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[New England Patriots]

Patriots vs. Bills: Live updates, score, news, game details, open thread

The New England Patriots kick off a stretch of three straight road games with a primetime matchup against the Buffalo Bills Sunday night.

Coming off a dominant 42-13 victory, a matchup against the reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and the Super Bowl hopeful Bills will provide a strong measuring stick for Mike Vrabel’s squad that looks to get over .500 for the first time this season.

Follow along with us live down below throughout Sunday night’s contest.

Live score: Patriots 0 : 0 Bills​

Sunday, Oct. 5, 8:20 p.m. ET | Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY | Broadcast information | Inactives | Game day roster

First Quarter​

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-engl...pdates-news-game-details-recap-nfl-week-5-snf

 

[New England Patriots]

Patriots vs. Bills game day roster: Starting O-line is back together

The New England Patriots offensive line played its best game of the season last Sunday against Carolina, but it will not look the same on Sunday night versus the Buffalo Bills. That is by design: the team, after all, will have starting left guard Jared Wilson available again for Week 5.

Wilson, a third-round draft pick in April, had to sit out last week’s contest due to ankle and knee injuries. The Patriots subsequently inserted Ben Brown into his spot, but the veteran is headed back to the bench again. This means that for the fourth time this season, New England will go with Will Campbell, Wilson, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses as its starting five up front.

The Patriots’ full game day roster for Sunday’s game looks as follows:

Patriots game day roster: Week 5 vs. Bills​

Quarterback (2): Drake Maye (10), Joshua Dobbs (11)

Running back (4): Rhamondre Stevenson (38), TreVeyon Henderson (32 | KR), Antonio Gibson (4 | KR), Jack Westover (37 | FB/TE)

Wide receiver (5): Kayshon Boutte (9), Stefon Diggs (8), Mack Hollins (13), DeMario Douglas (3), Kyle Williams (18)

Tight end (2): Hunter Henry (85), Austin Hooper (81)

Offensive tackle (4): Will Campbell (66 | LT), Morgan Moses (76 | RT), Marcus Bryant (52), Vederian Lowe (59)

Interior offensive line (4): Jared Wilson (58 | LG), Garrett Bradbury (65 | C), Mike Onwenu (71 | RG), Ben Brown (77)

Interior defensive line (5): Christian Barmore (90), Milton Williams (97), Khyiris Tonga (95), Joshua Farmer (92), Cory Durden (94)

Defensive edge (3): Harold Landry III (2), Keion White (99), Anfernee Jennings (33), Elijah Ponder (91)

Linebacker (5): Robert Spillane (14), Jahlani Tavai (48), Christian Elliss (53), Jack Gibbens (51), Marte Mapu (15)

Cornerback (5): Christian Gonzalez (0), Carlton Davis III (7), Marcus Jones (25 | PR), Alex Austin (28), Charles Woods (22)

Safety (5): Jaylinn Hawkins (21), Craig Woodson (31), Kyle Dugger (23), Dell Pettus (24), Brenden Schooler (41)

Specialists (3): Andy Borregales (36 | K), Bryce Baringer (17 | P/H), Julian Ashby (47 | LS)

The Patriots, for the first time all season, elected not to elevate any players from their practice squad to the game day roster. Last week, they moved up offensive lineman Brendan Jaimes and linebacker Darius Harris, with the latter ending up playing 57% of special teams snaps and seeing action on all four units.

The trickle-down effect of linebacker Jahlani Tavai making his season debut likely prevented Harris from returning to the game day squad and resuming his role. The expectation therefore is that either Tavai himself or one of the other linebackers — keep an eye on Christian Elliss — will see increased action in the kicking game.

