patriots’ defense are honing in on one lone question: is this the best group head coach Bill Belichick has ever had?
The defense made nothing easy for rookie quarterback Daniel Jones as he finished with three interceptions, only 161 passing yards and a completion percentage under 50%. The Giants only rushed for 52 yards against the Patriots as well.
The offense was a bit shaky in this game, and an injury scare to wide receiver Josh Gordon further limited the group in the second half. Gordon attempted to bring Giants’ linebacker Markus Golden down in his fumble return, with his knee twisting at an awkward angle, but reports are saying it’s minor and Gordon should heal sooner rather than later. Quarterback Tom Brady was criticized for his play Thursday night, but at the end of the day, he finished 31/41 with 334 yards and two rushing touchdowns, which you definitely don’t see a lot from him. Wide receiver Julian Edelman had a big night, hauling in nine catches for 114 yards, as he continues to be Brady’s top option.
New England is still struggling to get a consistent run game going. Running back Sony Michel was able to pick up 86 yards but still finished with under four yards per carry. The fault of Michel’s play should be more on the offensive line than Michel; it seems like as soon as he gets the ball there are already three defenders around him to make a play. The offensive line has been essentially the lone weakness on this team, and there are not many reinforcements coming to save them. The only starter the Patriots expect to return is left tackle Isaiah Wynn, which of course is huge, but his ability to stay healthy is not promising. The former first-round pick has only played two games in his first two seasons to this point. Wynn looked great in the games he played, but there are uncertainties of whether or not he can stay healthy.
The Patriots will make the short road trip to take on the New York Jets who are coming off an upset win over the Dallas Cowboys, in quarterback Sam Darnold’s return. The Patriots should be able to take care of business against New York despite the numerous injuries on offense. The defense will likely be just too much for the second-year quarterback to handle. The Jets will try to get former All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell going, but considering the Patriots’ defense has given up the third-fewest rushing yards in the NFL, that will be an uphill battle for the Jets. After the Chiefs loss to the Texans on Sunday, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ knee injury, the Patriots have a two-game lead for the top seed in the AFC and look to improve to 7-0 before the schedule hits its stride and the games get tougher.