Patriots reserves​

Inactives (5): QB Tommy DeVito (16 | emergency QB), WR Efton Chism III (86), OL Caedan Wallace (70), DT Eric Gregory (55)

Practice squad (16): RB Terrell Jennings (26), WR John Jiles (83), WR Jeremiah Webb (29), TE C.J. Dippre (82), TE Gee Scott Jr. (80), OL Sebastian Gutierrez (72), OL Andrew Rupcich (67), OL Brenden Jaimes (61), OL Royce Newman (74), DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (98), ED Truman Jones (54), ED Bradyn Swinson (43), LB Darius Harris (42), CB Miles Battle (35), CB Kobee Minor (19), CB Tyron Herring (39)

Practice squad exempt (1): DT David Olajiga (96 | IPPP)

Reserve/injured (8): FB Brock Lampe, OT Yasir Durant, CB Marcellas Dial Jr., DT Jaquelin Roy, RB Lan Larison, RB Deneric Prince, DT Isaiah Iton, G Layden Robinson

Reserve/retired (1): OL Wes Schweitzer

Another week, another healthy scratch for Efton Chism. While the Patriots are pleased with his process, the entire receiving corps at wide receiver and tight end being healthy means that the undrafted rookie remains an emergency backup option for now.

The Patriots’ Week 5 game against the Bills will be kicked off at 8:20 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-engl...814/patriots-bills-game-day-roster-nfl-week-5

 

[New England Patriots]

The good, the bad, and the s—t that gets you beat from Patriots’ win over Bills

Ahead of this year’s training camp, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel explained that he was looking at his team’s performances in three categories. There is the good, the bad, and, as he called it, the s—t that gets you beat.

Against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, there was a lot more good than bad. Otherwise, Vrabel’s team would not have been able to celebrate a 23-20 upset of the unbeaten 8.5-point favorites on the road. Still, if the coach wants to look at the Patriots like that, who are we to disagree? So, let’s break down the Week 5 game in exactly that manner.

The good: Defensive resilience​

We could mention Drake Maye here. Or Stefon Diggs. Or Andy Borregales.

However, while they were all instrumental in the Patriots’ win over the Bills, the defense also deserves a major shoutout for its performance against arguably the most well-rounded offense in the NFL. Buffalo entered Week 5 having ranked second in scoring (33.3 points/game) and yards (404.0), and first in giveaways (1) and expected points added both per dropback (0.357) and per run (0.091).

While Josh Allen and company performing below expectation played a part in it, the Patriots defense also contributed to the Bills not matching their season averages in any of those categories. When all was said and done, the Bills scored just 22 points on a 363-yard outing, turned the ball over three times, and finished with an EPA per dropback of 0.21 and an EPA per run of only -0.36.

The tone was set from early on. Joshua Farmer recovered a fumble to end the Bills’ first possession, Robert Spillane and Jaylinn Hawkins teamed up to end their third in the same fashion. In addition, Marcus Jones registered an interception at the New England 19-yard line, while Christian Gonzalez broke up a third down pass that forced the Bills to go for the tie rather than a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

New England was not perfect by any means, and the Bills found themselves in scoring position more often than their final points tally would indicate. However, either through fault of their own or the Patriots rising up to the occasion, they only managed two touchdowns and two field goals on the day.

The Patriots defense had to run head-first into a blizzard on Sunday night. It weathered they storm.

The bad: Antonio Gibson’s injury​

Even though he had been on the field for only 52 offensive snaps and 21 on special teams this season before going down with a knee injury in the second quarter on Sunday, Antonio Gibson was a valuable member of the Patriots offense. He was their next man up at running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson, and again entered the top lineup versus Buffalo after yet another lost fumble by the starter (his third on the year).

However, his future looks uncertain after what looked like a serious knee injury. Gibson gingerly walked off the field and after a brief stint in the blue medical tent left for the locker room; he was ruled out almost instantaneously, which is never a good sign.

Considering Stevenson’s ongoing problems holding onto the ball, and rookie TreVeyon Henderson still being quite raw around the edges, losing the veteran for any extended period of time would be a concern. And that’s not even touching on his contributions in the return game: Gibson is ranked fifth in the NFL among qualifying kickoff returners with an average of 28.5 yards per runback, and the only player so far to run a kickoff back for a touchdown.

If the injury is indeed as significant as it appeared to be, he will be missed.

The s—t that gets you beat: Mental errors​

When we’re speaking of mental errors here, we are speaking primarily of one thing: unnecessary penalties, of which there were several against the Bills. The total tally looked like this: 10 penalties, of which eight were enforced for a loss of 93 yards (compared to Buffalo’s 15-11-90 line).

The volume was one thing, another was the nature and timing of some of those penalties particularly in the fourth quarter. After going up 20-10, the Patriots gave Josh Allen and the Bills offense 30 free yards on back-to-back plays when backup defensive tackles Cory Durden and Joshua Farmer were flagged for roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness, respectively; that drive might have ended in a Bills touchdown anyway, but New England sure made life easier for its opponent.

The same was true later in the period, when Vederian Lowe was flagged for a false start on 3rd-and-1. Instead of an opportunity to drain some clock, New England moved back five yards and after a scramble resulting in a loss of 2 yards was forced to punt.

In the end, those miscues did not end up costing the team. However, they put additional pressure on the Patriots and are something that needs to be cleaned up — especially given that all three of the culprits are role players who only take the field for limited snaps each game.

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-engl...10962/patriots-bills-good-bad-ugly-nfl-week-5

 

[New England Patriots]

Patriots rooting guide, open thread, and more for NFL Week 5

The New England Patriots will return to primetime this week, taking on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football.

Naturally, that game is our main focus this week. Of course, there is plenty of other football on the menu as well, so here is who to root for and how to watch the 13 other games scheduled between Thursday and Monday.

Monday​

8:15 p.m. ET​

Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars: Go Jaguars! There are several reasons to root for the home team in this one, including the Patriots owning two Chiefs draft picks in 2026. Kansas City missing the playoffs would be the best-case outcome from that perspective, and while that is still quite unlikely every game might end up making the difference. | ESPN/ABC

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The following games finished earlier in the week.

Thursday​

8:15 p.m. ET​

San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams: Go Niners! There is no true football reason to root for San Francisco in this one, but there is a sentimental one. Go get ‘em, Mac Jones! | SF 26, LA 23

Sunday​

9:30 a.m. ET​

Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns: Go Vikings! A classic case of AFC versus NFC. Unless there is reason to go in a different direction, we’ll keep picking the NFC side every day of the week. | MIN 31, CLV 17

1 p.m. ET​

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens: Go Texans! From a rooting perspective, this is a challenging one given that both teams are 1-3. There is a case to be made for Baltimore due to the Patriots’ strength of schedule tiebreaker, but ultimately the Ravens’ ceiling seems a lot higher than the Texans’ and they might just end up battling New England for a playoff spot when all is said and done. | HST 44, BLT 10

Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers: Go Panthers! The Patriots already beat both teams, so the game has no impact on any strength of schedule or victory tiebreakers. This means, we’ll fall back to the old NFC over AFC. | MIA 24, CAR 27

Las Vegas Raiders at Indianapolis Colts: Go Raiders! This may seem counterintuitive given that the Raiders hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Patriots. However, they have lost three straight since and are not exactly looking like a team that might compete for a playoff spot. And so, Indianapolis suffering a loss to fall to 3-2 might end up the better result for New England. | LV 6 IND 40

New York Giants at New Orleans Saints: Go Giants! The Patriots will play both teams later in the year, so the deciding factor is the 2026 draft: New England owns a Saints seventh-rounder that would be better placed the more games the currently 0-4 Saints end up losing. | NYG 14, NO 26

Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets: Go Cowboys! It’s AFC versus NFC, plus: it’s the Jets. Strength of schedule be damned for this one. | DAL 37, NYJ 22

Denver Broncos at Philadelphia Eagles: Go Eagles! Again, NFC over AFC. | DEN 21, PHI 17

4:05 p.m. ET​

Tennessee Titans at Arizona Cardinals: Go Cardinals! Usually, we would go with the NFC team in this one but the Titans are so bad them becoming a threat to earn a playoff spot would be a shocker. So, we root for them to win their first game and improve the Patriots’ strength of schedule tiebreaker. | TEN 22, ARZ 21

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks: Go Bucs! Speaking of strength of schedule, guess which of those two NFC teams will play the Patriots later this year. | TB 38, SEA 35

4:25 p.m. ET​

Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals: Go Bengals! Even though they are 2-2, Cincinnati without Joe Burrow is looking rough, and so we’re going with the schedule tiebreaker over actually rooting against the AFC side in this one. | DET 37, CIN 24

Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Chargers: Go Commanders! Finally, we’re back to the classic NFC over AFC. | WAS 27, LAC 10

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Now it’s your turn. Who are you rooting for this week? And what do you think about the games as they unfold? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts and discuss.

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-engl...patriots-rooting-guide-open-thread-nfl-week-5

 

[New England Patriots]

Patriots power rankings Week 6: Pats catapult up after epic Bills upset

Sunday’s epic upset thriller in Buffalo became an instant classic. The undefeated Bills, wearing their spanking new Rivalry white ‘Cold Front’ uniforms, hosted New England for the final time at their old Highmark Stadium. Fans dressed to create a ‘white-out’ vibe, but the outfits weren’t enough. The Patriots prevailed 23-20, in a gritty, turnover-fueled nail-biter that snapped Buffalo’s perfect record and sent New England soaring from rebuilding mediocrity straight into the playoff conversation.

The win was far from flawless, especially early on, but the victory belonged to the whole team. The difference on Sunday was how they battled back. The defense was solid, and Drake Maye put together a game-winning drive to set up rookie Andy Borregales for a last-second 52-yard field goal. Stefon Diggs described it as “electrifying” and I agree.

What happens next? The Patriots travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints. The league already decided this matchup wasn’t worth a late afternoon time slot and flexed it back to 1:00 pm. The Saints 1-4 record should not be overlooked however, just as the Bills’ 4-0 record didn’t matter. If Mike Vrabel keeps his team motivated to face an opponent with only one win — and without the Bills division-rival energy — the Patriots will be fine. The Pats are favored by 3.5 points and I believe they will beat the Saints and improve to 4-2.

GO PATS!!

*********************************************************************************************

Around the AFC East:

Buffalo Bills (4-1) at Atlanta Falcons (2-2)

New England Patriots (3-2) at New Orleans Saints (1-4)

Miami Dolphins (1-4) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (3-2)

New York Jets (0-5) vs. Denver Broncos (3-2)

AFC Matchups:

Indianapolis Colts (4-1) vs. Arizona Cardinals (2-3)

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) vs. Cleveland Browns (1-4)

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1) vs. Seattle Seahawks (3-2)

Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) at Green Bay Packers (2-1-1)

Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) vs. Detroit Lions (4-1)

Houston Texans (2-3) – Bye

Baltimore Ravens (1-4) vs. Los Angeles Rams (3-2)

Tennessee Titans (1-4) at Las Vegas Raiders (1-4)

*********************************************************************************************

13th – Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): Mike Vrabel has instilled a toughness on the defense and Drake Maye has arrived. They will be a tough battle every week and could push the Bills in the division. [+5]

14th – Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): Coupled with North Carolina getting blown out (again), it was the franchise’s best weekend since winning Super Bowl LIII. [+9]

15th – Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): The Patriots’ coming out party under Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels happened with Drake Maye, Stefon Diggs, the running game and defense coming through to make things interesting with the Bills in the AFC East again. [+6]

15th – Nate Davis (USA Today): Their next three opponents have a combined three wins. Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye seem on the cusp of resurrecting this franchise from its recent dormancy. [+7]

16th – Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): Drake Maye had been playing quite well, and after Sunday’s performance in the upset over the Bills, everyone will start talking about him. That was his breakout game. The question is whether that win was a sign the Patriots might give a real scare to the Bills in the AFC East. [+5]

17th – NFL Nation (ESPN): Fantasy surprise: WR Stefon Diggs. Diggs became the first Patriots receiver to record consecutive 100-yard games since Julian Edelman in 2019, showing that he can still get down the field and make explosive plays — despite being ranked 41st in preseason fantasy rankings. Diggs has 16 catches for 247 yards and 40.7 fantasy points over the past two weeks. One of the knocks on him was that his yards after catch have decreased in recent seasons, but he has 131 so far in 2025. — Mike Reiss. [+4]

17th – Diante Lee (The Ringer): Drake Maye has arrived as a top-10 quarterback. Maye made quite the statement in his first prime-time game, out-dueling reigning MVP Josh Allen and leading a game-winning drive in the last two minutes on Sunday night. Maye’s arm talent and athletic traits are special, and there aren’t strong enough superlatives to describe how much heavy lifting he’s been doing for the Patriots offense. That said, I don’t think that Sunday’s performance was close to his best this year, and that speaks to how excellent he’s been. Maye is a game changer, and the AFC is officially on notice. [+5]

17th – Conor Orr (SI): It’s going to be difficult to properly contextualize what Sunday night’s win over the Buffalo Bills meant for Mike Vrabel and the rebuilding process. We left in awe of Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez—and we hoped that Stefon Diggs continues to bring this kind of juice against teams he didn’t formerly play for. [+7]

17th – Ralph Vacchiano (FOX Sports): They deserve a huge jump because beating a Super Bowl favorite on the road in prime time isn’t easy. And the way quarterback Drake Maye and their defense played in Buffalo, they could make things tough for the Bills in the AFC East. [+7]

18th – Eric Edholm (NFL.com): The Patriots’ win over the Bills was Mike Vrabel’s clarion-call victory and the biggest one in New England in quite some time. The Pats went to Buffalo and dictated the style of play, even with an ugly beginning. Drake Maye overcame some first-half jitters and shaky pocket awareness to deliver an impressive second half, outdueling Josh Allen in the fourth quarter. Stefon Diggs delivered his dose of revenge, with more catches and yards than the next three busiest Patriots pass catchers. It was a heck of a game plan by the Patriots’ semi-maligned defense, too, and New England got a clutch kick from rookie Andy Borregales. The Pats’ next three games are against teams with one win apiece. [+5]

AVG RANK: 15.9 [+6.0]

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-engl...eek-6-pats-catapult-up-after-epic-bills-upset

 

[New England Patriots]

#PostPulpit Mailbag: Submit your questions for this week

Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, and the New England Patriots got their signature win with a primetime upset over the Buffalo Bills. With the Patriots seemingly announcing to the rest of the league they are to be taken for real, they get set to head down to New Orleans for what could be a classic trap game.

So, submit any Patriots questions — or whatever else is on your mind — down in the comments below or on Twitter using #PostPulpit.

Stay tuned for Friday’s updated mailbag.

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-engl...t-mailbag-submit-your-questions-for-this-week

 

[New England Patriots]

Pats Pulpit Reacts: Is Drake Maye a top-10 QB already?

Playing in front of a primetime audience for the first time in his career, the New England Patriots’ 23-20 upset win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night was a coming-out party for quarterback Drake Maye. While the numbers may not show it — 22-for-30 for 273 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions — the second-year passer made some standout plays and looked every part the franchise quarterback he was drafted to be.

Did he also look like a top-10 quarterback in the NFL right now? So far this season, there is a case he just might be. He is ranked second in the league in completion percentage (73.9), fifth in yards (1,261) and yards per attempt (8.2), and sixth in expected points added per play (0.288), and has the Patriots offense trending in the right direction after some rough years.

What do you believe, though? Please make sure to participate in this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey, and to hit the comment section below to talk about your answer and more.

Please sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-engl...-survey-question-nfl-week-6-saints-drake-maye

 

[New England Patriots]

Patriots links 10/09/25 – Secret sauce: Diggs + Gonzalez

TEAM TALK

• Patriots-Saints initial Injury Report.
• Evan Lazar’s Patriots Gameplan: 3 Keys to Victory in Sunday’s Week 6 Matchup vs. the Saints in New Orleans. “To really turn the corner as a football team, the Patriots can’t let their guard down in NOLA.”
• Broadcast Info: How to watch/listen to Patriots at Saints.
• Transcript: Mike Vrabel (Plus 13 min. video)
• Press Conferences: Drake Maye – Stefon Diggs, Christian Gonzalez, Jaylinn Hawkins, and Terrell Jennings.
• Highlights: Patriots equipment staff packs pants trunk for Sunday’s Saints game. (1 min. video)
• Patriots Unfiltered: Saints preview, Vrabel presser reaction, Locker room/team updates. (2 hours)
• Patriots Catch-22: Evan Lazar and Alex Barth talk Week 5 3 up/down vs. Bills, Maye-Diggs connection, the running back room; More. (1 hr, 45 min.)

LOCAL LINKS

• Mark Daniels says it’s a positive that the offense is finally scoring points in 2025, but points to the run game as a glaring weakness that is holding them back.
• Andrew Callahan explains how the Drake Maye-Stefon Diggs connection has raised the Patriots’ ceiling.
• Karen Guregian writes, if vintage Stefon Diggs continues to show up for the Patriots, watch out.
• Mark Daniels explains how Patriots’ Stefon Diggs and Christian Gonzalez are helping each other succeed.
• Phil Perry spotlights one Stefon Diggs play from Week 5 that shows how Mike Vrabel’s philosophy is taking hold.
• Jake Seymour highlights Mike Vrabel sharing an interesting insight about his team’s penalty problem.
• Doug Kyed relays Drake Maye who credits his unsung hero teammates for a lower turnover rate.
• Karen Guregian reports LB Jahlani Tavai says he’s glad to finally chip in.
• Mike D’Abate reports New England listed nine players on their first injury report of the week; LB K’Lavon Chaisson returns; S Jaylinn Hawkins (Hamstring) and DE Keion White (Elbow) did not participate.
• Phil Perry notes RB Terrell Jennings could be the next man up in the backfield, and he’s staying ready.
• Doug Kyed examines how the Patriots rookies are performing past the quarter point in the 2025 season: What a difference a year makes.
• Mark Morse cleans out the the Week 5 Patriots notebook: This from Greg Bedard: “Maye should have been sacked for a 10-yard loss on the first play of the final drive, which likely would have led to a punt and a Bills win. Instead, he shrugged off 320-pound DaQuan Jones and completed a 12-yard pass. That’s a superhuman play. There’s like a half-dozen QBs in the league that could pull that off.” More.
• Phil Perry‘s Patriots Mailbag: Biggest surprises, McDaniels’ impact on Maye and more.
• Alex Barth tells us the Patriots will debut a brand new uniform combination against the Saints. Not only is it the first time they’re wearing their white jerseys this season, it’s the first time ever they’ll wear white pants with their current primary uniform set, home or road.
• Jake Seymour checks in with some former Pats to see how they did with their new teams in Week 5.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Albert Breer (SI) NFL Mailbag: Why Joe Flacco is a game-changer for the Bengals; Plus, Deshaun Watson’s future in Cleveland and the NFL, and what’s happening in Miami with the coach, GM and QB.
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) NFL quarter season team grades: Only a few teams look like Super Bowl contenders. Patriots: “… It wasn’t a perfect start to the season, but Drake Maye looks like the real deal and the Patriots appear to be a playoff contender.” Grade B.
• Dan Graziano (ESPN) Ranking all eight divisions. AFC East 7th. “… It was close between these final two divisions, though having watched the Jets in person Sunday, it was pretty hard not to rank the AFC East dead last.” /Lol.
• Matt Verderame (SI) NFL Quarterback Rankings. No. 10 Drake Maye. /Click for commentary.
• Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) Week 6 QB Power Rankings. No. 11 Drake Maye. /Click for commentary.
• Steven Ruiz (The Ringer) Updated QB rankings. No. 11 Drake Maye. /Click for commentary.
• Bill Barnwell (ESPN) 2025 NFL rookie running back reports. TreVeyon Henderson included last.
• Maurice Jones-Drew (NFL.com) Prediction: Which four of this season’s seven 3-2 teams will make the playoffs. Broncos, Chargers, Rams, Commanders. No Pats.
• Gilberto Manzano (SI) Ranking the top five candidates for NFL MVP. No Pats.
• Karl Rasmussen (SI) NFL teams that already need to begin preparing for 2026 draft. No Pats.

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-engl...ts-links-10-09-25-secret-sauce-diggs-gonzalez

 

[New England Patriots]

#PostPulpit Mailbag: Where are the biggest areas for improvement after 5 games?

The New England Patriots are trending upwards after a big primetime victory over the Buffalo Bills last Sunday night. Now, they’ll look to put together their first three game win streak since 2022 on the road in New Orleans.

So before kickoff, let’s get right into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.

To contrast the positive vibes, can you names 3 areas of biggest concern or improvement you might like to see? – Sportzballer

While things are definitely heading in a positive direction, it’s certainly not perfect. So good question. Here’s my three biggest concerns entering Week 6:

Run game: It’s been impressive that the Patriots offense has looked as well as it has with a run game that ranks near the bottom of the league. The best thing they’ve done well is not go backwards — which has helped them stay away from being behind the sticks and keeping defenses honest on play-action. But as Vrabel said this week, they need more double-digit yard runs. The struggles feel like a combination of the offensive line and running backs — who rank dead last in yards after contact and avoided tackle rate — so they’ll need better all around.

Covering tight ends: A problem that dates back to training camp has expectedly plagued New England to start the regular season. As seen from Dalton Kincaid’s first 100-yard gain last Sunday night, the Patriots have struggled against opposing tight ends. Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson’s strength are not man coverage, so the wonder is if they look to deploy Marte Mapu or Alex Austin in a tight end-stopper role in passing situations.

Red zone defense: Mike Vrabel also noted this area needs to improve this week as the Patriots have allowed touchdowns on 75 percent of opponents drives that reach the red zone (9-for-12). Four of those scores — including two against Buffalo — have also involved motion.

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Seems like almost every kickoff goes to the Gibson-Stevenson side. I was thinking that if they want teams to kick to Henderson, why not put Jones on the other side? Pick your poison. Why is Jones not considered a kick returner? Is it purely workload control or is is something more? Blocking? – ed.liebfried

How might the Patriots fill the open kick return slot with Gibson out for the year? They had Mondre back in Buffalo, and as fun as it was to watch Blount return kicks in 2013, I don’t think that strategy is sustainable this season. Maybe Webb or Chism off the PS? – Matt Monitto

New England prefers a larger body handling kickoff returns due to the contact and collisions that occur on the play. That is why they have opted more toward running backs like Antonio Gibson instead of speedsters like Marcus Jones or DeMario Douglas. As they control Jones’ workload in that area, the team would use him as a kick returner in an end-of-game situation if they needed a big play.

When it comes to filling in for Gibson, my best bet this week would just be running back Terrell Jennings, who handled those duties in two games his rookie season. I get the appeal with Chism or Webb, who broke a 50-plus yard return in the preseason, but finding a spot on the game day roster could be a challenge with injuries and activations needed elsewhere.

Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer did leave the door open for someone with “dynamic ability” which potentially leaves wide receiver Kyle Williams as an option as the rookie repped with the returners this summer. But, we’ll lean with them sticking with a running back body type and that being Jennings for now.

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Any more info on the severity of Lan Larison’s foot injury? Seems like he missed a perfect opportunity to step up in Gibson’s absence. – NewEnglandWhalers

Would be a good opportunity for him. Larison was around rehabbing at the start of the season but have not heard any updates since. Hopefully he’ll remain on track for the offseason program.

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Why is Rhamondre Stevenson still on this team? He has proven multiple times that he is not a reliable player. He is a fumbling machine. Danny Woodhead right now (retired, out of shape, sitting on the couch) is an upgrade over this bum. – Sweaty-Man-Boobs

I do wonder where the line is with Rhamondre Stevenson and the fumbles. But, he brings plenty of value as a player. We’ll just let Josh McDaniels explain this one:

“Mondre does a lot of great things that help our team and a lot of things that people don’t necessarily talk about. We want everybody to protect the ball — nobody will not say that. But there’s a lot of things that he does. He picks up blitzes, chips the defensive ends a whole lot, is where he’s supposed to be in the passing game, is really dependable in a lot of areas for us, and does a lot of things, plays a lot of roles, and he’s a great teammate.

“It’s our job to continue to work with all our players. We all make mistakes. We’re all human, and all of us do things that we wish we didn’t do — and nobody wants to do better than he does. So to continue to have faith in him, I think that’s really important. We trust all our guys that are out there. We believe in them, and yeah, I love the kid.”

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I’m seeing trade rumors that Alvin Kamara might be available from the soon to be 1-5 Saints. Should the Pats hold a seat for him on AirKraft this Sunday for the flight back to Foxborough? – coolbeanz

Seems like they’ll go with Terrell Jennings for now, but do wonder if they’ll make a move at the position moving forward. Don’t think that would be a player to the level of Kamara — or a Vrabel – Derrick Henry reunion — but the Saints veteran has seen his workload reduce with K’Andre Miller playing well.

One potential trade target who caught my attention in research: Browns running back Jerome Ford. Cleveland drafted both Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson as Ford enters the last year of his deal. The back also has experience as a returner while Vrabel spent last season with the Browns as well.

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Will the euphoria of Sunday night’s victory cause a let down against what are perceived as weak opponents the next two weeks? – Ricky Hot Pants

An emotional win in primetime followed by another road trip to face off against a 1-4 team? That might as well be the definition of a trap game. But, the messaging from Mike Vrabel and players around the building has been to flush last week and move on — one that appears to be reaching the players.

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Do the Patriots have a good chance at finishing the season 13-4? – mathblaster97

You can see the path as they have the easiest strength of schedule in football remaining. But, this is still a young team with plenty of new faces, so an occasional hiccup or dud can not be ruled out. Even with these next two games, winning three straight on the road is quite the challenge despite the level of opponent.

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*on 3rd & inches, 4th quarter, 6:26 to play…Vederian Lowe is called for a false start…at Left Tackle. Of course, I’m thinking, Where’s Campbell? Took me a couple watches to find him. He was at Right Tackle. Why?

Have there been other instances/packages where they’ve played Campbell at RT? Does Maye prefer to run right and Campbell gives a better mobile push than Moses? – PatsHowYouDoIt

New England has used that unbalanced look sparingly this season — including two run plays against the Steelers back in Week 3 where each run went away from Campbell to the left. Just providing different looks to make defenses think with perhaps a wrinkle coming in the future.

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Is the Bills’ pass rush that good? Looked like a jailbreak throughout the game. – c. lassiter

Gregory Rousseau is a good player while Joey Bosa has enjoyed a bounce-back season with 17 pressures through four games entering last Sunday night. But, most of Buffalo’s pressure came in the second half when they dialed up more blitzes (eight total in the game) on Drake Maye.

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Which #1 pick QB will the Jets ruin when they draft him in 2026? – luckyfukikentucky

I’ve been a fan of Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) while Dante Moore (Oregon) has also been impressive to start the year (who will square off against each other this weekend). But the easy answer here is Drew Allar. Another Penn State quarterback for the Jets?

That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well.

Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-engl...ilbag-nfl-week-6-saintss-improvement-concerns

 

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Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/new-engl...preferred-sources-search-results-instructions